1st XV
Matches
Sat 08 Dec 2018  ·  Tennent’s East Region League 1
Berwick Rugby Club
1st XV
Tries: J Pick, G Hill (2)Conversions: A Skeen (2)Penalties: A SkeenYellow Carded: J Pick, T Jackson
22
12
Barnton Rugby Club
Berwick RFC  22	Royal High RFC 12

Berwick RFC 22 Royal High RFC 12

Colin Frame9 Dec 2018 - 14:21
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Gutsy and gritty defence sees Berwick beat closest title rivals

Berwick led Royal High by 2 points going into this game so there was everything to play for. The pitch was in good shape albeit a little greasy from the rain earlier in the week but the strong wind dropped just in time for the kick off to give good playing conditions. This fixture marked the start of the second half of the season with everyone now playing the return fixtures. The first game at the start of the season was a tight affair with Royal High playing a narrow game using their big impact players to try and punch through the middle of the field. Berwick started the game playing up the hill in determined fashion pinning their Edinburgh visitors into their 22. Both defences tackled well but eventually Berwick gained a penalty attempt following Royal High straying offside. Andrew Skeen returned to kicking duties after missing last week’s victory and he confidently slotted it through the posts to give the Blacks a well-deserved early lead 3-0. All of the early good work was nearly undone when almost straight from the restart Berwick gave away a penalty of their own. Royal High however didn’t have a regular kicker so they kicked it down the line. This lack of a proven & reliable kicker was to prove their undoing as the game progressed.

Berwick continued to execute a very intelligent game plan making sure that the game was played in the opposition’s half without taking any chances. Berwick retained possession and launched various attacks to test out the Royal High defences and eventually one of these attempts unpicked the defence. The score came from a deft grubber kick from Andrew Skeen which allowed Berwick winger Jamie Pick to run onto the ball. The race for the ball was a neck and neck affair with his opposite number but Pick managed to get there a fraction in front to claim the score on 15 minutes. Skeen added a good conversion from the far side touchline to give Berwick a deserved lead of 10-0. The first half continued with Berwick’s defence tackling the crash ball runners from Royal High as they played in a similar style to the earlier game in the season. Berwick’s defence held tight but they started to give away penalties as they couldn’t seem to get on the right side of the referee’s interpretation of the breakdown. However frequent kickable penalties for Royal High were passed by due to them not having a kicker. Berwick continued to play sensible rugby and soaked up a lot of pressure. Eventually Royal High gave up with trying to penetrate the centre defences and moved it to the wing only for Gareth Hill to use all his craftiness and experience to intercept a pass. Having gathered the ball Hill was off and running with ball in hand which allowed him to ghost passed the defence streaking up his stand side wing to score. He should perhaps have cut inside to go nearer the posts as the conversion was missed by Skeen but Berwick had a comfortable lead at 15-0 with only five minutes to go until half time. Berwick’s comfort didn’t last long as Royal High at last turned their own pressure into points. Berwick were giving away penalty after penalty and each time the visitors chose to take the tap penalty and run at the defence. Eventually they managed to get a maul going near the line and with their big pack lending weight to proceedings they got over the line to score. The conversion was added to make the score line 15-7 at half time.

The referee spoke to both Captain’s at half time but it seemed that Berwick weren’t able to help themselves as the penalty count went heavily against them. Eventually Jamie Pick was yellow carded as he tried, and failed, to intercept the ball just as Hill had done in the first half. Unfortunately, Pick wasn’t quite able to gather it and the referee yellow carded him for a deliberate knock on. Berwick’s determination and defence then faced the sternest of tests playing against a good team with a man down. Thankfully for the Blacks their excellent communication and tackling thwarted the relentless attacks from Royal High.

The second half became a war of attrition with Royal High playing “one pass out” rugby trying to break down the Berwick defences. However, the defence worked hard to keep them out. Then Berwick were able to score through Hill again who finished off a good passage of play which allowed Andrew Skeen to stretch the lead to 22-7 with 10 minutes to go. It was to prove a long 10 minutes as Captain Tom Jackson was then sin binned for giving away a penalty at the wrong time. Royal High upped their attacks and eventually they managed to get over the try line but time ran out with no further scoring to give Berwick a deserved win against a determined Royal High side 22-12.

The platform for this win was sheer guts from Berwick with everyone tackling from start to finish to repel the attackers. Berwick rode their luck a bit with the penalty count being very one sided against them but the efforts of the pack against the bigger forwards of the visitors showed the passion and belief that the Scremerston outfit now have as part of their core. Man of the Match went to Cameron Rogerson for another non-stop tackle fest but in truth it could have been any one of a number of players who all tackled themselves to a standstill to secure the win which sees them sit atop BT East League 1 with a six-point lead over their defeated opponents. Berwick have one more league match before the Christmas break which is next week against another tough opponent Ross High in Edinburgh.

Berwick Team
1) Darren Goodfellow 2) Ryan Wilson 3) Tom Jackson - Captain 4) Euan Thompson 5) Scott Owens 6) Ali Grieve 7) Mason Emery 8) Tommy McColl 9) Cameron Rogerson 10) Jack Webster 11) Jamie Pick 12) Duncan Hardie 13) Andrew Skeen 14) Gareth Hill 15) Rory Hindhaugh

Replacements
Adam Pearson, Aidan Rosie, Jack Dalrymple and Stuart Gilchrist. – All used.

Match details

Match date

Sat 08 Dec 2018

Kickoff

14:00

Meet time

12:30

Competition

Tennent’s East Region League 1

League position

1
Berwick RFC
2
Barnton Rugby Club
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Club Sponsor - Tweedmouth Service Station
7's 2019 Main Sponsor - Kelso and Lothian Harvesters Ltd
Player Sponsor - 12 - Ancroft Tractors Ltd
Match Sponsor - MH Southern & Company Limited
Club Sponsor  - Vision Express