1st XV match reports

Portsmouth 8 London Scottish 50

Scottish cemented top spot with three games to go, with this comfortable win in horrible conditions, while Ealing defeated Worthing to replace them in second place.

It was always going to be a forwards’ day, though Scottish threatened whenever they gave the backs the chance to run, but no one forecast that coach Jim Kelly would come of the bench after half an hour and grab four of the side’s eight tries.

He owed his early appearance to a nasty blow to Matt Johnson, from a collision with Christianson's head moments before the home #8 was sin-binned for killing Scottish ball. A post-match search for the tooth Johnson lost was fruitless…

Scottish would also have settled for the margin of victory beforehand. Portsmouth are much improved on the side that spent half the season wrestling with Guildford for bottom place, but after an impressive opening they faded, and were left trying to disrupt the Scots patterns by foul means as well as fair. Christianson’s yellow card was immediately followed by one for Cripps – they crossed on the pitch as one left and the other returned - and the home side could not have complained if Mr Nicholas had continued to rotate players in and out of the bin.

Portsmouth kicked off with the wind behind, and for ten minutes it served them well. They camped in Scots territory, but with three outside breaks all quelled by touchline tackles, all they had to show for their efforts was a Stephen Claffey penalty, the same player having also horribly scuffed a drop goal attempt.

Scottish looked comfortable in defence, and then with 12 minutes gone, grabbed the first opportunity that came their way. Charles Broughton intercepted a pass 5m from his own line and set the play which enabled Matt Vines to take the game into the opposing half for almost the first time. The move swept over to the right and then Stuart Peel collected a long pass infield and cleverly angled a grubber kick to the far left, where Ross Yiend was lurking. The winger collected and trotted round under the posts more or less unopposed.

Whelan kicked and did so again four minutes later when Scottish scored again to end any hopes the home side might have had of causing an upset. It was a simple score for a side in such good form as the leaders currently are: clean lineout ball gave Peel and Bryan Milne time to pick the point of attack and Jon Pettemerides appeared on the shoulder to score by the posts.

Not that the going was easy into the teeth of the wind and with a claggy pitch clinging to the boots, but with the back row of Alesbrook, Pettemerides and the debutant Scott Breerton outstanding, increasingly Scottish dominated territory and possession and the home side grew frustrated especially during the 20 minutes they spent a man short.

Indeed Christianson’s offence, preventing quick ball after Phil Reid had been held just short, was punished not only by a yellow card but by five points. From the penalty Scottish kicked for touch, and the pack drove Melvin Lewis over the line, Not only are Scottish easily the league’s leading try scorers (25 more than Ealing, 45 more than Worthing) but only Guildford have kicked fewer penalties, Scots preferring to go for the line whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Whelan’s kick looked good but only one touch judge gave it.

Portsmouth in fact did well not to concede again during the half, but turning round into the wind they were only ever going to concede further scores. First came a peach of a try for Kelly, after Lewis had controlled the ball at the back of a driving maul, and then with the line in view slipped it quickly to Whelan, whose reverse pass found Kelly lurking where Milne might have been expected. 

Then Scottish lost concentration and let the home side sweep upfield. Caught by the break and with two players down needing treatment, thus leaving gaps where the Scots needed to get tackles in, Ben Stuart crossed for a try in the corner.

But there was to be no revival and two minutes later Peel got his 14^th of the season to draw level with Broughton. He started the play with a midfield penalty advanced by ten for chat. He kicked to touch, Lewis found Lee Soper and quick ball off the top again gave Peel the time to pick a half gap and barge through two tackles to score. Whelan’s conversion made the result safe.

Now the spring weather took over and the threatened storm arrived bringing hail and then driving rain into the faces of the home side. Scottish continued to press. Kelly and Alex Alesbrook made ground, and Peel joined in to send Kelly over. Whelan’s kick might have had a chance but the ball was blown off the tee as he started his run-up.

He was on target ten minutes later however, with an excellent kick from out wide, when Kelly completed his hat-trick by grounding after a driving maul, and again when another lineout catch and drive was rounded off by Kelly grabbing the score.

A little time remained, but really only enough for Rob Smart to collect a yellow card for forgetting that referees will almost always see the retaliation even if they understandably missed the provocation.

Paul McFarland