Langholm 21 – 24 Linlithgow
Saturday 30th September 2023
Report by David Mitchell
After a nervy start and to the relief of the driver and passengers, the bus managed to leave Mains Park in what was the first testing moment of the day. The 2 hour journey to darkest Border country was uneventful and the party arrived around 2pm in Langholm. The weather was changeable but with no heavy showers and the pitch looked in very good condition at this historic and very traditional Border rugby club where we received a warm welcome.
The Reds were hoping to maintain their 100% win record in East League Division 1 but were expecting a hostile challenge from the hosts and a close match was predicted. The visitors had Sam Buckley at loose head prop for his 1st start of the season and there were also 2 debutants on the replacements bench with Calum Lindsay as a back replacement and new member Alex Kenny as a back row replacement. Alex previously played for his home club at Navan in Ireland. Andrew Graham was making a welcome return after injury to bolster the front row cover.
The Reds started brightly enough but were struggling to retain control of the ball when in good scoring positions. However the they were competing well and stealing some lineout ball and holding their own in the scrums against a heavier pack of forwards. Langholm’s game plan became clear early on when they elected to kick long into Reds’ territory with both their stand-off half and inside centre sharing the kicking. This often led to the visitors having to run from deep inside their own half where Langholm were able to turnover ball and win penalties far too easily. The home side quickly established a 9-0 lead with 3 well struck penalties and the Reds missed a penalty kick before getting on the scoreboard with a text book No 8 pick up by Mark Caddle from a solid scrum near the posts. Jack Frame added the extra points but with half time looming, there was still time for Langholm to kick 2 more penalties after another turnover and an off the ball. Half time 15-7
Andrew Graham replaced Adam Scott in the front row during the 1st half but no other changes were made at half time, the highlight of which was coach Dougie Thomson laying into the Reds and demanding a big improvement in the 2nd half. Thankfully the team responded well and after a period of pressure in the home 22 metre area, a scrum under the posts was won decisively and the Reds’ pack marched the home pack back over the line for Mark Caddle to score the try which Jack Frame converted to make the score 15-14. However Langholm still posed a threat with their kicking and they soon extended the lead to 18-14 before Linlithgow managed to take the lead midway through the 2nd half. Eddie Beamish came off his wing to appear in midfield from a set play and created a space for Mark Caddle to take the ball, still inside his own half, to go charging through the home defence. With a combination of fast and elusive running and real determination, Mark was unstoppable and finally crashed over the line with defenders clinging to him for one of the tries of the season to date. Jack added the extra points to make the score 18-21 in favour of the visiting team and the small knot of Linlithgow fans were hoping for a stress free finish to the game. The Reds made changes with Eioan Magee, Alex Kenny and Calum Lindsay all getting game time but as is usual this season the tension remained until the final whistle as each team kicked another penalty to take the final score to 21-24.
Overall a very successful outing to Langholm with another 4 point victory at a difficult venue and a 1st clean sheet in terms of tries conceded to give the visitors a 5-0 winning record so far this season. The forward pack did a great job at the lineouts and scrums and even better came at the breakdown, especially in the 2nd half, where in particular Jamie Tulloch, Fraser Mochrie and Oscar Davies were all prominent in securing ball or spoiling Langholm possession. The combination of more aggression, improved tackling and general increase in energy levels in the 2nd half were key factors in achieving the final win. Newcomer Alex Kenny also carried the ball well on his debut and made a promising debut off the bench.
The backs tried hard all day and defended stoutly to stop Langholm coming near to scoring a try. In attack, they mixed up some good individual thrusts by Jack Frame, Murray Johnstone, Ewan Curran and Luke O’Hara with some decent attempts to move the ball along the line although the wingers never saw too much of the ball. Special mention for Archie Rusack at scrum half who revelled in the conditions and not only fed the back line efficiently but harried his opposite number in a very strong overall performance of which he should be proud.
Langholm were restricted to relying on penalties and the Reds unfortunately gave them too many opportunities. They kicked 7 from 7 but never really challenged the try line which was a good outcome the away team.
Next week is a rest week in the league season and the following Saturday the Reds host Division 1 leaders Haddington at Mains Park in what should be a cracker of a game. However there will be rugby at Mains Park next Saturday when the 2nd XV meet Watsonians 2s and a good turnout of home supporters would be a real boost for the team.
Team list:
Sam Buckley, Kyle Ormond, Adam Scott, Fraser Mochrie, Kieran Cochrane, Oscar Davies, Jamie Tulloch, Mark Caddle, Archie Rusack, Jack Frame (c), Eddie Beamish, Murray Johnstone, Ewan Curran, Cammy Murrie and Luke O’Hara
Replacements: Andrew Graham, Eioan Magee, Alex Kenny and Calum Lindsay
Linlithgow Rugby Club 