A View from the Touchline – BT Premier League: 17.2.18.

Currie Chieftains 20 pts (t 3, c 1, pg 1) v Marr 24 pts (t 4, c 2)

The bright February sunshine had a hint of spring about it, and a deceptively green looking pitch belied several days of frosty wet weather which made the soft sticky surface somewhat greasy for any over- elaborate footwork, the sort of thing at which Currie’s speedy backs generally excel; but not today.

Although sitting at the bottom of the League, Marr have surprised a number of established Premiership clubs with their no-nonsense direct approach, which is simple and effective. During the first forty minutes, in their quest for top flight survival, they effectively used the steady breeze and dominated possession for long periods; the Chieftains rarely put them under pressure in the first half. A front-foot approach, plus faultless handling saw Marr stretch away from their hosts with four well-taken tries. By the break Currie looked a bit like an old coat with no buttons, full of holes and with bits hanging off it. Thankfully, the second half did see an improvement, but it was insufficient to wrench victory from a courageous Marr performance.

The burly Marr pack, containing an experienced Warriors professional, was expected to cause the Chieftains problems; and during the first forty minutes they did. Even after Charlie Shiel, playing out of position at stand-off, had intercepted a loose pass and raced 60 metres for a try under the post, the visitors kept to their game plan of only playing rugby in Currie’s half of the pitch. Going through the phases they severely tested Currie’s defence which became more stretched as attacks progressed. Rhys Davies, Hamish Bain and Thomas Gordon tackled valiantly, and although right wing Lelia Masaga was splendidly brought down by Ben Robbins, momentum propelled their slithering bodies 5 metres to the corner flag for an unconverted try.

The Currie scrum remained strong throughout the match and from this solid base the home team now produced their best spell of the half, with Vince Wright, Michael Vernel and Harvey Elms making inroads which looked like bringing reward; unfortunately uncharacteristic handling errors allowed Marr to clear almost every attack, apart from one occasion when Charlie Shiel banged over a penalty goal to add to his earlier try and conversion. For the remaining twenty minutes of the half however, the Currie team appeared to switch off, and mistakes peppered a very poor display; it was not going well for the Malleny fifteen.

The visitors’ second try came from a well-drilled penalty lineout; as quick as a flash, back row forward, Samuela Vunisa looped around the inside and strolled through an enormous gap; Rory McGee converted. More easy pickings followed as Marr ran and handled with confidence at a nervous-looking Currie defence. With impressive quick-fire handling, scorching pace and some suspect tackling, the now rampant Marr were allowed to run in two more tries from Scott Bickerstaff down the left wing, and a similar strike by Conor Bickerstaff down the right; Rory McGee converted the first of these. Currie needed the halftime whistle!

Halftime score – Currie 10 pts, Marr 24 pts

With previous Chieftains matches in mind, fourteen points did not seem a great deficit, if they could only get their act together and substantially improve their second half performance. They did, although too many niggling errors hindered progress and Marr were never going to give away their first half advantage easily. The visitors tackled like demons and the older heads in their ranks had the ability to slow play at critical times. Early on, it looked as though the Chieftains’ fortunes had changed, as Ben Robbins and Hamish Bain went to within metres of the line before the excellent Steven Ainslie drove over from a penalty lineout.

The try was not converted, but pressure on the visitors was intense, and they only managed to get into Currie’s half on a couple of occasions after the break. It was testament to a tenacious defence which had denied the Chieftains for so long, but when Robbie Nelson finally slipped through a wall of tacklers to score, there was still fifteen minutes remaining. Unfortunately the old frailties were never far away and umpteen opportunities disappeared like the fading afternoon sunshine. Even with Charlie Shiel in his customary scrumhalf position and Scott McGinley rampaging forward, passes didn’t connect or the ball went loose. In the last few minutes, Marr smothered every breakdown to keep their line intact. And when the final whistle blew, they and their supporters, went wild; and rightly so. Our final League match at Goldenacre in two weeks’ time now becomes extremely significant. I.J.S, 18.2.18.

Photos from (c) Fraser Gaffney