A View from the Touchline – BT National Cup: 17.11.17.

Ayr 26 pts (t 4, c 3) v Currie Chieftains 22 pts (t 2, c 1, pt 1, pg 1)

‘And sic a night he taks the road in, as ne’er poor sinner was abroad in. The wind blew as ‘twad blawn its last; the rattling showers rose on the blast’ - this piece from Robert Burns’s poem, Tam O’Shanter, almost perfectly describes the weather that greeted the Currie Chieftains as they took the field at Millbrae for this BT National Cup match; the night was awful, and the conditions horrendous for rugby, but the combatants did their best to entertain. Within 20 minutes the Chieftains had raced into a 15 point lead as both teams tried to stay on their feet and hold on to a greasy ball; as the game progressed the slippery, muddy pitch became a bog. The visitors kept their lead until midway through the second half when the heavy Ayr pack slid in for a pushover try. With ten minutes remaining, tremendous Currie pressure was rewarded with a penalty try, and it looked as if they were heading for victory, but the final few minutes became a bit of a lottery, and the courageous visitors were pipped at the post.

From the outset Currie tried to move the ball, even when deep inside their 22; it looked a risky business, but thankfully things went their way. Fit again, and on his first appearance for the Chieftains this season, Mathew Hooks opened the Ayr defence and took play close to their line. Jamie Forbes kicked a penalty when Ayr drifted offside. This was soon followed by some rousing Currie play, and a pushover try for Thomas Gordon. The score was not converted, but when the ambitious visitors again moved the ball inside their 22; Scott McGinley, Rhys Davies and finally John Cox got the ball to Ruairidh Smith who scorched down the touchline for a try that Jamie Forbes splendidly converted; the vociferous Ayr crowd were silenced.

A good twenty minutes had sailed by with the Chieftains in command. Ben Robbins, Robbie Nelson and Cammy Gray were prominent in attack and defence. Ayr got bogged down in the diabolical conditions, and when their burly forwards did gain any decent possession, the ball either missed its target, or it slithered out of control. The visitors’ defence coped well with a number of Ayr attacks, but when a diagonal kick exposed an overlap on the far touchline, full-back Grant Anderson was on hand to collect and run in unopposed; Scott Lyle converted. Things now started to hot up with the marauding Ayr pack clearing out breakdowns and generally harassing the visitors. Their second score was a messy arm struggle as the mudbath frayed tempers. Hooker Lewis Anderson’s try was not converted, but just before halftime the simmering niggle bubbled over, and a mass unsightly brawl ensued. After the officials consulted, a player from each team was shown a yellow card and thankfully things settled down.

Halftime score – Ayr 12 pts, Currie chieftains 15 pts.The pitch glistened in the lights as more heavy rain fell and the second half got under way. A splendid Michael Vernel chargedown saw Ayr defending desperately and conceding more penalties. Several lineouts should have produced more, but the ball was eventually lost and the hosts cleared the danger. For the next twenty minutes the match degenerated into a midfield stalemate which was only broken when the slippery ball was hacked deep into Currie territory. The weighty Ayr pack pounced and pushed the battling visitors over the try line; Scott Lyle converted. At this stage it was difficult for spectators to distinguish who was who on the pitch; the only recognisable figure, in his ‘white’ shirt, was the referee.

Four points in arrears and with ten minutes remaining, the Chieftains rallied and battered the Ayr line; on several occasions the ball flew across the pitch, without much success. A number of close quarter driving mauls were stopped by fair means or foul, and after warning the Ayr Captain about his team’s conduct, the referee awarded Currie a penalty try. Perhaps it was a combination of the conditions, the raucous local support and the increasing pressure that Ayr exerted in the closing minutes, but the contest became a bit of a lottery. The ball and bodies slithered in every direction, but once Ayr and their supporters sniffed a chance inside the Currie 22, the noise and outcome was almost inevitable. The brave Currie defence could not hold a determined Ayr push that finally flopped over the line in a muddy heap. The try was converted by Scott Lyle, but no one, including the referee, had a clue who was the scorer under a pile of muddy bodies. The Chieftains’ next match is at Myreside v Watsonians on 2nd December - KO 3.00pm. ​IJS, 18.11.17.