1st XV match reports

EDF Trophy round 2

under all that, Stuart Silvester gets the ball down for the final try - photo Adrian Houstoun

London Scottish 36 Peterborough 6 

London Scottish progressed serenely into round three, and now face a tough trip to National Two side Cambridge, but readers checking the Sunday papers might have concluded this was not an impressive result.

For while Peterborough field four internationalists, their country is Lithuania, and the Midlands League One side, avowedly amateur, came to have a good time with no expectation on the field beyond a determination not to be embarrassed.

And they weren't. Once they had recovered from conceding two tries in the opening five minutes, Peterborough’s grit and determination ensured a keen contest till the end. The front five resisted the Scots pack well, and in the loose the visitors harried and scavenged and disrupted.

However Scottish were always going to win this, and coach Terry O’Connor, eschewing the option of sending out his strongest XV with a brief to deliver a try-fest, instead took the opportunity to experiment, and the 200-plus crowd on pitch 4 (Richmond v Dings was the main pitch attraction) were heartened to see 19-year-old Matt Heeks start at scrum half, with the 21-year-olds Chris Dunlop also making his debut and Charlie Broughton a welcome return. Later, 23-year-old Scott Hadden had a run at outside half, though by then Heeks, the Scottish U20 scrum half and a graduate via Windsor RFC of the London Scottish Academy, had given way.

Sadly, Dunlop’s impressive performance was rudely halted by a shoulder injury, but none of the others disappointed. Heeks delivered quick flat ball of both wings, and provided an excellent link; Dunlop offered options in the centre, Broughton, with two tries, looked back to his best, and the former Boroughmuir player Hadden clearly has that precious commodity of time on the ball possessed by only the best number 10s. The injured Dunlop apart, none should be surprised if he gets the call to face Havant at the weekend

That try-fest did, though, look a possibility early on. Scottish were 12-0 up with barely five minutes on the clock. From the kick off Scottish claimed the ball, Heeks moved it swiftly and Broughton used his strength to slip three tackles and power over. Rob Smart couldn’t convert, but he had no trouble with his next opportunity after Matt Fitzgerald had powered over.

The visitors recovered well, regrouped … and soon responded with a penalty from Jim Davies from in front 35m out.

But Scottish soon added the third try which surely sealed the result. Heeks again showed well, but the genius came from Rory Greenslade-Jones, with a flick of the wrists to send Smart’s pass on to Broughton. The young winger considered the two on one and could have given Dunlop a debut try, but had the confidence to force his way through and over.

Davies missed a simple penalty on the half hour, the ball clattering the post and dropping safely, but slotted his second goal two minutes later.

Scottish closed the half as they had begun it with a try: the move originated from a penalty, which Smart popped into touch in the corner. Scottish duly won the lineout and from the second phase Andrew Smith was driven over. Smart converted neatly.

The second period lacked the cohesion of the first as Scottish rang the changes and six of the permitted seven replacements duly got a run. But the primary reason for a disjointed display was a penalty count notably not in their favour.  The South African Mr Kemp plainly did not like the way they approached the tackle area, and whatever the merits of the case, it is impossible to keep up a rhythm and maintain any momentum when the whistle intrudes so much. 

Thus only two tries graced the second period. Firstly Hayward made the line-break, and after Andrew Smith had taken the ball up, Walbyoff sent Gareth Swales clear.

Paul McFarland

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