Haddington 10 – 44 Linlithgow
Saturday 9th December 2023
Report by David Mitchell; Photos by Graham Black
A large and vociferous support followed The Reds to Haddington on Saturday to see the visitors take on the home side who are their nearest challengers in East League Division 1. This was the last game before the Christmas break and a victory was required to take the Reds to within 1 game of winning the Division.
Conditions were difficult throughout the game with a soft but playable surface, constant rain, poor light and a cold east breeze however both teams made the best of the conditions and served up a fiercely contested match. This was Haddington’s last realistic opportunity to retain any hope of winning the Division and they were certainly up for the challenge as they competed well throughout the first half.
The home side opened the scoring with a penalty kick but this was matched by Jack Frame’s first successful kick of the day which went in via the post. Haddington then scored after several drives close to the posts eventually led to a try out wide on the right. The kicker missed the first attempt at the conversion but was given a second opportunity to kick when the referee decided that the attempted charge down of the first kick was not allowable. The second attempt was successful and the score was 10-3 instead of 8-3 and the grumbling visiting support was hoping that those 2 extra points were not going to be significant.
The Reds did exert more control as the half progressed with excellent driving play by the pack with Ross Martin and Euan Mochrie putting in huge breenges and skittling defenders as they charged into the home defence. However some uncharacteristic mishandling and good defence by Haddington restricted the visitors to 2 more penalty kicks from Jack Frame to make the half time score 10-9. Although the score was predictably close in the conditions, the home side were beginning to show signs of tiredness and with the wind behind them in the second half the Reds were expected to carve out a victory albeit perhaps with a tight score line.
Both sides seemed to be winning their set piece ball with relative ease, but in the loose the Reds were dominant and began to attack in waves that the home side could not handle as they visibly tired and became distinctly niggly in the 2nd half. The Reds introduced fresh legs in the form of Alex Kenny, Oscar Davies, Cammy Murrie and Stuart Cunningham as they put the Haddington defence under extreme pressure with a strong kicking game and hard straight running by forwards and backs alike. It seemed only a matter of time before the visitors would take control of the scoreboard and so it was no surprise when they scored their 1st try of the match 10 minutes into the 2nd half. Mark Caddle made his usual ground from a No 8 pickup and was stopped just short of the try line but the ball was circulated quickly and slick passing by the backs sent full back Ross Tulloch over for a try which Jack Frame converted to get the Reds into the lead at 10-16.
The second try was scored by Mark Caddle with a typical No 8 pickup and drive through the defence for a well deserved score after a very strong scrummage effort. Jack Frame added the extra points. Haddington’s only real weapon was the high ball but these were fielded well by the Reds with one particularly good catch by Archie Rusack who again caught the eye with a solid game after a few early fumbles as he adjusted well to the difficult conditions. The next try was a strange affair which started when the referee awarded a penalty to Haddington after a late tackle on their No 10. Before the penalty could be taken the home side took offence at a Reds player and a brief scrap ensued however at the same time some of the Haddington players took a quick tap penalty as the melee was ongoing but the Reds managed to dislodge the ball from the centre’s hands straight into the arms of Cammy Murrie who sprinted up the left touchline to dive over in the corner where he was joined by the warring factions as the earlier scrappers arrived just after the try was scored. The bizarre episode was capped with a superb touchline conversion from Jack Frame to make the score 10-30.
Straight from the kick off the Reds gained possession and Jack Frame kicked the ball deep into the opposition 22 metre area for a 50/22 and, from the resultant line-out, strong drives by Jamie Tulloch and Oscar Davies were rewarded when the ball was recycled and moved through the hands for Jack Frame to send Mark Caddle over for his second try to cap a marvellous overall performance by the No 8. Frame added the extra points and by now the home discipline had broken down as they conceded penalties at regular intervals and allowed the Reds to maintain a stranglehold on the game.
