Boroughmuir RFC 41 pts (t 6, c 4, p g 1) v Currie Chieftains 17 pts (t 3, c 1)

For weeks press prophecies had warned of the outcome if the underachieving ‘Muir team could only crank up their performance for a full 80 minutes. Unfortunately for the Chieftains, this was the day when it all came right for the Meggetland outfit, and precious little went the way that the visitors would have wanted. Within 5 minutes of the start the signs of a difficult afternoon were ominous. A well-constructed ‘Muir attack, down the left touchline, looked to be covered, but a wicked bounce, from a neat chip-kick, went straight into the hands of Craig Gossman who cruised in for an unconverted try.

The early score did not phase the visitors, and they settled into a relentless series of attacks that looked certain to bring reward. Scott McGinley inflicted a couple of excellent turnovers, and Thomas Gordon was delivering his usual jack-in-a-box set of tricks to keep ‘Muir on their toes. Even with the unfortunate loss of tighthead prop Fraser Watt in the pre-match warm up, the Currie scrum was fronting up well against a beefy ‘Muir pack; AP McWilliam, Graham Carson and Matias Argiro carried tirelessly throughout the match. In nearly 30 minutes of play the home team had barely been out of their half, but Currie could not convert this pressure into points. ‘Muir were deep in trouble but defending their line magnificently as the Chieftains went for the throat. Marc Kelly finally crashed over, and Gregor Hunter converted.

It was hoped that the score would settle the visitors who were conceding penalties and making niggling little errors that prevented further progress. There did not appear to be a threat when Greg Cannie picked up a loose ball and headed into Currie territory; the assured stand-off danced through a brace of tackles and raced diagonally for the goal line. The try was splendidly converted by Gavin Parker, and this should have been a reminder to Currie that ‘Muir would capitalise on any chances that they were given.

As halftime loomed the visitors once again resumed control with a well-rehearsed 5-metre penalty lineout; in an instant, Thomas Gordon had looped around the front of the throw-in and was in at the flag. There was still time for Currie to put a bit of gloss on their first half performance, Charlie Shiel, Jamie Forbes and Robbie Nelson all added a bit of sparkle to Ben Robbins’ try in the corner. Both scores were not converted, nevertheless it had put a worthy, rather small gap between the teams, but Gavin Parker soon closed this with a well-taken penalty goal that had the match evenly balanced at the break.

Halftime score – Boroughmuir 15 pts, Currie Chieftains 17 pts.

Although rain had been threatening throughout the afternoon, the dark grey clouds just rolled by, but the strong gusting wind was a factor that appeared to be a challenge for the visitors’ fast, precision-passing game. The big turnaround came in the first minutes of the re-start, when ‘Muir were awarded a penalty; it was taken quickly, and, in the confusion, Jordan Edmonds streaked through a moribund Currie defence. Gavin Parker converted the try and then added the extras for Willie Wardlaw’s try a couple of minutes later. The match had been turned on its head, ‘Muir had their tails up and for the remainder of the game Currie struggled to contain a determined Meggetland team that smelt blood. Steven Hamilton brought off some stunning tackles as the opposition strived to advance their score. It is said that you make your own luck; it was in very short supply for the Chieftains today.

The second half was far from a one-sided affair, but whenever Currie got into the ‘Muir danger zone they either lost possession or were chopped down by a lethal defence that quickly mounted a counter-attack. With the try bonus point ensured, the hosts were quite content to capitalise on the frequent Currie mistakes which added to the visitors’ misery and frustration; they were allowed no time or space to work their usual magic.

Two more ‘Muir tries from well-executed rolling mauls, one converted, were credited to the inspirational Boroughmuir Captain, Johnny Matthews, and it rounded off a pretty good team performance that went the full 80 minutes. Unfortunately for the Chieftains, who continued to chase for a losing bonus point, things got no better. The ball was either held up on the goal line or when over it, the grounding was incomplete, or a knock-on occurred; not a good day at the office!

The autumn international matches continue at Murrayfield next weekend, when there is a one week break in Premier League programme. The Chieftains’ next match is against League leaders Ayr, at Malleny Park on Saturday 17th November - KO 2.30pm. Why not come to the clubhouse next weekend, 10th November, and watch the Scotland match on the big screen; good chat, atmosphere and company guaranteed. I. J. S, 4.11.18.

Currie Team v Boroughmuir – 3.11.18.

15, Jamie Forbes. 14, Ben Robbins. 13, Joe Reynolds. 12, Robbie Nelson. 11, Steven Hamilton.

10, Gregor Hunter. 9, Charlie Shiel. 8, Scott McGinley. 7, Thomas Gordon. 6, Marc Kelly.

5, Michael Vernel. 4, Rhys Davies. 3, (Fraser Watt – injured in Warm-up) Matias Argiro.

2, Graeme Carson. 1, AP McWilliam.

16, Campbell Wilson. 17, Reece Patterson. 18, Wallace Nelson. 19, Roan Frostwick. 20, Matthew Hooks.

Photography (c) Boroughmuir Facebook Page