Dumfries Saints’ seconds

Nov 27 2009 Dumfries Standard Friday

ON SATURDAY, an under strength Saints 2nd XV braved the elements to made the arduous journey into upper Tweeddale to take on a strong Premier Two side Peebles 2nd XV.

Up front Saints put out a heavy pack ideal for the conditions. Bubba Fraser and Roy Dunlop held up the hooker, Captain Simon Robertson.

In a solid second row Leon made his full debut for the 2nds under the watchful eye and subtle promptings of Ross Strawbridge.

Stuart Kennedy moved to the back row alongside No 8 Andy Clanachan.

The very impressive Mark McClatchy was an abrasive and extremely effective open side who despite his slight build, absolutely terrorised the opposition back line all afternoon.

In a hastily re-cast backline, Martin Smith moved into scrum half for the first time to partner Stuart Burgess.

Two back row forwards Justin Little and Malcolm Fairweather filled the centre berths.

The back three comprised Richie Davidson and Lewis Harkness on the wings. Yet another back row forward Stuart Renwick filled the full back position.

On the bench the seconds had a secret weapon but more of that later.

Saints kicked off uphill into the wind, rain, and tide and it become obvious that the Peebles team were intent on a frantic game plan, spreading the ball wide at every opportunity.

On a dry day that might have been a good tactic but last weekend it almost proved their undoing.

Over-elaboration, rocket passes and too big gaps between players contributed to the multiple dropped passes which benefited the Saints enormously.

With the midfield triumvirate of Little, Fairweather and Burgess ably supported by the Ulster Exocet, putting extreme pressure on the home team midfield mistakes were always going to be made.

Peebles broke the deadlock when they did some simple things well and crossed under the posts for a converted try.

This spurred on the seconds and through brave defence they managed to frustrate and restrict Peebles to that single score.

An injury to Bubba saw the management team unleash their secret weapon off the bench when el Lupo entered the fray.

After consultation between coach and president, it was decided that his all round skills would be best used if he patrolled the blind side wing, plugged any gaps and looked for leaks in the Peebles defence.

His introduction meant that, in their hour of need, yet another father and son combination playing in the same game for the Saints.

Saints held out to turn around only seven points down and secure in the knowledge that a good second half performance they could spring an upset

After the break it was nearly all Saints as they played the elements better that their opposition and played to their strengths.

Bubba's return to the fray signalled a new momentum and Leon's debut was over.

A comedy of errors by the home team saw them pass the ball to young Justin Little and the Thornhill Tornado ran in the score from the half way line much to the delight of the entire team.

Roy Dunlop's conversion attempt was accurate, but between rather than over the posts.

So the scene was set for a climax and a potential shock result was on the cards.

However on one of the rare occasions that Peebles got any meaningful possession they scored another unconverted try to make the final score Peebles 12 Dumfries 5.

This was an excellent display from a Saints team cobbled together at the last minute and several valuable lessons were learned.

As a whole, team spirit is at an all time high, skill levels are improving weekly, and the defensive organisation is a huge plus.

Without singling out too many individuals, in what was a very good all round team performance, special mention must go to Mark McClatchy for his ball winning skills and his general all round showing both in attack and defence.

After the game the players also thanked replacement el Lupo (aka Ian Dunlop) for his courageous assistance in helping out the team in their hour of need.

Quote and last word off the day belongs to el Lupo who sent a message to the selectors. "A should be awright for a game at 7 (Seven Sisters) now." Legends are made of less!