Dundee HSFP 19 - 26 Gala: Borderers reach final in Gala day at Mayfield

GALA eased to the final of the Scottish Cup, becoming the first side to win at Mayfield since February 2011 against a sadly out of sorts Dundee.

“This was a fine, gritty performance, I am very proud of the team who were impressive from start to finish,” said George Graham, the Gala head coach, after taking his side to a Murrayfield final for the first time since 1999.

Not surprisingly his opposite number, Ian Rankin, was bitterly disappointed. “We made more mistakes in this game than we have made in the rest of the season, but it has been a hard four weeks,” he said. “All credit to Gala, their defending was tremendous,” added Rankin, who has now to lift his side for what could be a title-deciding game against Stirling County on Saturday.

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The clash of the second and third place Premiership sides was never a classic, more of tense but absorbing cup tie in which the Border side made fewer mistakes, showing greater composure at vital moments.

Gala stand-off Lee Millar got his side of to the perfect start with a penalty in six minutes, though the product of the Moray youth system blotted his copybook when he was sin-binned for a high tackle five minutes later. During his absence Dundee cashed in with a try when flanker Ritchie Hawkins plundered the visiting line.

Gala hit back immediately and in the absence of Millar, full-back Andy McLean kicked a second penalty for the visitors.

Dundee persevered to claw back the lead four minutes later when winger Jack Steele kicked a similar award before Gala scrum-half George Graham took advantage of poor defending from the home side.

His tap penalty caught the home defence unawares, enabling him to race in from 30 metres out to give the visitors the lead once again to which Millar added the conversion and a late first-half penalty to give Gala a deserved 16-8 lead at the half-time interval.

The immaculate Steele hit back in the first minutes of the second half to raise home hopes when the Gala back row were caught offside.

Dundee were, however, stunned in 44 minutes when, after a defensive mix-up, winger Craig Robertson nipped in to give Gala a 21-11 lead. But the home side were given hope when Steele kicked his third penalty of the day on the hour.

A try from full-back Cameron Wyper raised home hopes and at 21-19 it was anyone’s game despite Steele missing the conversion.

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Gala were not to be denied and with seven minutes remaining full back McLean surged through a fragile home defence to close out the game. Over the piece the Border outfit were the more enterprising and will grace a national final, while Dundee can take some consolation from the fact they will join Gala and Melrose in next season’s British and Irish Cup.

Scorers: Dundee HSFP: Tries: R Hawkins, C Wyper. Pens: J Steele 3. Gala: Tries: C Robertson, George Graham, A McLean. Con: L Millar. Pens: L Millar 2, A McLean 1.

Dundee HSFP: C Wyper; A McLean, H Duthie, R Lavery, J Steele; C Brown, A Dymock; N Dymock, S Forrest, A Brown, A Linton, R Hawkins, C Cumming, R McIver, D Levison. Subs: D Russel, G Robertson, A Hay, J Morrison, R Lemon.

Gala: A McLean; G Young, B Turner, A Edmond, C Robertson; L Miller, George Graham; L Pettie, C Keddie, E McQuilllan, C Weir, O Palepoi, Gary Graham, G Cowrie, E Dods. Subs: P Stewart, S Cairns, C Borthwick, F Hunter, D Marshall.

Referee: C Rudkin.

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