1st XV match reports

London Scottish 9 Rosslyn Park 33

On another day London Scottish would have expected to give Rosslyn Park a tougher game. Scottish aspire to National League status, and as the leaders of their league might have been favoured to depose the side bottom of the division above.

But as it was, the old rivals from nearby Roehampton - it is almost 120 years since they first clashed - had no difficulty avoiding any embarrassment. Scottish fielded an experimental side, giving first team opportunities to a host of players who have distinguished themselves in the second XV, whereas Park sent out more or less their normal starting XV, perhaps with instructions to get some practice in for the relegation battle ahead.

Park duly won comfortably enough, though not before they had spent much of the first half defending against an enterprising Scottish side, albeit one that seldom looked like scoring except by the boot.

With no cutting edge, Scottish effort up front rather went to waste, and Park padded out the score with three second half tries to add to one in the 13^th minute. In between, though, it has to be said the visitors were no better than tidy and efficient.

Scottish started like the scratch side they were, and gave away a succession of early penalties, two of which McKeown punished with straightforward kicks at goal.

But the Scots should have crossed the line soon after the second restart when a good take led to a swift drive and break, but as Clynton Jancke eyed the line, he was smartly dispossessed. Soon after he was heading for the dugout, yellow carded for offside as Mr Vernon called the home side for their fifth offence in the opening ten minutes.

Park seized the chance, kicking the penalty to touch and going for a catch and drive which the Scots initially repelled until Gibson peeled off to the left and over the line. McKeown converted for a 13-0 lead which already seemed to settle the game.

Finally Scottish earned a penalty of their own on the quarter hour; that, and the return of Janke, seemed to settle them and the forwards began a period of domination. Twice, good-looking driving mauls gained substantial yardage, only to be halted by the whistle as Mr Vernon spotted that the ball carrier had got himself detached. Eventually reward came with a penalty pot for Jamie Whelan from 25m out, after the visitors had killed off ruck ball, and then a second one for hands in a ruck, following a fine 35m break led by skipper for the day Coleman McCarthy, which Whelan also duly slotted.

Scottish next threatened when, having lost the ball forward in midfield, they drove the visitors off their own scrum, Stuart Silvester winning one against the head, but at the next breakdown Scottish were penalised on the ground for not releasing.

That was about as good as it got for the home side. Park regained some composure but even when they put together an impressive passage of possession, recycling the ball through a dozen phases, good home defensive work prevented them gaining more than 10m.

However eventually a penalty was conceded and McKeown restored the ten-point gap. Whelan though had the chance to claw back three when McGucklan was penalised in the tackle, but from 35m he pushed his kick just wide.

After the interval, Scottish responded quickly, with Andrew Lewis slotting an enterprising drop goal almost from the restart to bring Scottish to within 6 points.  

But Park began to impose on the home side. Again Scottish defended well on their own line, but eventually conceded a penalty close in, which Park directed into touch. The catch and drive at the lineout worked this time, Street emerging with the ball from the pile-up over the line.

Then Ross Yiend, Charles Broughton and Lee Gibbons all carried well in what was now a rare Scots attack, and the result was a penalty right in front but from 25m Whelan pushed the ball wide.

Scottish were punished. By now reduced again to 14, Adam Friel having been carded, they nearly imploded. Yet another forward drive from a lineout produced try number three, this time for hooker Blemings, and then a further wave of Park attacks was repelled for long enough but the inevitable penalty was eventually conceded as the anxious defence crept off-side … and Jackson opted for a tap and go, catching Scottish cold in the corner.

McKeown converted that one, but though Scottish recovered their shape and composure to hold out till the end, the result was long decided and the game rather petered out.

London Scottish

15. Luke Stack
14. Charles Broughton
13. Chris Webb (Nick Pinder 61)
12. Phil Reid
11. Ross Yiend
10. Andrew Lewis
9. Jamie Whelan (Ali Lindsay (67)
1. Matt Johnson (Adam Friel 49)
2. Stuart Sylvester
3. Chris Johnston
4. Clynton Janke
5. Mike Goodbody
6. Coleman McCarthy (c) (Jim Kelly 68-75)
7. David Watt (Shane Baker 55)
8. Tom Aitchison (Lee Gibbons 40)

Scorers: