Currie Chieftains 31 pts (t 5, c 3) v Melrose 32 pts (t 5, c 2, p g 1)

The grey overcast October afternoon, with periods of drizzly rain, did nothing to dampen the commitment and enthusiasm that these two top flight teams brought to this pulsating encounter, thrilling spectators from start to finish. As one delighted Melrose spectator commented when leaving the ground, ‘I cannot see any new-fangled tinkering with the current league structure producing anything as good, or as competitive as that was; who wants to watch a Mickey Mouse setup with no promotion or relegation, and barely a handful of games to boot?’ No doubt he was not the only punter thinking that the Murrayfield numpties need to reconsider their Super 6 proposals and implement what followers of Scottish club rugby really want to support.

The Chieftains knew that the visitors’ beefy pack would provide a similar challenge to that of Heriot’s a short while ago, and they were well prepared to counter the inevitable arm wrestle, which is hard to nullify and is what teams do to slow proceedings and exert control; it’s ugly but effective. Within two minutes of the start some glorious passing through the Currie backline had ‘Rose on their heels; the softest of passes from Joe Reynolds to Robbie Nelson saw a fruitful reward, and Gregor Hunter converted the try. In the next few minutes Ben Robbins had chased a clearance kick from deep in his own half to inflict panic in the ‘Rose 22. An enforced 5-metre scrum collapsed, allowing the visitors to clear, but only temporarily. Currie went through the phases, and finally Charlie Shiel sold an outrageous dummy, stepped inside and sprinted in from 8 metres; the immaculate kicking of Gregor Hunter added the extras.

A good twenty minutes had passed before the visitors started to deliver any consistency; they kept possession and threatened the Currie line. Some excellent passing resulted in an unconverted try for Struan Hutchinson, and this was nearly followed by another from Michael Muelace-Julyan, but the speedy wing was bundled into touch by a terrific tackle from Steven Hamilton, just short of the corner flag. Scott McGinley, Michael Vernel, Fraser Watt and Tavita Tameilau were working hard to keep ‘Rose at bay, as the visitors battled to open the Currie defence with a number of storming attacks. Eventually, the characteristic Currie resolve won out, and they started to exert some pressure of their own in the visitors’ 22, whose resources were now being stretched. It only looked a matter of time before the Chieftains were going to score, as waves of attack propelled them forward; with precision, speed and skill, the gaps were widening. Jason Baggott’s experience pre-empted the next move, and he intercepted a possible scoring pass just 10 metres from his own line. The professional raced 90 metres and touched down at the other end for a try that he then converted. The home support was stunned, but it lifted the Melrose game to new heights.

The visitors had clawed their way back into the match and were looking hungry for more, as their heavy machinery got into gear; Murdo McAndrew’s unconverted try, off the back of a maul, settled any previous anxiety, but not for long. Some spirited play from the home team saw them stretch their lead once again and bag a bonus point score before the break. A try from Thomas Gordon was followed by a wonderful Ben Robbins finish; Gregor Hunter provided the magic for the second of these tries which he then converted.

Halftime score – Currie Chieftains 26 pts, Melrose 17 pts.

After what appeared to be an inordinately long break, (perhaps the French referee was still on continental time?), Melrose got off to an impressive start and soon had Currie on the ropes. It was their well-organised rolling maul that again delivered the spoils, with Russell Anderson crashing over for a try that was not converted. For almost 20 minutes there was plenty of nip and tuck but no more scoring. Unfortunately, what appeared to be a disproportionate number of penalties were going against the Currie scrum and every time ‘Rose opted for the penalty lineout and a driving maul. It did not always go well for them, but it did relieve their line and keep the pressure on Currie. When Jason Baggott successfully went for goal, with 15 minutes remaining, the visitors had crept to within one point of their hosts’ score.

The home team had their moments and could have been in for several scores themselves, but bad luck and some ferocious ‘Rose tackling prevented it. Gregor Hunter, Steven Hamilton and the impressive Marc Kelly all went close after Charlie Shiel had accelerated through a gap that the visitors failed to plug; it was all very exciting stuff

that had the crowd at fever pitch. When Scott Lawson pulled off a tremendous turnover just 5 metres from his line, the roles were once again reversed and ‘Rose headed into the Currie 22 to set up another rolling maul! This time, with only minutes remaining, the experienced replacement scrumhalf, Bruce Colvin nipped in near the posts and Jason Baggott had no problem with the conversion.

As the clock ticked pass no-side, the visitors were quite content to hang on to the ball, but a lapse in their concentration gifted Currie a final opportunity. The ball whizzed wide to Joe Reynolds who accelerated and neatly chipped ahead. He splendidly won the race to the corner flag for the touchdown, but the difficult conversion fell short of the target and a very relieved Melrose team were winners by a single point. Credit to both sides for what had been a tremendous match, which could have gone either way, but the Chieftains know that they are up there with the best teams in the Premier League.

There was another equally entertaining and high scoring match at Malleny at the same time on Saturday afternoon, that should not go unmentioned. The ‘Renegade Chieftains’ added a further scalp to their impressive haul this season to maintain their League-topping position. The senior squad would enjoy the ‘Race Night’ socialising that had been arranged in the clubhouse for Saturday evening.

Next weekend we travel to newly promoted Edinburgh Accies at Raeburn Place, for a game that could be a potential banana skin. Accies may be at the bottom of the league but they carry a threat and it is only a matter of time before they start winning a few games. The KO for this concluding game in the first round of matches is at 3.00pm. I.J.S. – 21.10.18.

Chieftains Team v Melrose –

15, Adam Hall. 14, Ben Robbins. 13, Joe Reynolds. 12, Robbie Nelson. 11, Steven Hamilton. 10, Gregor Hunter.

9, Charlie Shiel. 8, Tavita Tameilau. 7, Thomas Gordon. 6, Scott McGinley. 5, Michael Vernel. 4, Marc Kelly.

3, Fraser Watt. 2, Graeme Carson. 1, AP McWilliam.

16, Campbell Wilson. 17, Reece Patterson. 18, Matias Argiro. 19, Roan Frostwick. 20, Matthew Hooks.

Match highlights HERE

Tennent's Premiership Highlights HERE

Photography (c) Fraser Gaffney