Linlithgow 78 – 31 Portobello
Saturday 04 November 2023
Match Report by David Mitchell; Photos courtesy of Graham Black
Linlithgow Reds hosted Portobello in this East League Division 1 fixture on a pitch that had been unplayable on Thursday but had recovered well by Saturday. Overhead conditions were very good and an open high scoring game was anticipated and the spectators were treated to a 109 point game with 17 tries being scored.
Straight from the kick off, Archie Rusack secured the ball and the Reds were awarded a penalty. Jack Frame kicked to touch in the corner and Kyle Ormond’s throw was caught by Mark Caddle and the rest of the pack started to drive him towards the goal line. Portobello just managed to stop the drive but the ball was laid back and Archie Rusack found Ross Plenderleith at outside half and he powered his way over for a try that was converted by Jack Frame.
Portobello replied with an unconverted try, but the home side took control of the game in a devastating scoring spell that saw them achieve the Try Bonus Point before a quarter of the game had elapsed. A quick tapped penalty led to a great run by Jamie Tulloch who shipped the ball to Ewan Curran and he weaved his way into the Portobello 22 metre area and picked the right inside pass to Jamie Tulloch who scored try. This was quickly followed by an opportunist try after Mark Caddle secured a loose ball and sent the back line moving right where Ewan Curran again made ground before passing to full back Ross Tulloch charging up the line and he rounded the last defender to score a try in the corner. The Reds continued to play attacking and ambitious rugby and the 4th try duly arrived after a well judged cross kick by Jack Frame was cleanly gathered by Ross Plenderleith and he made ground into the 22 metre area where off loaded to the supporting Archie Rusack who put in a determined effort to cross the line for a well deserved try that was wildly celebrated by his team mates. All 3 of these tries were converted by Jack Frame, including a fine kick from right on the touch line.
The home side were determined to keep playing with full attack in mind and it was no surprise that they scored a further 3 tries, all scored by Number 8 Mark Caddle, before half time. Firstly Mark took a clean ball in the lineout and spotting the gaps in the Portobello defence, he plunged through the lineout for a try. He then benefitted after a nice break by Jack Frame who drew the final defender and gave Mark a clear run in to the line. His final try came after great team play started by a 50 metre run by Mark himself who was stopped just short of the line but the ball was won from the ruck and Kyle Ormond saw a gap near the left corner and he called for the ball and delivered an overlap pass to Mark who crashed over for his hat trick try. A final conversion gave the Reds a 45-5 lead at half time.
The Reds made a quick start to the 2nd half with another great team try started by Euan Mochrie and Jamie Tulloch punching holes in the Portobello defence before releasing the outside backs. The ball was then recycled at a ruck and Jack Frame found Cammy Murrie with another perfect cross kick and he took the ball running flat out and drew the last defender before passing to Euan Mochrie who galloped in for a fine try to which Jack Frame added the extra points.
The full bench was utilised during the second half with Stuart Cunningham, Eioan Magee, Oscar Davies and Gregor McLean entering the fray. Portobello did manage to score a converted try before some powerful drives by Euan Mochrie and Ross Tulloch created a solid platform and Ross Plenderleith crossed for a try at the corner flag after a slick handling move. Jack Frame added the conversion with another fine kick from the touch line. Another try followed from a scrum 5 when Gregor McLean fired a lovely pass to Ewan Curran who in turn fed Ross Tulloch who dotted down for the try. Following a trademark Euan Mochrie kick and chase, he put pressure on the last defender and the ball was recovered by the Reds and Gregor McLean zipped a long pass straight to Ross Plenderleith who did not have to break stride to take the ball and cross for his hat trick try. Conversions from Jack Frame took the score at that point to 71-12 and the home crowd expected even more scores however it was Portobello who took advantage of some slackness in midfield to hack the ball ahead and score a converted try.
This stung the Reds into producing their final try when Ross Plenderleith came off his wing to appear in midfield and he passed to Jack Frame for the captain to jink inside 2 covering defenders to score near the posts. He converted his own try to take the score to 78-17. The game ended poorly for the home side allowing the visitors to score 2 converted tries in the last 5 minutes as the Reds seemed to lose focus and concentration which was unfortunate after a great 1st 75 minutes.
Final score 78 – 31
A very comfortable win with some excellent creative attacking play and solid defence which was spoiled a bit in the final few minutes. The 107 points scored in the recent game involving Broughton was eclipsed by the 109 points scored in this game. The home side’s young back division are always on the attack and converted a high percentage of chances created during the game. Some of the linking play in the centre and on the wings was great to watch with all of the players playing with confidence and wanting to get the ball. The forwards again put in a great shift and the set pieces were well contested but they really shone in the loose and in open play with every forward enjoying time on the ball.
Next week is a free week for the 1st XV but the 2nd XV have a home game against Lasswade and hopefully a large crowd will turn out to cheer them on at 2pm.
Linlithgow
Calum McKeown, Kyle Ormond, Andrew Graham; Fraser Mochrie, Kieran Cochrane; Euan Mochrie, Jamie Tulloch and Mark Caddle; Archie Rusack, Jack Frame (c); Ross Plenderleith, Murray Johnstone, Ewan Curran, Cammy Murrie and Ross Tulloch.
Replacements: Stuart Cunningham, Eioan Magee, Oscar Davies and Gregor McLean
Linlithgow Rugby Club 