Rugby: Title dream over as Currie succumb to Melrose
Currie coach Ally Donaldson admitted another Scottish Premiership rugby title was now out of reach after a 22-26 defeat by leaders Melrose at Malleny Park.
But, while disappointed with the outcome, Donaldson immediately set his side the target of maintaining acquaintance with the British and Irish Cup by finishing in the top three for the third successive season.
“The league has gone, but if we win the three games we have left at home to Ayr and Aberdeen and away to Dundee I’m sure we’ll be in the B&I Cup with a squad that has been expanded with younger players coming through this season.”
While this was Currie’s first defeat at home to Melrose for three seasons, Donaldson refused to be down on his players or take umbrage at a high penalty count which meant a flowing game struggled to break out among the constant blasts on referee James Matthew’s whistle.
Insisting that the emphasis was better placed on “a couple of tactical errors” made by his side, Donaldson, who has been heard shouting “discipline” from the sidelines, nevertheless admitted: “Some of our experienced guys are baffled as to why they were getting penalised. For example, we had dominance in the scrum but we were getting penalised there. Why would we collapse a scrum five metres out from the Melrose line?”
And with an air of exasperation which matched the unfamiliar booing from a section of the Currie crowd at full time, which was clearly directed at the match officials, the coach added: “We’ve put a huge amount of effort into our discipline. We don’t want to cheat refs.
“We have experienced players like Mark Cairns and Ross Weston with Fergus Scott a member of the [Scotland] under-20 squad . . . There’s a feeling in the dressing room that decisions weren’t going both ways.”
Doubtless every decision could be justified, but it seemed strange that referee Matthew could spot, and crack down hard on, the most marginal transgression at the bottom of a ruck while oblivious to a series of Melrose scrum feeds going in closer to the feet of the back row than the front row.
Credit the Borderers for the way they related better to the referee’s interpretations and for showing character when falling behind with 16 minutes remaining. But it all added to home frustration, albeit a stoical Donaldson maintained: “I am very proud particularly to have taken the try count 3-2 against the league leaders and with the injuries we have got behind the scrum, the disruptions we have had.”
That casualty list intensified when stand-off Jamie Forbes retired with cracked ribs minutes after giving Currie an early 3-0 lead with a penalty.
“Jamie was probably the back we could least afford to lose and we even started with a forward, Malcolm Peacock, on the wing,” noted Donaldson.
“Guys who came in like Malcolm and [sub] Fraser Strachan, who was thrown in at the deep end, did well and we have made progress in adding to our squad this season. If we get into the B&I Cup it will be a big achievement with all that’s gone on. We’ve had a lot of bad luck – but that’s rugby.”
Coincidentally an article in the Currie programme had centred on the “if onlys” which can determine the outcome of matches. Just how narrow the margins are can be summed up by the fact that if they’d managed a fourth try without further reply Currie would have capitalised on defeats for Dundee and Gala to leapfrog a Melrose side who, admittedly, have a game in hand to go top of the table.
At least Currie improved their situation through the losing bonus point and that rewarded leadership shown in adversity by the likes of centres Andy McMahon and Barry Mansfield as well as scrum-half Richard Snedden and prop John Cox.
When Loma Kivalu rumbled over for his second try to put Currie ahead, there were ample opportunities to close out the contest, but a series of handling errors coupled with Melrose’s fighting spirit put paid to that.
After Forbes’ fifth minute penalty three similar awards for Andrew Skeen opened up a gap which increased when he converted a try by Fraser Thomson owning much to a missed tackle in open play.
Two close range tries from Kivalu, who arrived last month from New Zealand, converted by Mansfield overturned the visitors’ lead after fierce scrum pressure, but instead of kicking on more, errors saw Alan Dodds cut through for Skeen to add a conversion and a penalty before Steve Burton’s late try off a charged down kick brought that losing bonus which could be vital in the B&I Cup place quest.
Scorers: Currie: Tries: Kivalu (2), Burton. Conversions: Mansfield (2) Penalty: Forbes. Melrose: Tries: Thomson, A Dodds. Conversions: Skeen (2) Penalties: Skeen (4).
Currie: A Whittingham, R Neill, B Mansfield, A McMahon, M Peacock, J Forbes, R Sneddon, J Cox, F Scott, L Kivalu, S Marcell, G Temple, S Burton, R Weston, M Cairns. Subs: M Erskine, W Elmslie, A Best, F Strachan, I Downie.
