Stewart’s Melville Rugby News · 02/12/2015 · Stewart’s Melville Rugby News 2 December 2015 Stew Mel Lionesses A journey to the heartlands of Scottish rugby was the name of

Stewart’s Melville Rugby News 2 December 2015

Junior School Rugby

JA1s v Glasgow Academy - won 6-1

In a very entertaining game the JA1s put into practice the key areas they had identified prior to the game. In

attack they worked hard to get into support positions to enable an offloading game and in defence the line

speed and individual tackle technique was very good. A very good performance in difficult conditions.

JA3s v Glasgow Academy – won 7-0

The JA3s followed up their good win against Watson’s with an even more impressive victory against Glasgow

Academy. The final score-line looks very comfortable but for much of the game Academy were very

competitive. As per the previous week the boys dominated the physical contests which enabled them to get

quick ball from turnovers and attack with pace. The scores came from a variety of sources and it was great

to see all the boys so eager to run hard from different angles. We will look to improve further our running

lines in the coming weeks.

JB1s v Glasgow Academy – lost 6-1

The JB1s were ultimately outmuscled by physically imposing opposition in terrible conditions in Glasgow. The

torrential rain and freezing winds made handling the ball very difficult and this suited our opposition of

exclusively big ball carriers! Credit must go to some of our players for trying hard to match the physicality of

our opponents.


The JB3s tackled some challenging weather conditions to take on a well organised Glasgow Academy team

away from home. The cold and wet conditions underfoot resulted in a number of handling errors and missed

tackles throughout. Credit should be given to a strong running Glasgow team, who were focussed from the

beginning to end, scoring a number of excellent tries. The JB3s must work harder to commit to their defence

if they are to challenge teams in the future.


This was a game played in difficult conditions with persistent rain throughout. We put in a spirited

performance in the first-half but were not able to complete enough passes in order to find any space on the

field. Our tackling became half-hearted late on which allowed the opposition to run away with the game.

2 December 2015 Stewart’s Melville Rugby News

Senior School Rugby

SMC 30 – 3 Glasgow Academy

On a wild windy day on pitch one at Inverleith the undefeated S2A rugby team took on Glasgow Academy,

who were coming off the back of some decent conference results. In what can be described as difficult

conditions, the team executed well and were accurate with ball, denying Glasgow both possession and

territory, therefore promoting the opportunity for the team to play with a bit of confidence and ambition,

resulting in a 9 try victory.

The usual suspects in the backline, such as Aidan Cross and Kieran Ngwenya caused havoc with their pace

and footwork, which was enabled by an accurate passing game from stand-off Finlay Campbell. Given a free

licence to use his boot, Finlay put several shallow and searching grubber kicks in behind the Glasgow

backline, which our outside backs latched on to with enthusiasm and duly converted the opportunities into

points.

The play of day came from prop forward Kaysan Davidson, who resembled an out control bulldozer to crash

over for a long range try. Speaking of bulldozers, Duncan Hood, Dominic Gray and Aidan Hart were also

prominent and did a fare bit of damage. The weld award, awarded to the player that welds the performance

together went to 2nd rower James Henderson, a player who has been in and out of the 1st team, but is now

making a serious play for a more permanent starting position. He is proving that determination and patience

will in the end pay off.

Another excellent performance from the team. The motivation is to go through the season unbeaten. With

the attitude and performances that the team is current producing, I am confident that they will achieve their

goal. If they don’t, it won’t be through a lack of trying. Well done to both teams for playing an attractive style

of rugby in difficult conditions.

Hayden Lingard

Coach


School Rugby Results

Team Opposition Result Score

1st XV Glasgow Academy Won 31-5

2nd XV Ross High Won 38-12

U16A Glasgow Academy Won 22-0

U16B Ross High Won 25-10

U16C Glasgow Academy Won 47-15

B1 Glasgow Academy Won 63-0

B2 Ross High Lost 29-5

B3 Glasgow Academy Won 53-0

C1 Glasgow Academy Won 30-3

C2 Ross High Won 38-4



D1 Glasgow Academy Won 21-0

D2 Ross High Won 38-7

D3 Glasgow Academy Lost 11-8

D4 Glasgow Academy Won 7-6

JA1 Glasgow Academy Won 6-1

JA3 Glasgow Academy Won 7-0

JB1 Glasgow Academy Lost 6-1




Stew Mel Lionesses

A journey to the heartlands of Scottish rugby was the name of

the game on November 22nd, with the Lionesses joining the

Lions P4 to P7 sections for the trip to The Greenyards. With a

second Edinburgh club (Lismore RFC) also invited we played a

triangular format with 6-a-side. The weather was sunny with

little wind which made for a marked contrast with Montrose

and Murrayfield in the two previous weeks. The group of 8 girls

contained two newcomers to the match day squad, Helena (P5)

and Ursula (P1) both of who only started playing with

Lionesses this season.

