Perthshire S1's 22 - 12 Blairgowrie Rams

This was an evenly contested battle in Blairgowrie. The team continued the positive spirit shown in their previous match against Dunfermline but with a new ingredient added to the mix - passing along the back line!! The forwards worked hard throughout the game and secured a good amount of quality possession. There were the customary driving runs from Lewis R, Ben, Lochlann, Harry, Blair, Angus W and with Cammie joining them to score the first try early in the game. The pack scrummaged extremely effectively and won a number of scrums 'against the head'. Everybody played well in the forwards but we need to focus on three aspects of our play to move to the next level. 1/ Tackling - we must drive forward in the tackle and make sure we all tackle around the legs. 2/ Be careful not take the ball too far - there are a number of occasions where we would do better to look for our supporting players earlier. 3/ Get a lower body position (with a straight back) when hitting the rucks and use the legs to drive the ruck back. Having said that, the last two games have made the coaches very proud of the team.

The backs performance was much improved. We started by taking the ball back into the forwards a lot but there were still some strong runs and we usually retained possession well. However, later in the game, and for the first time, the backs not only ran straight but they timed their passes and moved the ball wide giving Jamie and Angus L space to run. There were probably three tries that were the product of good handling moves. The backs, like the forwards, need to ensure that tackles go in low and that they adopt a strong low body position when hitting the rucks. Nevertheless, there was a lot of very good play in attack and defence. Ally, Jack, Adam, Mathew, Tom C, Angus L (great individual try) and Jamie - well done all of you.