Tennent’s Premiership – 3.9.22. (Match 2)

Musselburgh RFC 27 pts (t 4, c 2, p g 1) v Currie Chieftains 53 pts (t 7, c 6, p g 2)

A week of variable weather had certainly improved pitch conditions, but spectators heading for the Stoneyhill ground were warned of heavy showers; thankfully none arrived during the afternoon, but a pumped-up Musselburgh team started this match like a thunderstorm. Within minutes their young speedy backline had pounced on a couple of loose passes which yielded two converted tries and a penalty goal as they galloped into a 17-point first quarter lead. The home fifteen made the most of Currie’s sloppy mistakes, but the visitors improved their accuracy and started to take control. Jamie Forbes got the scoreboard moving with a penalty goal when the over-eager Musselburgh flank-forwards were caught off-side.

Cairn Ramsey, Sean Fisher and Cody Roman caused excitement with tremendous carries down the centre of the pitch which caused panic in the opposition camp. The visitors were now playing sensible fluent rugby which stretched the Musselburgh defence and gave James McCaig just enough space to scoot around his opposite number for an unconverted try wideout. By halftime the Chieftains had overtaken the Musselburgh lead with further tries from Kody McGovern and Graeme Carson following Charlie Brett’s splendid kick-and-chase which was accompanied by a determined effort from the Currie pack; Jamie Forbes added the extras. Musselburgh tried to steady the ship with a long-distance penalty shot, but their luck was on the wane. The only down-side for the visitors was a bad looking injury to hooker, Sean Fisher who unfortunately may be out for several weeks.

Halftime score – Musselburgh 17 pts, Currie Chieftains 22 pts.

Now playing with the breeze, Jamie Forbes kept the opposition pinned back with a masterclass of positional kicking. The home team were finding it difficult to secure much possession, as Currie repeatedly altered the direction of attack to make space for their runners. Cammy Meager made ground and birled through several tackles before breaking free to open the second half scoring. The converted try was shortly followed by a Jamie Forbes penalty, but the beefy Musselburgh pack kept things interesting with a strong 5 metre scrum and unconverted try of their own.

With only 10 points between the sides, the excitement and entertainment went up a gear which resulted in further scores from Cody Roman and two more for the flying wing, Kody McGovern as the gallant home team tried to cope with the Chieftains’ flamboyant play. Whenever possible the Musselburgh backs counter-attacked and made the Currie defence work hard to keep them at bay. Their efforts for a try bonus point were finally rewarded by the persistence of their well-drilled forwards, who gained the well-deserved closing score. But by this time the contest was virtually over, as Currie had the result in the bag. An unbeaten Edinburgh Accies visit Malleny Park next weekend, it should be quite a contest.

I.J.S. - 7.9.22.

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