Stewart’s Melville Rugby News 10th December 2014 Mel Lions then played Heriot’s and were playing...

On Sunday, 7 December the S1 Stew Mel Lions took part in a three team round

robin at Inverleith in cold and wet conditions. The visiting teams were Melrose

and our neighbours, Heriot’s.

Stew Mel Lions sat out of the first game which saw Heriot’s dominate possession

and get the better of a spirited Melrose team. Stew Mel Lions then played

Melrose with both sides looking to move the ball wide and showing some great

running rugby, despite the cold conditions. Winning the toss and having the

wind behind you were advantageous, so the hosts made the most of this and

ended up winning four tries to one.

Stewart’s Melville Rugby News 10th December 2014

Stew Mel Lions then played Heriot’s and were playing into the wind this time.

Getting decent possession was hard work as Heriot’s dominated at the break-

down and were very strong in the scrum, pushing our pack backwards a

number of times. Most of the game was being played in the Stew Mel Lions’

half and the boys were working hard to keep the pressure on Heriot’s and this

pressure resulted in an interception try from our own 22 to go one try up.

Heriot’s kept their heads up though and pushed us right to the end, but the

boys did enough to hang on.

The policy of the S1 Lions has been to try and switch players around so they

can experience different positions and hopefully the boys have been enjoying

this opportunity. A particular focus recently in games has been for all boys to

improve their rucking skills and ensure those around the breakdown are being

active with low and strong body positions. There were good examples of this in

the physical Heriot’s game. However, it’s still an area that needs to be

improved on to ensure we get good clean ball, to show off our strong handling

skills. Two difficult games against two well-drilled teams and another

opportunity for the boys to experience fifteen man rugby.

Gordon Affleck - S1 Stew Mel Lions Coach

Stewart’s Melville Rugby News

The JA3s tasted defeat for the first time this season against a much improved

Watson's team at Inverleith. There was a noticeable lack of aggression in the

first half, which affected go-forward momentum. Work-rate was increased in

the second half, resulting in greater possession, but unfortunately with ball in

hand the boys tended to run into contact rather than looking to move the ball

into space. Hopefully the team has learned a valuable lesson from this narrow

defeat.

Mr Anderson - JA3 Coach

From working like a collection of individuals in the first half, to working more like

a team in the second, there was a noticeable improvement in performance

over the course of the match on this, the first chilly rugby Saturday of the

season. However this wasn’t enough to prevent the opposition running in

several tries due to unsuccessful tackling – Messrs Nimmo and Clark being

commendable exceptions to this - and capitalising on us losing ball at our own

breakdown. With this in mind, rucking tech-

nique and tackling technique will be addressed

in coming weeks.

Mr Cowie – JA4 Coach



‘Nick who?!’ was the cry on the Club’s Facebook page after this ultimately

comfortable win at Rubislaw. While we will, of course, welcome Cap’n Cash back

with open arms after he returns from his holiday back in the Land Of The Long White

Cloud, it does have to be said that the boys are doing rather well without him. Condi-

tions weren’t ideal at Rubislaw on Saturday. The pitch was heavy after several days of

rain, the sun was low in the sky (despite the sensible decision to bring kick off forward

by 15 minutes for that very reason) and there was a strong wind blowing towards the

‘wall’ end of the pitch.

Grammar, playing with the wind at their backs, had the best of the opening exchang-

es and Alex Hagart landed an easy penalty after 8 minutes to start the scoreboard

ticking over. We clawed our way back into the game thereafter, though, and a series

of tap penalties ended with Willie Aitken worming his way over for a try. Mike Hanning

kicked the easy conversion to make the score 7-3 in our favour. Alex Hagart landed

another penalty shortly afterwards to cut our lead to a single point. We then made

the first of several telling substitutions, Ruaridh Mitchell replacing Hugh Lindsay at

hooker. This wasn’t due to any shortcomings on Hugh’s part – the lineouts had actually

been going quite well up till then – but (one must assume) simply to add a bit of beef

to our scrum, which had been creaking somewhat in the first half hour of the game.

Our pack showed their mettle again shortly before half time, with Willie making

another short-range raid on the Grammar line that earned him his second try of the

game. He’d even had the foresight to score under the posts this time, making the

conversion even easier for Mike: 14-6 to Stew Mel. Alex Hagart ended the scoring in

what was a very long half of rugby (49 minutes?!) with another penalty.


Since the sad demise of the pitch side pie hut at Rubislaw, half time refreshments are

served on the steps of the old pavilion at the other side of the pitches. It’s well worth

the muddy walk over there, though, as their pies are (based on Saturday’s evidence)

possibly the best ones in Scottish rugby – superb!

