1st XV match reports

London Scottish 21 Richmond 10

Scottish all but secured promotion with a convincing win over the neighbours, but they contrived to do so with effectively one hand behind their back for all but the first challenge of the game.

Stuart Sylvester was controversially sent not to the sin bin but to the changing room after a clash just 14 seconds into the game, for punching. It was a brave decision by referee Knowles but a correct one; and he was to make a similarly big call later on that effectively decided the game in the Scots’ favour.

But if the hooker’s departure left the 2,800 crowd stunned as they poured out of the bars to the news, Scottish seemed only momentarily put off their confident stride. It was a blow to Jon Pettemerides, as fired up as anyone for this clash, only to be sacrificed four minutes in when Scottish needed a front row for the first scrum, fellow London Welsh exile Andy Fahey coming off the bench to replace the flanker. Sylvester owes the big man a drink or two…

But though Matt Hart happily slotted the resulting penalty to give Richmond an early advantage, a 14-man Scottish still provided a challenge in every aspect of the game that ultimately Richmond could not match. They finally managed a second score only at the death when Scottish were by now reduced to 13 with Andrew Smith yellow carded.

If Scottish do leave the London leagues in the summer the “head-to-head” with Richmond will stand even at 4 wins each since the two were dropped down the leagues in 2000. But this could prove to be the key result. A win at Staines in a fortnight – or even a narrow defeat provided Ealing do not overwhelm Hayward’s Heath – will see Scottish promoted to National League 3 while Richmond have to go again in London One.

Richmond know, moreover, they were not good enough over the season not just in the two games against Scottish, and perhaps that knowledge enabled Scottish to overcome the opening disaster. The revamped front row was immense throughout, with Melvin Lewis a rightful choice as man of the match even if the judge was a fellow prop!

Scottish occasionally struggled on their own ball in the lineout, but in the tight, only once did Richmond’s eight destroy the Scots ball – nicking one against the head when the Scots were eyeing the line ten metres away - and several times the Scottish seven gave the opposition an almighty fright.

However by the second half and with the game won, Scottish inevitably tired and as a spectacle the day tailed off. That probably saved the relations between the two because it was easy to imagine that a full Scottish XV would have put on a barrel-load of points, if not the 71 scored by the second team against Richmond a few hours before.

For such was their domination throughout. Good primary ball as always gives backs freedom and time to make decisions, and the forwards had earned the position from which Scottish earned a penalty after 15 minutes on the Richmond 22 and right in front. Richmond, though, forgot that Scottish tend not to kick these for goal, and stood off as Scottish took a quick tap. Jim Kelly and then Stuart Peel created the space, and Bryan Milne ran the perfect line to collect and score while the defence was still trying to organise itself. Jamie Whelan converted.

Scottish visibly relaxed once the lead was taken, and settled into a controlled display, but the next score, while fully merited, required the second decisive intervention from Mr Knowles. Several waves of pressure began to tell on the Richmond defence. Now a break by Charles Broughton was quickly taken up by Rory Greenslade-Jones, and though he was hauled down agonisingly short, it was the Scots support who got there first.

As Whelan collected quick ball, Owen Gregory was still loping back from the previous breakdown. Whelan’s pass out to Peel was duly intercepted – it was really an instinctive reaction by the prop - and Mr Knowles made the brave but quite correct decision not only to give Gregory the rest of the first half off, but also to award a penalty try, figuring that Peel would otherwise have caught the pass and crossed unchallenged. Again, Whelan had no difficulty with the kick, being right in front, despite the unpredictably gusting wind.

Scottish then took advantage of the spell of numerical parity. Disruption at the lineout forced turnover ball close to the Richmond line, and a scrum to Scottish. Richmond were penalised, Scottish went again, and drove over, leaving Alex Alesbrook to drop onto the ball.

At 21-3 the game was won, but while Richmond forced spells of pressure in the second half, at no stage did they look like threatening the Scots line, even the dangerous running of Jo Ajuwa being largely confined to quick breaks from deep defence well away from the danger zone.

Joe Goatley finally found a gap right at the end, to score in the far corner and give Hart a nasty kick. Despite the gusts, the Richmond full back succeeded, giving the kickers a perfect five from five day. But as the pipers from the London Scottish Regiment played the Black Bear and other victory tunes, the Scots majority in the big crowd were beyond caring.

Paul McFarland