Dumfries Saints 38 pts Hillhead Jordanhill 31 pts
Bernie Mitchell
In a hard, physical game, bookended by a reverential Remembrance tribute at its start and the winning score from Dumfries at its end, both the hosts and visitors Hills contested this National League 3 game with 100% commitment.
Its first half ended with Hills just 2 points to the good at 21-19. But Dumfries emphatically bossed the 3rd quarter racing ahead to a 31-21 margin. Then Hills dug deep in the final quarter to level at 31-31. Yet in the last minute the hosts raced clear, cheered on by an enthusiastic support to close the game out at 38-31. The distribution of National League points was 5 to the hosts, 4 for the win and 1 for the 4 try bonus, while the visitors left with 2, 1 also for the 4 try bonus and the other for finishing within 7 of the winners.
However, Hills might look back in their post match analysis to their territorial domination in the 1st quarter which yielded just the one close range try from 2nd rower and captain Blair Colvin, and wonder why they did not do more to capitalize. No end of short range charges at the Dumfries line were repulsed by the physical Dumfries side when a more reflective consideration might have been to build scoreboard pressure by converting short range penalty opportunities. Dumfries soon lifted the siege and stormed to the Hills line to record their first try of the afternoon which was converted.
Tight defences were maintained by both sides, and it took a typical touch of magic from Hills no. 10, Rory Harte, to carve out the next score. One of the very few on the day to play “ head up “ rugby “, the Hills stand off spotted no.8 Milan Markinovic loitering unmarked on the left hand touchline. Harte’s kick pass from some 35 metres landed well in the no. 8’s bread basket, and Markinovic sprinted across the line unopposed. The remainder of the half found Harte again prominent, as he attacked from close range to score his side’s 3rd try but Dumfries were never far behind in this arm wrestle to score 2 tries of their own.
Whatever the Dumfries coaches said to their team at half time certainly had an impact, as Hills, apart from the set scrum, came second in midfield breakdowns where possession was stripped twice and the touchline disintegrated. But Hills fought back doggedly with Harte’s boot and Markinovic’s physical strength in ball carrying decisive. A converted try and a penalty goal brought the sides level at 31-31.
Rory Harte just failed to convert a penalty chance from 40 metres, his only unsuccessful kick of the day. And then another wonderful piece of rugby nous from Harte almost lead to the winning score. A well weighted grubber kick through the defensive Dumfries line, chased by 3 Hills attackers and defended only by 1 Dumfries player, just eluded Andrew Brown’s despairing dive, and was touched down by the Dumfries defender. The next and virtually final play of this engrossing encounter saw Dumfries again on the counter attack, and an attacking move wide out on the clubhouse touchline found Dumfries surging home beneath the posts. The conversion was a formality and the 20 seconds remaining just allowed Hills to restart before the admirable Craig Clark’s referee’s whistle was blown for no side.
A titanic struggle, high on grunt but low on real quality, finished with the Saints triumphant and the Hills deflated.
Hills now have to reform quickly for the next NL3 game in Kirkwall, the only National League 3 fixture to be played on Saturday 16th November, when Scotland play Portugal at Scottish Gas Murrayfield.
Unfortunately Hills 2s also lost against their Dumfries opponents, going down 24-17 in a tight clash.