Back to the action, then. Grammar had obviously copped an earful from their coaches

during the break, as they really took the game to us in the opening minutes. Our

defence stood firm, though, the fact that Fraser Christie and Scott Brewster had been

replaced by Hugh Lindsay and Ruaridh Stewart, respectively, meaning that we had

fresh(ish) legs on the pitch. Grammar also displayed a rather welcome tendency to run

laterally, as if they were intent on running round our defence rather than going through

or over it. While this met with some success while their big centre ‘Naca’ (Peceli

Nacamavuto) was on the pitch, we managed to keep them contained.

There also appeared to be some confusion as to Grammar’s game plan, with Hagart

kicking for the corner at one point when 3 points seemed to be well within his grasp.

Further personnel changes around the 20 minute mark saw our customary swap at 9,

Fraser Strachan replacing Andrew Manson … and a Grammar player picking up the

only yellow of the match for (I think) a technical offence.

The final quarter of the game saw our pack really begin in assert its superiority as the

Aberdeen eight tired. Rhys Morgan duly became the second prop to get on the score

sheet, scoring in the corner at the wall end after a great rolling maul. That made the

score 19-9 (conversion missed), and thoughts turned to the all important fourth try.


We left it late, but the bonus point was duly secured after a series of ‘pick and gos’

that must have started well outside the Grammar 22. After half a dozen expertly

coordinated P&Gs, the aforementioned Ruaridh Mitchell flopped down just short of

the line and gracefully reached forward to dot the ball down on the important side of

the whitewash. You could probably hear his subsequent yells of exultation at scoring

his first try for the 1s back at Inverleith! Mike added the extras, the ref blew his whistle

and that was that – a splendid 26-9 victory.

Looking back, this was maybe one for the purists, with all of the tries coming from front

row breenges and most of our back play being of the defensive variety. The lineout

went well, though, with Ruaridh Stewart striving manfully to tidy up any throws that

went adrift in the wind, while Mike Hanning and Ciaran White made good use of that

wind to clear our lines in the second half. We also seem to have developed a useful

mix in the back row, the departure of Ben Wilson to Hamilton arguably leaving us with

a better combination of players in Fraser Christie, Adam Howie and Stu ‘Chucky’

Wilson. They may not throw themselves about the park like Ben did, but they probably

work harder, both individually and as a unit. The team’s defence was also excellent in

this game, with Mike, Seb and Neil putting in a power of work as Grammar fought to

get back into the game after the interval. The ‘refreshments’ enjoyed on the long trip

back to Edinburgh were very well deserved! This win meant that we held on to third

place in the table, two points behind GHA. It’s the men from Braidholm who visit us this

Saturday, no doubt full of confidence after defeating Watsonians 32-24 last weekend.

We’re due GHA some payback for our narrow defeat on their patch on the second

weekend of the season, though, so it should be a fascinating contest. Never mind the

Christmas shopping, see you at Inverleith at 2 pm on Saturday!

Bill McNie

Last Saturday saw the 2nd XV take the short trip to Balerno to play Currie in the first of the

return league fixtures. It was great to see President, Colin Rigby, and Ground Convenor,

Bobby Clark, supporting the team. Malleny Park was at its picturesque best as the wind swept

down the pitch whipping the rain into a frenzied and torrential downpour and producing an

atmospheric haar. The gurgling of the nearby Water of Leith and the squelching of

spectators’ feet as they negotiated the swamp between the clubhouse and stand, only

added to the air of intrigue and suspense! The members and players of the Premier One club

must be looking forward to the completion of the adjacent 3G playing surface.

After Bonker’s heroics of the previous week, the RBG reverted to a youth policy and it was

good to welcome back Chris Beattie, Dave Lyall, Ali Scott, Connor McKay, Callum Hunter-Hill

and Gregor Porteous. Indeed, perhaps youthful exuberance was at the heart of our problems

in the first half when we tried to play too much rugby in dreadful conditions and in the wrong

areas of the pitch. Currie fed off the mistakes and used some skillful and powerful runners to

make deep inroads into our territory. However, as the players admitted, in the huddle at the

end of the match, there was disappointment in poor defence that resulted in two very soft

touch-downs for the opposition. The ability to tackle is not in doubt, but rather faulty

alignment, lack of communication and failure to recognise roles. This is not to be unexpected

in a young team and the players themselves have appreciated the problem - they and the

coaches will be working hard to remedy the situation.