The final score of the day came from Luke O’Hara who had earlier been denied what looked like a perfectly good try by the referee deciding that Luke had made a double movement to score when in fact he was not held in the tackle and it should have been a try. However Luke did get his reward a few minutes later when he finished off yet another slick passing move by bursting over from about 10 metres out with defenders hanging on to him but unable to stop the try. Luke has developed into a deadly finisher in the try department and his running style is reminiscent of a wild horse as he gallops at full tilt at defences. Jack Frame finished the scoring with the conversion of Luke’s try to make the final score 10-44 which seemed an unlikely outcome at half time. Final score Haddington 10 Linlithgow Reds 44
Although Mark Caddle was a worthy Man of the Match recipient, Ross Martin also produced an outstanding performance and rolled back the years with an 80 minute performance full of hard driving runs, strong tackles and his usual solid handling and distribution skills. The set pieces were fairly even throughout the game but where the Reds dominated was in loose play. It was great to have so many players wanting to carry the ball and to see the unsung heroes in the front row all prominent in the loose with Calum McKeown, Kyle Ormond, Andrew Graham and Stuart Cunningham all worthy of special mention. Kieran Cochrane again played a solid part in the game as did his replacement Alex Kenny who got through a power of work in his time on the field. The back row was again the star turn with Jamie Tulloch, Euan Mochrie, Mark Caddle and Oscar Davies giving their all with skill and determination in such difficult conditions. Oscar continues to make significant contributions every time he takes to the field and his enthusiasm is very commendable.
In the backs, Archie Rusack knows that he had a tough start to the game but belied his years by quickly realising what he needed to do and succeeded with his contribution growing as the game went on. Murray Johnstone and Ewan Curran continue to develop individually and as a centre pairing, and both gave very solid performances with flashes of creativity on show. The back 3 were again very hungry for work and Ross Tulloch was rewarded with a fine finisher’s try to set the ball rolling in the 2nd half. Both Luke O’Hara and Ross Plenderleith had several strong carries and appeared all over the pitch as they searched for gaps in the defence. Cammy Murrie gave his usual cameo performance as poacher extraordinaire when running half the length of the pitch to score a great solo try just as the pursuing mob was closing in.
I leave Captain Jack to last this week. For obvious reasons, I tend to underplay his performances but on this occasion I will indulge myself a little. In particular his 2nd half performance was full of control, good decision making and leadership of the team however what we witnessed with his 8 out of 8 kicking from the tee was nothing short of spectacular. His 5 conversions were all straight through the middle of the posts with 4 from wide out on a dull day with constant rain and a very soft surface. Hopefully he will forgive me this indulgence but there were many club members who spoke with me after the game who thought it was the best display of goal kicking for many years by a Reds player.
There are so many areas where vast improvement has taken place and continues to happen on a weekly basis e.g. building partnerships, consistent selection, listening to coaches and playing to a plan, integration of youth and experience, playing aggressive and attacking rugby, taking responsibility individually and collectively, and so much more. Overall, there is a togetherness in the team/squad and the 2nd XV and those others currently unavailable, that has not been so evident for years, and much of this is down to the patient and persistent efforts of Ian McLean, Dougie Thomson, Matt Dixon and Des Martin who should be very proud of what they have achieved.
Finally, the fans who travelled to Haddington, and those who were at Mains Park in the evening after the team returned, show great support of the Reds and are being royally rewarded by the on-field performances on show. In the last 3 games the 1st XV have scored a total of 134 points and only conceded 13 which just shows how dominant they have been so far this season with 2 pre-season and 11 league wins.
Next league fixture is away to Forrester on Saturday 13th January where a 5 point win would guarantee the title comes to Mains Park. Next week the 2nd XV are away to Watsonians in the 2nd XV league and Des and the team would welcome as many supporters as possible go to Myreside next week.
Linlithgow
Calum McKeown, Kyle Ormond, Andrew Graham; Ross Martin, Kieran Cochrane; Euan Mochrie, Jamie Tulloch and Mark Caddle; Archie Rusack, Jack Frame (c); Ross Plenderleith, Murray Johnstone, Ewan Curran, Luke O’Hara and Ross Tulloch.
Replacements: Stuart Cunningham, Alex Kenny, Oscar Davies and Cammy Murrie
Linlithgow Rugby Club 