1st XV match reports

National League Three South

Canterbury 17 London Scottish 14

Not for the first or last time, Canterbury get away with a high tackle ....

Not a good weekend for the Scots. After a promising opening half when they kept the score down, and then looked poised to push for the win after the break, they turned in a frustrating display, sloppy in thought and deed. Could have won, should have won, denied at the last by brave defence, and sent homeward with no excuses.

Yes, Sunday night in Paris was a strange re-run of the previous day’s events in Canterbury. (It had even seemed that Scotland were the away side, when the pale blue shirts so out-numbered the navy Scots – until the majority of Argentina’s “supporters” erupted in impromptu choruses of the Marseillaise … So much for the Auld Alliance!)

The first half at Canterbury seemed a slightly surreal affair, taking place despite the hooting and hollering from the England fans at the bar…  London Scottish came unstuck at a ground of mixed memories. A fine win in revolting conditions three seasons ago was followed a year later by frustrating defeat by the London One champions-elect, and it was the latter experience that was to be repeated.

This time a fine sunny day and a perfect pitch went some way to disguise the home ground’s key characteristics: a persistent breeze across and down the field and a slope which gives a significant advantage.

For the all but the last few seconds of the opening half it looked as though Scottish would survive the onslaught from Canterbury as they sought to make these advantages count. A disciplined performance had kept them at bay and Scottish seemed sure to turn around with a fine chance of victory; indeed for 20 minutes, it looked as if they might do so with a 0-0 scoreline. The exchanges had been cagey with two fine defences cancelling each other out. Canterbury were unable to put pressure on when they did gain territory, and Scottish seemed comfortable holding out, Stuart Peel and Lee Cholewa happy to kick back up the hill anything that came their way.

Then a flurry of penalties left the score at 6-6. First Scottish lost possession in midfield and though Sykes greedily failed to release his backs, Scottish offended and Rasch kicked the goal. Cholewa levelled when Canterbury were done for hauling Owain Walbyoff back into a ruck on the 10m line, giving the Scottish 10 a testing kick up the hill and into the breeze. Scottish were soon after penalised for not rolling away, but then earned one back moments later – Rasch and Cholewa again hitting their targets.

But on the stroke of half time Scottish lost what proved the key score. The outstanding Morris tore away from a midfield maul, scattering the Scottish defence and though he was duly caught, centre Burgess collected the scoring pass and was gone.

The deficit should not have been insurmountable, even after Rasch had extended the lead soon after the break with another penalty to which Cholewa again responded.

But just as Scottish looked to have worked out how to use the wind and slope and were creating pressure, a daft Scottish clearance – a high up and under 30 metres out when a raking kick to the corner would have been the more sensible option – resulted in lost possession and a chance for Rasch to conquer the breeze with a fine drop goal.

Undeterred, Scottish got on with the task of retrieving the game. Stuart Peel moved up to stand off, and now the backs seemed to have more opportunities, Ross Yiend finally profiting from one of many decent passages of play, but dotting down too far out for Peel’s conversion attempt.

However, despite a reluctance to kick for territory down the hill – which had won the game for Scottish three seasons previously - chances were created only to be spurned by handling errors and turnovers. Even so the three point deficit would have been overturned had Mr Walters been able to “go upstairs” … Mat Johnson’s powerful drive would surely have earned the nod from a television match official, but the referee on the pitch was unsighted, and the benefit of the doubt went to the defence.

At the death, Canterbury were reduced to 14 when former Taranaki back-rower Meyer was binned for a professional foul – but only some time after three drives to the line had all been stopped illegally in quick succession but punished only by penalties. For some time, the home side had been defending desperately, unable to break clear of the ceaseless pressure from Scottish lineouts and short-range scrums. At one stage Scottish rightly turned down a kickable goal, reasoning that the four points earned for a win were a prize worth striving for.

A last effort was made, and from afar Ross Yiend looked set for the corner, but de Kock tackled him into touch and the home side celebrated a hard-fought win.

Scottish had seemed to have the measure of the their opponents, and certainly had the beating of them, but failure to press on down the hill from the start of the second half cost them dear; had Mr Walters found even more time to add on than the six minutes or so he allowed, Scottish might have got there, but it was their own fault - the final push had come too late.

Paul McFarland

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