Victory at Leith confirms Reds’ 100% win record in the league
Leith 7 – 47 Linlithgow
Saturday 4th May 2024
Report by David Mitchell, Photos by Graham Black
The Reds made the journey to Leith last Saturday in the quest to make it 14 wins from 14 games in East Region League Division 1 in what was the last league fixture of the 2023/24 campaign. Already crowned champions, the visitors were keen to get back to winning ways after the heart breaking loss in the National Shield semi final in Elgin and a large travelling support were looking forward to a big finish to a very successful season. The car park was very busy with Chez Mochrie providing the focal point of the al fresco lunch provision and all of our thanks should go to Jim for his fantastic efforts during the season.
Despite already being relegated, Leith put up a brave and committed performance especially in the second half when lesser teams may have thrown in the towel. Weather conditions were good but the ground was very firm and set up for summer sports with an athletics track running across the park. As well as being the last league fixture of the season, the Bob Green trophy is contested by Leith and Linlithgow over 2 games each season in memory of Bob who was a much respected and significant figure in both clubs and today’s game was the 2nd leg of this year’s contest.
The game started with early pressure from the Reds and the first scrum was always going to be interesting as the Leith pack looked pretty solid. However a great push by the Reds’ pack drove the home side off the ball and it was quickly moved to Mark Green who released fellow centre Ross Tulloch and he careered through the defence and scored the opening try in the left corner. Jack Frame added the touchline conversion to give the visitors an early 0-7 lead.
The 2nd try followed soon, when after constant pressure and several well worked phases, Conor Findlay spotted a gap and accelerated through the defence to dot down between the sticks. Jack Frame added the extra points. The next try scoring action looked like it would be the most popular score of the day when Mark Green bulldozed his way between the posts but the referee disallowed the try and awarded the Reds a penalty 5 metres out from the line. We believe that the referee decided that an injured Leith player had impeded the defensive effort of the home side which was a shame as the crowd had been ready to celebrate Mark’s try.
The next try was not far away however, as Jack Frame fielded a high ball in his own half and set off up the field where he fired a pass to Conor Findlay who jinked past a few defenders before releasing Jamie Tulloch to sprint the final 20 metres to score a fine try. Jack Frame added the extra points to make the score 0-21 as half time approached. The half ended with a sumptuous try by Player of the Season, Mark Caddle, who found himself in the centre as the ball was moved along the line. He fed Jack Frame who drew the final defender to him before executing a no-look pass over his right shoulder (remember Campese to Horan in the 1991 RWC semi final) to the supporting Mark Caddle who trotted over for a try that pleased the visiting support.
Half time – 0-26
The only downside to the 1st half was an early injury to Cammy Murrie and he was replaced by Luke O’Hara who had returned from his recent travels.
The first 20 minutes of the 2nd half was very disjointed and disappointing partly due to a loss of focus by the Reds, giving away too many penalties, the usual disruption caused by multiple replacements and a much improved effort by the home side for which they were rewarded with a converted try and several other opportunities that the visitors managed to defend with some desperate action.
After having weathered the storm for 20 minutes, the Reds managed to finish with a flourish. Oscar Davies was stopped inches from the line as was Mark Caddle but the scores eventually came with a second try for Man of the Match Ross Tulloch who burst up the middle of the field from his own 22 metre area and outstripped the defence to score unopposed under the posts after a lung bursting run. Then after a good turnover in midfield, the ball was moved left to Mark Caddle who used strength and, in particular, great pace to reach the line for a trademark fine solo effort. The final try was scored by Ross Plenderleith after Eioan Magee’s rumble up the middle and the ball being moved swiftly to the right where Ross cruised over for a well deserved try. Jack Frame converted all 3 of the 2nd half tries.
Final Score: Leith RFC 7 – 47 Linlithgow Reds
Overall a comfortable win but with a bad patch in the 2nd half that the team needs to eradicate in NL4 next season. A very solid performance by the pack at scrum and line-out however, the breakdown was a bit of a mess for both teams with many penalties awarded. The scrummaging was excellent and the line-out as secure as normal but with the added benefit of stealing a few of the opposition’s line-out throws. Jamie Tulloch was in typical all-action form and was rewarded with a try which showed the benefits of running in support of a ball carrier. It was also good to see the ongoing enthusiasm and skills on show by stalwarts such as Stuart Cunningham and Colin Devlin along with the youthful contribution of Oscar Davies.
In the back division, the team looked dangerous every time the ball was moved wide to space and it was no surprise that long distance tries were scored. As ever, Archie Rusack provided a solid and reliable service to his backs but he also did some excellent tidying up chores when necessary. The half back pairing fed the line well and several other tries could have been scored with some more clinical decision making and finishing, but 7 tries is not a bad haul.
After the match, there were a few presentations made. Firstly, Euan Mochrie presented Hannah Devlin with a gift on behalf of the players for her work on social media throughout the season. Her score updates were very valuable in keeping people informed during games. Secondly, the Bob Green Trophy was awarded to the Reds for an aggregate score of 81-22 over the 2 fixtures (34-15 at Mains Park and 7-47 at Leith). In a nice touch, the Cup was presented to Bob’s son Mark, the long serving Reds’ centre, who played in today’s game after a long injury lay off.
The 3rd presentation was for Man of the Match and this went to Ross Tulloch and his 2 try performance playing in the centre. The 4th and final presentation was a well deserved 20 game tie for the very consistent Archie Rusack.
In summary, an excellent league campaign with 14 straight wins, scoring 589 points and allowing only 239 against the team. The team also gained 68 out of a possible 70 points with Try Bonus Points only not gained against Royal High (home) and Langholm (away). Congratulations to all the squad, coaches, officials and supporters associated with this fantastic achievement. Next season will be a real challenge in National League 4 but on the evidence of this season there is much to be hopeful about. The 3 teams being promoted into NL4 are ourselves, Ardrossan (west) and Moray (caley) and based on our knowledge of those teams they are very beatable if we get the preparations correct and play controlled winning rugby.
Linlithgow
Jack Frame (capt), Cammy Murrie, Ross Tulloch, Mark Green, Ross Plenderleith; Conor Findlay, Archie Cusack; Calum McKeown, Kyle Ormond, Andrew Graham; Eioan Magee, Kieran Cochrane; Euan Mochrie, Jamie Tulloch and Mark Caddle.
Subs: Colin Devlin, Stuart Cunningham, Oscar Davies and Luke O’Hara.
