RBS Premiership Rugby: Currie 20 - 37 Gala

By IAIN MORRISON
Published on 30/09/2012 00:00

Two evenly-matched sides produced a thoroughly entertaining game at Malleny Park, even if the wind blowing directly downfield probably contributed to a few too many handling errors.

SCORERS:

Currie: Try: Weston. Pens: Forbes (5).

Gala: Tries: George Graham, pen try, Gary Graham. Cons: Millar (2) Pens: Millar (6).

It turned out a decent day for the Graham household, with scrumhalf George getting the first try and flanker Gary grabbing the last, so helping dad’s team to earn vital points at the home of one of their closest league rivals.

The visitors had the edge on the scoreboard partly thanks to their better discipline, partly down to the fact that they made fewer mistakes and their set scrum enjoyed the whip hand all afternoon, earning them a crucial penalty try in the second half with the game finely poised.

The match had something for 
everyone: four tries, three yellow cards for the home team and one for the visitors, near perfect kicking off the tee from both marksmen, a couple of old school punch-ups and at least one collision between John Cox and Opeta Palepoi that could be felt in the back of the stands. The players were fine, so any sympathy should go to the poor referee who may not have enjoyed his finest 80 minutes but was not helped by getting advice in stereo from both coaches on the sidelines.

Currie’s fans perhaps had a point about the lopsided card count, and raised a sarcastic cheer when the referee finally flashed yellow at Gala only after showing three to Currie.

Currie had first use of the wind and when they turned around at half time trailing by two points there were few in the crowd who fancied their chances. Sure enough stand-off Lee Millar continued to nudge Gala ahead with the boot – he finished with 22 points thanks to six penalties and two conversions – and Gala’s set scrum earned them a penalty try before Gary Graham made sure of the win with a breakaway try when Currie’s players seem to have stopped for a knock-on that only they noticed.

The home side could have been well ahead at the break but Alan Whittingham had an afternoon to forget. The winger knocked on five yards out when attempting to pick up his own perfectly judged chip ahead and later in the half James Johnstone made a superb solo break only for Whittingham to spill the scoring pass.

It proved an eventful afternoon for Gala’s Zimbabwean recruit Gerald Sibanda. The speedy winger set up the first try of the match after tearing up the right-hand touchline and passing inside just as Currie’s full-back Jamie Forbes hammered him out of bounds. Scrum-half Graham was on hand to claim the try.

A little later Sibanda was involved in what looked like an innocuous tackle but he was led from the field nursing an injured shoulder, not to be seen again.

Currie also had their own high profile import. Richie Gray’s “little” brother Johnny made an appearance off the bench for the home side, his first rugby since returning from a stint in New Zealand. He is a big lump of a lad and presumably still growing at just 18. The prospect of two Grays in the Scotland second row is a distinct possibility, but even Junior’s substantial presence in the Currie boiler house was not enough to turn this game around.

Currie: Forbes; Hinds, Johnstone, James, Whittingham; Binikos, Sneddon; Hamilton, Merrilees, Watts, Temple, Marcell, M Cairns, Peacock, Weston. Subs: N Scott, Cox, Gray, Entwhistle, Strachan.

Gala: McLean; Sibanda, Auld, Borthwick, Robertson; Millar, George Graham; Pettie, MacIntosh, McQuillin, Palepoi, Weir, Gary Graham, Bryce, Dods.

Subs: Anderson, Keddie, King, Sommerville, S Cairns.

Referee: G Gordon (Hillfoots).