Dundee HSFP 23 - 15 Ayr: Dundee dominate but slipshod defending almost costs them points

WHO would be a coach? Dundee bossed every aspect of this game, and yet five minutes from time Ayr thought they had scored a try close to the posts, the conversion of which would have given them an unlikely win.

In the event, someone from the home team – hooker Simon Forrest was mentioned in dispatches – got beneath Ayr skipper Mark Stewart and prevented the crucial touchdown although referee Peter Allan’s hand was getting jittery.

Both teams scored two tries apiece so the difference on the scoreboard was down to the boot of James Fleming who knocked over three penalties, including one with the last kick of the game that denied Ayr so much as a losing bonus point. For the visitors, Silvan Diez managed just one conversion and one penalty although his side was never completely out of this match.

Despite driving the Ayr scrum back at will, winning their lineouts comfortably and having the best strike runner on the field in Fleming, Dundee were still a little lucky to walk away with the win because they can’t defend. If Australia can go for most of the match without the ball, Dundee give hope to the opposition every time they have possession. Whenever Ayr ran through a few phases, Dundee’s defence creaked or cracked.

Ayr’s first try was a case in point. Dundee were cruising along 6-0 ahead thanks to a couple of early kicks when Ayr set up camp inside the Dundee 22 for the first time 15 minutes into the match. Almost immediately, Scott Sutherland broke the first line and popped inside for his second row partner Colin White to crash over for the simplest score. Dundee have never won the league and unless they tighten up dramatically they never will.

Still, this match should have been over at half time. The front row of Neil Dymock, Forrest and Alan Brown demolished the Ayr front row and there were a few raised eyebrows when the scrums went uncontested for the final 15 minutes.

Dundee could and should have been out of sight, only to fall foul of the referee at the breakdown where Ayr stole plenty of turnovers despite home coach Ian Rankin’s protests that the tackler was not releasing. Even when Ayr had their livewire hooker sin-binned in the second half, following a horribly high tackle on Fleming in full flight, Dundee still lost the ten-minute period 10-7. Stewart scored a try made after good approach work from No.8 Graham Fisken.

Dundee responded when Fleming’s scorching outside break created a touchdown for full-back Cameron Wyper but Diez also added his only penalty when his team were short handed.

Just to show what they were capable of when they put their minds to it, Dundee scored the best try of the afternoon late in the first half. It was sparked by an offload from prop Brown and finished off by Robbie Lavery four passes later after some precise handling and excellent support ensured that Dundee were all but unstoppable.

It’s a pity the defence isn’t up to the same standard as their attacking game.

Scorers: Dundee: Tries: Laverty, Wyper. Cons: Fleming 2. Pens: Fleming 3.

Ayr: Tries: White, Stuart. Con: Diez. Pen: Diez.

Dundee HSFP: Wyper, McLean, Laverty, Duthie, Fleming; Brown, A Dymock, N Dymock, Forrest, Brown, Hawkins, Linton, Cumming, McIver, Levison.

Ayr: Anderson, Manning, Dalgleish, Stuart, Diez; Ferguson, Macfarlane; Kelly, Wisneski, Sykes, Dunning, White, Willis, Dunlop, Fisken.