PL Left Wondering by Classy Wanderers

Travelling away to play the unbeaten league leaders was always going to be difficult for Preston Lodge. Having to make 11 changes to the previous week’s winning squad could surely only add to the difficulties. And so it was to prove, as Greenock Wanderers ran in 14 tries against a depleted PL side with the visitors only managing one penalty in return.

Right from the kick off, it was evident that the PL pack would be under enormous pressure from the big Greenock forwards but they did manage to steal the ball from a scrum five in the second minute. Jonathan Brash had saved an early try by touching down after the Wanderers had kicked through to the in-goal area and despite an enormous push, Dixon and Thayne were able to secure the ball as it came loose from the scrum.
The league leaders were showing much more determination though and all of the play was taking place inside the PL 22. Their backs looked especially lively and they had managed to get the first two tries on the board after only eight minutes when fast paced rugby and good handling skills created the openings and set the pattern for the rest of the match.
PL then enjoyed their best spell of the game when they showed much more eagerness to get right into the faces of their opponents and this pressure showed that Greenock were also prone to making mistakes and conceding penalties.
After 13 minutes, winger Josie Ray slotted one of these from the 10m line to reduce the lead to 12-3 and for the next 10 minutes or so, PL showed that they were here to play rugby and had something to offer in terms of attack as well as defence. As usual Stephen Dixon’s tackling skills were in evidence all over the pitch and his new back row partner Kevin Quinn, making his 1st XV debut, showed that he was not just here to make up the numbers by putting in two crunching tackles in quick succession to halt promising Greenock moves. The untried midfield trio of Harris, Anderson and Brash also tried hard to break through and disrupt the Greenock backs by staying up close to the gain line but the Wanderers’ scrum half MacDougall and full back Watson were too lively and looked likely to score at any time.
It took until the 25th minute before Greenock would score again, this time from another scrum five when the home pack found a big push to get the PL defence on the back foot before the ball was fed to the right to Fletcher who would score the easy try.
PL showed some spirited defence in the last 10 minutes of the half and Chris Guiney saved a certain try when he brought down a massive prop in full flight which led to a rare attack when Brash scooped up the loose ball and sprinted away down the wing. It was only a matter of time however, before the excellent ball handling skills and speed of the home backs created openings for Murray and McDougall to score easy tries that would both be converted by Devlin, to make the half time score 31-3.

PL’s front row of Russell, Wilson and McLean restored some pride for the beleaguered forwards in the 2nd minute of the half by holding tight and taking a scrum against the head and in the 10th minute the rest of the pack came together to provide a big push inside the home 22 which secured quick ball for scrum half Burns. He fed to Brash who made excellent ground towards the try line and he was only stopped by a high tackle which on another day, might have resulted in a penalty try.
However, that move was effectively the last piece of attacking rugby that PL would concoct as Greenock moved up a gear and showed exactly why they are unbeaten at the top of the league. Tries rained in at regular intervals as the visitors were left chasing shadows all over the pitch and the home forwards and backs looked extremely comfortable with their hands on the ball. PL understandably tired as the game wore on and this allowed Greenock even more space to show off their abundant skills.
A yellow card for substitute hooker Stephen McEwan didn’t help the cause but really there was little that could be done to stop the speedy Wanderers and if they continue to play rugby like this, they will be worthy champions come the end of the season.
The final whistle came as a relief for the PL players and supporters alike and the scoreboard was a sorry sight as it read 85-3 at the end.

The coaching staff and players will be hoping that some pride will be restored at The Pennypit next Saturday when Waysiders/Drumpellier come calling. Kick off is 3.00pm.

Preston Lodge team:
C Guiney, D Thomson, J Anderson, J Brsh, J Ray, F Harris, J Burns,
J Russell, C Wilson, C McLean, C Voy, G Henderson, K Quinn, S Dixon, E Thayne.
Replacements:
G Stewart, L Tait, S McEwan (All Used)