Heriot’s 40 - 25 Dundee HSFP: Heriot’s roused by Dundee spirit

By WILLIAM PAUL
Published on 17/09/2012 00:12

HERIOT’S took maximum points and great pleasure in slapping down a dangerous Dundee team who fought back from three tries down to briefly take the lead before the home side edged back in front and closed the game out comfortably.

Scorers: Heriot’s – Tries: F Brown, Turley, Penn, Teague, Wilson. Cons: Wilson 3. Pens: Wilson 3. Dundee – Tries: A Brown, McIvor, Walker. Cons: Steele (2). Pens: Steele (2).

The margin of victory was flattering in the end as two late tries transformed what had been a one-point game into what looked like a real hammering.

But it kept up the standard set by last week’s win over defending champions Melrose and takes Heriot’s into next weekend’s derby against winless Edinburgh Accies as hot favourites to continue climbing the table.

Heriot’s coach Phil Smith said: “The players are training so well but the annoying thing is that we are only seeing glimpses of it on the pitch. At half-time we were going mental because of the way we had performed. We had got ourselves into such a great position – three tries in the first 15 minutes – and then blown it as Dundee got momentum going.

“The fear was that it would continue but, although our play wasn’t sparkling in the second half, we began doing a lot of the right things and that kept us in the game. We did go behind at one point and we finally got our just reward and can now look ahead with some confidence.

Dundee, who entertain Currie next week, were behind before most of their players had broken sweat on a beautifully mild sunny afternoon. Straight from the kick off Heriot’s centre Rory Carmichael made the line break that took him up to the 22 and the ball went out to the left wing where openside flanker Fraser Brown claimed a try.

Dundee got in the act with Jack Steele’s first penalty but Edinburgh pro full-back Mike Penn set up a second Heriot’s try with a clever kick into space that allowed New Zealand recruit Jack Turley to score on his home debut. A few minutes later the try count went to three when winger Colin Goudie, an ever-present threat, carried the ball from halfway into the 22 for it to be recycled and passed out wide for Penn to pounce.

Dundee were sweating now as they tried to stem the onslaught and they succeeded when prop Alan Brown barrelled over in the corner, flattening the flag as he went for the touchdown but it was ruled okay. Another period of possession resulted in a try for blindside Richie McIvor with the conversion taking Dundee within two points at 17-15 with less than half an hour played.

It quietened down after that, at least in scoring terms. The packs tore lumps out of each other while Dundee controlled territory and the Heriot’s defence soaked up wave after wave of attacks before launching their own counters through Penn and Brown and No 8 Jason Hill.

It was almost the end of the third quarter before the scoreboard started moving again when Heriot’s skipper Graham Wilson knocked over his first penalty, followed by a second a few minutes later. Dundee replied with a swift raid that had centre Colin Strachan held up on the line and, as the ball came back, stand-off Stewart Walker picked it up on the run to get a try. Steele’s conversion made it a single-point game and his penalty put Dundee in the lead for the first time with 15 minutes left.

Heriot’s might have been cursing under their breath but they didn’t panic. They gained field position, won a penalty for a stray hand in a ruck, and 
Wilson put them back in front.

With Heriot’s in the ascendancy, Dundee lost the plot and, when flanker Danny Levison went to the sin bin for bad-mouthing the referee it freed up space for the home team to run in another couple of tries, the first for the bonus point by winger Marc Teague and the second from Wilson, who ran in under the posts and converted it with the last kick of the game.

Dundee coach Ian Rankin said: “I was disappointed by the way we started and had to be always chasing the game. There were bits of play out there that were very good and we did manage to pull it back and go ahead at one stage. Our problem was the lapses in concentration when we had them on the ropes but didn’t finish them off.”

Heriot’s: M Penn; M Teague, M Learmonth, R Carmichael, C Goudie; OJ Brown, G Wilson; JP Ward, K Bryce, S Cessford, CJ Ozawuma, R Nimmo, J Turley, F Brown, J Hill. Substitutes G Cameron, G MacKinnon, C Mulligan, M Nimmo, S Hidalgo Cline.

Dundee: J Urquhart; A McLean, H Dutthie, C Strachan, J Steele; S Walker, A Dymock; G Robertson, D Russell, A Brown, A Linton, C Cumming, R McIvor, D Levison, M Stubbs. Substitutes D Curry, N Dymock, R Hawkins, C Bowie, R Taylor.

Referee: A McMenemy.