We report from the FOSROC Super6 match at Myreside…
It had been a long time since supporters had been at Myreside for a competitive rugby match so it was great to see - and hear - so many people cheering on the team in the FOSROC Super6 match on Friday evening.
Stirling County were the visitors and any team coached by Ben Cairns is always well-organised and strong defensively, so it was going to take time and patience to break them down - and so it proved.
With the match being live on the BBC Sport Scotland website, the BBC iPlayer and the Scottish Rugby website, the club’s Director of Rugby Chris Hunter joined Paul Mitchell on co-commentary duties as things got underway.
Like the opening game of 2021 at the Ayrshire Bulls last Sunday, it was quite a cagey opening period, but scrum-half Reiss Cullen injected a bit of life into things in the 10th minute with a good break that saw him hauled down just short of the County try line.
After 15 minutes, home Captain Lee Millar, who played every minute of every game in 2019/20 and 80 minutes last weekend, was forced off injured with Marc Morrison coming on for a debut at stand-off.
The County forwards then started to get the upper hand with the hosts not being able to find the accuracy they were looking for and, in the 19th minute, visiting skipper Reyner Kennedy rumbled over for a try. Stand-off Andrew Goudie converted and it was 7-0.
Amazingly, despite both sides best efforts, that was the way it stayed until the interval with the County defence staying strong, but ‘Sonians were well served by hard carries from the likes of hooker Ross Graham and No.8 Sam Daly while Morrison looked assured having come on in a key position.
At the interval, Cullen was replaced by FOSROC Academy player Roan Frostwick for the home side and they started the second period with a bit of purpose.
That saw Stirling giving away a number of penalties and in the 46th minute No.8 Ali Mackie was yellow carded by referee Keith Allen.
That infringement allowed Morrison, who has played in the under-21 Currie Cup in South Africa previously, to kick his first points for his new club, the three points from a penalty making it 7-3.
While Mackie was off, ‘Sonians freshened things up further with a whole new front-row - Matias Sonzogni Argiro, Cal Davies and Angus Williams - coming on.
Edinburgh Rugby’s 19-year-old Jordan Venter then joined the action on the wing, but as the sin-bin elapsed County were still four points up.
With 16 minutes to go Luis Ball and Harry Fisher came off the bench, replacing Kieran Watt and Karl Main, as the hosts continued to knock on the door.
And a try was forthcoming with six minutes to go when some good forward carries around the fringes created a tiny bit of space for Daly to pop into and go over for the score.
Morrison converted and 10-7 was the way it stayed as Watsonians dug in to make it two wins from two in 2021.
Match stats
Teams:
Watsonians Rugby: Jamie Forbes; Lomond Macpherson, Lewis Berg, Dominic Coetzer, Harvey Elms; Lee Millar (C), Reiss Cullen; Harrison Courtney, Ross Graham (VC) Steven Longwell, Kieran Watt, Michael Badenhorst, Karl Main, Connor Boyle, Sam Daly. Subs: Cal Davies, Matias Sonzogni Argiro, Angus Williams, Luis Ball, Harry Fisher, Roan Frostwick, Marc Morrison, Jordan Venter.
Stirling County: Craig Robertson; Steven Hamilton, Archie Russell, Grant Hughes, Logan Trotter; Andrew Goudie, Kristian Kay; George Breese Reyner Kennedy (C), JP Phelan, James Pow, Byron Bowes, George Arnott, Connor Gordon, Ali Mackie. Subs: Angus Fraser, Billy Dineen, Murphy Walker, Callum Cruikshank, Josh Van Vuuren, Craig Jardine, Landan Hayes, Tom Roche.
Scorers:
Watsonians Rugby: Try: Daly. Pen: Morrison. Con: Morrison
Stirling County: Try: Kennedy. Con: Goudie.
FOSROC Player of the Match: Sam Daly (Watsonians Rugby).
Referee: Keith Allen.
Words by Gary Heatly
Images by Graham Gaw, more here
Watsonians Rugby’s next game in the FOSROC Super6 is away to the Boroughmuir Bears next Friday, August 13 at 7.30pm - get tickets here