The first game was against the hosts Melrose who again had

some larger and more experienced girls, not to mention the

determination of those with home advantage. This time the Lionesses were expecting the force of contact

and made a better start, but still gave up a couple of early scores. Cue the fightback; what the girls lack in

physical presence they make up for in determination, passing, support and eye for a gap. Tries were scored

the game entered a ‘see saw’ phase. The deadlock was broken by Ursula’s stunning break down the right

wing with the Melrose girls shadowing her every step (being under strict instructions not to tackle). Too late

came their realisation that a two handed touch below the waist was sufficient and Ursula had run half the

length of the field to touch down a critical score. Melrose came back hard, but now there was a real contest

in the tackle area with plenty of good work by the Lionesses in trying to strip the ball from the opposition.

Ultimately size and experience took its toll and the Lionesses were pipped 6-5 by the home team.

The second game was against our southern neighbours Lismore RFC who again fielded players in some cases

twice the size of our P6 girls. Again, a close contest was fought out with excellent phases of play shown by

the Lionesses with their elusiveness and ability to put together 5 or 6 passes before the gap was exploited. A

critical point was Danielle’s strip of the ball from the opposition in their own half and then superb individual

score, which gave the Lionesses the lead for the first time. Lismore came back with their own strong runners

which gave the tiring defence of the Lionesses a true test of their determination. It was unfortunate that

Lismore scored with the final act of the game giving them the win 7-6, when, to a neutral’s eye, scores even

would have been a true reflection.

Another honourable mention must go to Helena who possessed an eye for the gap, an ability to turn on a

sixpence and a clean pair of heels on more than one occasion. Melrose’s hospitality was superb with hotdogs

and cakes wolfed down the hungry Lionesses, all with a smile on their faces. An interesting point of view

emerged from the girls that they were looking forward to playing at home for practice sessions and against

other girls teams; they realise the advantage of playing at Inverleith. Back to home this Sunday to meet up

with the other girls and chuck a

ball around.


Stew Mel Academy

Last Sunday, with the Inverleith pitches unplayable,

the Stewart’s Melville Academy under 16 team took

part in a fitness session at CaveFit Gym. The fitness

levels of the boys were tested throughout the

session as they learned several new lifts and

movements which have not yet been introduced

into their strength and conditioning programmes.

The fitness levels of those who took part will no

doubt improve as a result of this vigorous session,

and will hopefully aid their performance for the rest

of the season.

After the session was completed, Peter Oakden,

head coach at CaveFit said: “Job satisfaction levels were at maximum load watching the youth go round the

circuit. It was great having them all in to train at the cave - hopefully helping to develop solid and, of course,

beneficial habits such as strength & conditioning. I’m sure the morning would have brought the team closer

together too, which is great! Well done Joe for organising and great effort by the parents/family for getting

the lads in to train! Will hopefully see more of them all in the near future.”


Saturday was definitely a day for the forwards. The weather in Cupar started off OK but gradually got

wetter and wetter as the afternoon progressed. The pitch was heavy before kick off, with areas looking

slightly the worse for wear due to the construction of the new club house / stand. This meant that the

warm up was done off-field with the hope of keeping the pitch in good condition for the game. I think this

effort was in vain, as you could tell after 5 minutes and 2 scrums that you’d probably need Willie’s tractor

to flatten it post match.

The game started, and, inevitably, there was a knock on. The first scrum was set and immediately our pack

was in the ascendancy. In the video you can hear the camera boy say “that’s a big pack, eh?” – which is

true when you see Momo being dwarfed by Alex (even if his hair is a little dubious). We pushed them back

10m before drawing the penalty initially then scoring from an 8/9 pick for Ross McCann. This set the tone

for the game and the forwards looked to be ‘enjoying’ it … or whatever forwards feel when this stuff

happens. Big Roo was heard saying “I hope we just scrum for 80 minutes!” Howe enjoyed a couple of

periods of pressure within the first half, although our defence was excellent, with low tackles being the

order of the day. This provided Howe with no go forward ball and forced mistakes. Our back line was

significantly changed from the previous week but it performed brilliantly considering the conditions. Hard

running and putting the ball into the right areas of the pitch allowed us to apply pressure. A series of pick

and goes took us from outside the 22 right up to the try line, and, after some scrum pressure and a yellow

for Howe’s flanker, Howie was able to walk the ball over the try line and fall on it. One of his best tries.