Melrose: F Thomson, A Dodds, B Dick, C Murray, J Helps, A Skeen, B Colvine, N Little, R Ferguson, G Holborn, S Johnson, R Millar, R Ovens, G Dodds, G Runciman. Subs: N Beavon, C Keen, D Crawford, S McCormick, S Wight.
Referee: J Matthew (SRU)
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Comments
There are 6 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Great Scot
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 10:51 PMTighthead! What's your fascination with CC u seem to b determined to slander him on here any chance u get! Name yourself or say what u want to say him to him face to face! Your obviously a rugby supporter so do the manly thing and not hide behind made up names on here trying to bad mouth people! Get your shell suit on turn of your star trek DVD and away down to the job centre and get a life!!
bigbadbroon
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 09:45 PMNighty night tighthead3....got love the banter. Def not who you think I am...wide of the mark there I'm afraid. til next time
Tighthead3
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 08:32 PMOn dear, bigbadbroon also forgets some of his posts in times gone by ........ hardly the epitome of balance and reason methinks. Still haven't answered, were you at the game? And as for bad losers ....7s 2 years ago, wailing and gnashing of teeth, night in the cells? And if your name really is broon, and you are who I think you may possibly be, I don't believe you actually come from Melrose, do you? "No question the ref had a real 'mare and Melrose benefited" - what does that mean, melrose benefited from a dreaful ref, that's what I've been saying. And if there's "no question", again were you actually there? Anyway, good luck to you, we'll see how balanced bigbadbroon is when "every team has to cope" with mucky pitches, bad refereeing and injuries. ttfn
bigbadbroon
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 08:02 PMNow now Tighthead! have your forgotten your veiled accusation of Chalmers cheating in your post in the SoS yesterday, or had you forgotten...I quote" ...just what did Chalmers say to the referee in the second half when he came on to the pitch as the water boy? Unusual to say the least". People in glasshouses.... Donaldson tries to come over magnanimous but states "decisions were not going both ways" which isn't a mile away from saying the ref was only watching one side, hence cheating and then goes on to infer that Melrose were cheating stating "We [Currie] don’t want to cheat refs" No question the ref had a real 'mare and Melrose benefited. Undoubtedly Malleny is in great nick compared with seasons past ...but do Currie have to use pitches and refereeing decisions as excuses? Your pitch in the past was a bog and visiting teams just had to get on with it and refereeing decisions usually even themselves out over the season...it just seems that Currie have been been peddling the "woe is me" attitude a bit thickly recently. Get over it, you are out the title race because you had a bad start to the season, rallied on back of the B&I cup, but have dipped again...fact. It's your form that is in question not mucky pitches, injuries or refereeing...every team has to cope with those! Plus you have to admit the article reads like it was penned for inclusion in the Currie match programme next week!
Tighthead3
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 05:53 PM#1 - Were you actually at the game? In today's Scotsman, even Craig Chalmers said "We got a couple of favours done for us today which also helped." - what do you think that meant, bigbadbroon? No-one, including Donaldson, is saying that a referee cheated (that is a disgraceful suggestion you make to say that a coach would suggest that) but what I, many other onlookers and, indeed, some Melrose fans were saying after is that he didn't referee the set scrum and ruck well at all and it seemed far from even handed.Now you can believe that or not, but I was at the game and its fact. Have you seen the Malleny pitch - in excellent condition for this time of year given the rai, frost etc. which adds more to the suggestion that you weren't even there.
bigbadbroon
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:50 PMExtremely one eyed article! Usual veiled excuses and bleating by Donaldson...is he trying to say Melrose cheated the ref andor the referee was actually cheating ....??!! Oh but Currie were depleted through injuries !...eh,Melrose had no John Dalziel, Jamie Murray or Peter Eccles! Last week it was all the fault of the pitches in the rest of Scotland not being up to scratch...which is hilarious from the team who play at Malleny Park! Come on, why cant Currie just face that they have lost too many games this term instead of the constant attitude that it is always someone else's fault! Also, although not in the league, think you'll find that Melrose took 43 points off Currie in the Cup game last year at Malleny... so not correct to say Melrose not won there for 3 years. Top of the league and a game in hand, thats what it is all about!
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