Having played with the elements in the first half, there was an air of trepidation when the

second period started with the Malleny men level at 12-12. Spirits were not raised when Currie

scored an early try, but then Inverleith character came to the fore and the whole perspective

of the match changed. The Stew Mel scrum took charge, the line-outs were excellent and at

least parity was gained at the ruck and maul. Importantly, the defence came to grips with

the game and the tentative approach of the first half transmogrified into one of aggression

and power. The opposition was thrown off its stride and, although they still had the upper

hand territorially, we became the more likely victors. That scrum-half, Gregor Porteous, scored

the winning try was only right and proper- it capped an outstanding performance and only

emphasised the wealth of talent we enjoy in this position.

This was ultimately a real team effort but, Dave Lyall, Connor Mckay and George Harris

deserve credit for turning the scrum around (as they gained ascendancy, a verbose member

of the opposition stopped asking the latter about “toys and his pram”!); Tom Spowart and

Callum Hunter-Hill were dominant in the line-out and prominent in the loose; while behind the

scrum Ewan Bowen and Scott Simpson always looked dangerous with ball in hand.

To be fair to Currie, this is a game we could have lost and next week will be no different as

the powerful GHA visit Inverleith. We won the first encounter narrowly and will need to be at

full strength and at the top of our game for the same result.

After weeks of having their games cancelled by the opposition, the Mighty 3’s were in the

embarrassing position of having to call off a match themselves last Saturday because of the

unavailability of players. Apologies to Dunfermline 2nd XV. Sadly, with so many games not

taking place, potential players find other things to do on a Saturday. This is understandable

and needs to be addressed by both Stew Mel Rugby and the Scottish Rugby Union. On paper

we have plenty of players and it would be great if, next Saturday, we can field a powerful

2nd XV and a strong Mighty 3’s. Both teams are a key part to the future of the club.

Phil Waine



Stewart's Melville B1s welcomed local rivals Heriot's to Inverleith on Saturday for

the annual crunch match. Coach Mr Edwards had worked hard with the boys

at training in the run up to the weekend knowing that Heriot's would prove to

be a tough challenge and the boys would have to dig deep to get a result.

The home crowd was treated to a great first ten minutes of play with the SMC

boys scoring two well taken tries by Jack Blain and Calum Henderson with Blain

adding the extra, cruising to a 12-0 lead. Unfortunately this gave the home boys

a false sense of security and Heriot's came back strongly with decisive runs in

the outside channels and opening up the Stew Mel defence scoring two

unanswered tries and a conversion, 12-12.

Heriot's then dominated the first twenty minutes of the 2nd half with some fine

play, having much of the territory and possession adding a further score and

conversion taking the score to 12-19. With time ticking on the SMC boys knew

they had to respond and believe in themselves that they could get back into

the game. Euan Henderson finally broke the deadlock getting the SMC

touchdown making the score 17-19. With only five minutes remaining the SMC

boys knew that they had to go all out to put some phases of play together

which they finally managed to do with a flowing move down the left hand side

of the stand which resulted in a score from Adam McGregor making the final

score 20-19.

The result was very pleasing for the SMC boys but Heriot's had the greater

amount of possession and stronger set pieces which our boys will be looking to

improve over the next few training sessions.

Mr Ruthven


Saturday, 27 December at Inverleith

Vets Festive Fling

11am

Stew Mel Lions

P7 exhibition game – 11.45am

Schools’ Senior XV

The Captain Greig v Vice Captain Gordon Clash

12noon

Pigbarians v Stevie Sims Cavaliers

12.30pm (If you are interested in playing in the above match, please confirm

your availability to Bruce Ruthven ASAP.)

Name: Fraser Morrison

Nickname: Momo, Classic

Momz, Momo

Dum Dum

Position: Second Row

Date of Birth: 6th June 1987

Place of Birth: Edinburgh

Previous Clubs: The mighty RHC Cougars & The Hampshire Trojans.

Playing Representative Honours: Most improved player of 3rd year rugby.

Favourite player of all time: Brad Thorn (Big Bag Brad).

Most Embarrassing Moment (on or off the pitch!): At the base of a ruck, I took a

tumble and picked the ball up and

started attacking the wrong way up

the pitch.

One Unique Fact About Yourself: I was struck by lightning when I was 15 years old.

Who is your celebrity lookalike? Anyone with a large jaw.

Favourite cliché? Skin’s waterproof :)

Top Tip for a youngster? Enjoy it!


Name: Stephen Gordon

Nickname: Flash (very original)

Coaching Position/Age Group: P5 coach

Date of Birth: …a long time ago…

Place of Birth: Edinburgh

Previous Clubs: Lismore, Edinburgh University,

Lasswade and Walkerburn

Playing/Coaching Representative Honours: 1st XV captain, sevens captain, club ski-trip

‘skipper’.