The final portion of the first half saw us applying a lot of pressure on Howe. It came down to the scrum

again, and, after a couple of penalties and resets, we were able to get another push over. Again, this will be

making Howie’s highlight reel. As I was handing out the water as the boys made their way back to half way,

Rhys and Willie looked excited for another 40 minutes of this. Both really hate not getting a full 80!

Half time Howe 0 – 15 Stew Mel.

The second half started and it was more of the same – good, low tackles and playing in the right areas. 5

minutes into the second half Ross got a second try after good pressure resulted in a mismatch. Ross hit

more rucks at the weekend than he had in his whole life (3 in total) but he put in a good shift at 13. Howe

applied some pressure and managed to gain a try back, making it 5 – 22, and this is how it would finish.

The rain really started teeming down, but that made Dan even happier as he was starting to overheat on

the wing.

Manson had to come off with a shoulder injury, which was bad news for me as I had to give up my cosy

jacket for him – which was kind of selfish but hey ho – and things got worse when the inevitable Bowie

yellow card appeared. I think he saw Manson get a warm jacket and wanted one himself, but he was made

to stand in the rain and think about what he had done. Tom Croy came on on the wing to try and impress

the Orcadian support that had turned out to watch him. Craig, Angus, Berrisford and Wilson were also

emptied on to give the team a boost, and did so. Having moved to 10 for Manson, Rennie played well and

‘Portus’, playing at 15, kept the pressure on the home side throughout the whole game. Max, who had

been subbed off from flanker, was then reinstated at 10 for the last 5 minutes due to Rennie receiving a

head knock. At stand off Max really controlled the game and distributed excellently – look out for him

Stewart’s Melville RFC Report vs Howe


appearing more in this role.

The last play of the game saw Willie hit one of the other players in a hard tackle but he was then yellow

carded – I think it was too hard a tackle or something.

Full time Howe 5 – 22 Stew Mel.

Over and out,

Mike “Iron” Hanning

Stewart’s Melville RFC Report vs Howe


Forrester 2nd XV 13 26 SM Mighty 3’s

“A Time of Highs and Lows For the Mighty 3’s”

On Thursday night the Mighty 3’s Management Team confidently confirmed a strong squad of 21 players. By

Friday evening, due to injury and late unavailability, it was down to a bare 17 until Pete Crowther made the

mistake of declaring that he had almost recovered from injury and was looking forward to a game! Saturday

mid-morning saw the playing strength reduced to 17 once more because of illness and then an hour before

kick off to 16 because of another late unavailability. Fortunately, club stalwart, Brian “Tubbs” McDougall, had

just flown in from Australia and Tony “Nosebag” Wood, having been on a strict health and fitness regime,

had suggested a guest appearance of a reunited school 1st XV front row (Wood, MacColl, and McDougall)

from 1994. They turned up full of the joys of life expecting a 10 minute cameo performance at some stage in

the game. Little did they know! Some consternation had been expressed about the rather unkind and

unnecessary jibes concerning the need for a Doctor and an ambulance to be in attendance. However, just to

be on the safe side, the management team checked the defibrillator at the South Gyle venue, and took

comfort from the fact that an A and E specialist and a Forensic Pathologist were included in the ranks of the

Mighty 3’s!

The match started off in dreadful conditions but the RBG dominated with the backs looking particularly

dangerous and the forwards managing to supply them with a steady stream of possession. A very liberal

interpretation of the off-side law was handled reasonably well and it was not long before Chico Stevenson

scored an opportunist try to take the lead. Sadly, this signalled a stream of injuries which saw the scorer

having to retire with injured ribs, Pete feeling the effects of a long lay off, Brodie Smithers popping a calf

muscle and Dave Allan injuring his thumb in a rather unusual tackle perpetrated by his opposite number.

Fortunately, Dylan Mason eventually found his boots and entered the fray as an avenging angel determined to

take the game to Forrester. He started in the back row but soon undertook a stint in the centre very ably

filling the large hole left by Chico’s departure. There was nothing for it, Tubbs and Nosebag had to enter the

fray at half time to join Malcolm albeit the latter had, through necessity, to play in the back row. Undeterred,

they joined forces with the other veteran of the team, “BSR” (19 years their senior!), and proceeded to

dominate the scrummage for the whole of the second half like spring chickens.

The conditions, the afore mentioned interpretation of off-side, and an unusual approach to the policing of

ruck and maul was rather better handled by the men from the Gyle. This allowed them to limit our

possession and put severe restrictions on our running and handling game. Having eschewed several scoring

chances, a reasonably comfortable lead was given up to go 12-13 behind. However, showing real

determination, the team then buckled down and produced a storming last 20 minutes to grab two converted

tries and run out winners by 13-26 (securing a bonus point for 4 touch downs).

Now the real problems started! The injuries and Tubbs, Nosebag and to a lesser extent “BSR” (did

somebody mention spring chickens!) had to be helped/escorted to the clubhouse. The middle two finally

made it and crumpled on to the bench ashen faced with exhaustion. The changing room was like a Glasgow

Accident and Emergency Department on a Saturday night, and our two heroes could not summon up the

energy to move. Finally, they were assisted into the shower and eventually delivered to their adoring families

Stewart’s Melville RFC 3rd XV vs Forrester

2nd XV


and fans in the clubhouse before reinvigorating themselves with a healthy portion of pie and beans.

In the circumstances, this was a really gutsy effort by all of the Mighty 3’s. The two youngsters in the back

row (Callum Macdonald and Jamie Appleton) fed off Malcolm’s knowledge and experience, the second rows

Jamie Robertson and Rory McLeod were well to the fore (indeed excellent) in tight and open play, and

scrum-half Graeme Mitchell scored a superb opportunist try to put us back in the lead. Elliot Ruthven

(despite severe cramp) was a dangerous runner from full-back. Andy Bryce added fine solidity in the centre

and complimented the power running of Dylan and Chico while wings, Dave Allan and Rob Ogley, defended

well and ran elusively and with determination. Finally, a word for stand-off, Josh Chapman. Never having

played the position before, he kicked well and was a real force in attack making some fine breaks and

creating space for his dangerous centres. All in all, a win based on RBG character!

There was also another first for the Mighty 3’s. A dedicated touch judge (thanks to Michael Deignan) and the

Chairman of the Stewart’s Melville Rugby Board (Colin Rigby) in attendance.

So lots of injuries and some missing next week. Please, please make yourself available.

Saturday 5th December 2015

Haddington 2nd v SM Mighty 3’s

2pm kick off

Stewart’s Melville RFC 3rd XV vs Forrester

2nd XV



FP Rugby

Please check Stewart’s Melville website for details on Stew Mel Lions and Senior Club fixtures.

Stewart’s Melville Academy Lunch— Saturday 5th December at Inverleith

Watsonians pre-match lunch—Saturday 19th December.

Boxing Day Extravaganza –26th December

Notice: Stewart’s Melville Academy of Lions

Sunday 6th November —Pool Recovery Sessiom—11:30-12:45

Dates for Your Diary


School and Club Contacts

Get In Touch…

Bruce Ruthven Rugby Coordinator [email protected]

07780 467 309

Colin Rigby F.P Rugby Club

President

[email protected]

Malcom MacColl Director of F.P Rugby [email protected]

Jimmy Moran Head of Games at SMC [email protected]

Mark Burgess Head of Junior School

Boys’ Sport

[email protected]

Alistair Stewart P1-P7 Lions Chairman [email protected]

David Allan

Joe Boyle

Ralph Campbell

Lindsey Geddes

U14s Academy Manager

U16s academy Manager

Academy Manager

Business Development

Manager

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

School website: www.esms.org.uk

Stewart’s Melville F.P Rugby Website: www.stewmelrugby.com

If you need information about whether a match has been cancelled due to bad

weather please call the school cancellations hotline on 0131 311 1080. For any other

information, please contact the relevant person below.

http://www.esms.org.uk

http://www.stewmelrugby.com

Documents

Stewart’s Melville Rugby News · 02/12/2015 · Stewart’s Melville Rugby News 2 December 2015 Stew Mel Lionesses A journey to the heartlands of Scottish rugby was the name of