Favourite player of all time: Michael Jones

Most Embarrassing Moment (on or off the pitch!): Attempting an overhead kick to

touch from my own try line, missed it

completely and fell flat on my back

side allowing the opposition to walk

in to score!

One Unique Fact About Yourself: Ran 100m for Scottish Schools alongside Lindsay

Sharp’s Dad, Cameron. Guess who didn’t win!

Who is your celebrity lookalike? Benny from Crossroads

Favourite cliché? Game of two halves

Coaching Philosophy? Enjoy it, try your hardest and practice



F.P Rugby Results

1st XV v Aberdeen Grammar 26-9 W

2nd XV v Currie 22-17 W

3rd XV v Dunfermline Cancelled

Senior and Junior School Results

1st XV Rugby v Dundee High Cancelled

A2 Rugby v Dundee High Cancelled

A3 Rugby v Heriot's 12-5 W

A5 U16A Rugby v Dundee High Cancelled

B1 Rugby v Heriot's 27-22 W

B2 Rugby v Dundee High 41-19 W

B3 Rugby v Gala Academy 5-62 L

C1 Rugby v Dundee High 35-4 W

C2 Rugby v Gala Academy 11-14 L

C3 Rugby v Dundee High 23-12 W

D1 Rugby v Dundee High 39-0 W

D2 Rugby v Gala Academy 21-3 W

D3 Rugby v Heriot's 33-3 W

D4 Rugby v Trinity 11-30 L

JA1 Rugby v Dundee High Cancelled

JA2 Rugby v Dundee High Cancelled

JA3 Rugby v Watson's 3-2 L

JA4 Rugby v Watson's 4-2 L

JB1 Rugby v Dundee High Cancelled

JB2 Rugby v Dundee High Cancelled

JB3 Rugby v Watson's Cancelled

JB4 Rugby v Watson's Cancelled


Saturday, 13 December

F.P Rugby

14:00:00 1st XV v GHA - H Inverleith

14:00:00 2nd XV v GHA - H Inverleith

14:00:00 3rd XV v Forrester - A Forrester

Senior and Junior School Rugby

10:30:00 A5 U16A rugby v Dollar Academy - H Inver-Pitch 1

09:30:00 A6 U16B rugby v Royal High - A Royal High School

09:30:00 A7 U16C rugby v Trinity Academy - A Bangholm

10:30:00 B1 rugby v Dollar Academy - H Inver-Pitch 2

09:30:00 B2 rugby v Royal High - H Inver-Pitch 2

10:30:00 B3 rugby v Dollar Academy - H Inver-Pitch 3

09:30:00 C1 rugby v Royal High - H Inver-Pitch 3

09:30:00 D1 rugby v Watson's - H Inver-Pitch 4

09:30:00 D2 rugby v Royal High - H Inver-Pitch 5

09:30:00 D3 rugby v Trinity Academy - A Bangholm

09:30:00 D4 rugby v Watson's - A Myreside

10:30:00 JA1 rugby v Dollar Academy - H Inver-Pitch 6

10:00:00 JA2 rugby v Bwllbaxter - A Bellbaxter

10:30:00 JA3 rugby v Dollar Academy - H Inver-Pitch 4

10:00:00 JA4 rugby v Bellbaxter - A Bellbaxter

10:30:00 JB1 rugby v Dollar Academy - H Inver-Pitch 5

10:00:00 JB2 rugby v Bellbaxter - A Bellbaxter

10:30:00 JB3 rugby v Dollar Academy - H Inver-Pitch 5

10:00:00 JB4 v Watson's - A Myreside

School fixtures correct as of Wednesday, 10 December. Please check my ESMS on a Friday in case of any last minute fixture changes.


Bruce Ruthven – Rugby Co-ordinator

[email protected]

07780 467 309

Colin Rigby – F.P Rugby Club President

[email protected]

Malcolm MacColl – Director of F.P Rugby

[email protected]

Bryn Lockie – Head of Games at SMC

[email protected]

Mark Burgess – Head of JS Boys’ Sport

[email protected]

John Dundas – P1 to P7 Lions Coordinator

[email protected]

David Allan – Midi Lions Coordinator

[email protected]

Stewart’s Melville F.P Website

www.stewmelrugby.com

mailto:[email protected]







http://www.stewmelrugby.com

Stewart’s Melville Rugby News 10th December 2014 Mel Lions then played Heriot’s and were playing...

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