Lasswade 55 Murrayfield Wanderers 7

Murrayfield’s season started brightly enough with two wins out of two but that was followed by seven defeats. They may have hoped that a (low-scoring, one-point) win at home against Linlithgow last week meant a change in their fortunes but more likely they travelled to Hawthornden with more foreboding than ambition.

As the only change from last week’s team, Lasswade welcomed Dylan Turnbull back after a lengthy injury break. Unfortunately a spear tackle only 20 minutes in may have put him back on the unavailable list while the Wanderers culprit will experience a period of enforced rest following a red card and more immediately left his side with 14 players for the rest of the game.

From a brightish morning the clouds closed over just before kick-off followed by steady rain. The floodlights lifted some of the gloom in the second half but could do nothing for the increasingly slippery ball and pitch.

Lasswade kicked off into the weather and after a brief maul/ruck Wanderers spirited the ball away to their inside centre who broke through weak tackling, drew the Lasswade full back and fed his outside centre a near unobstructed run to the Lasswade posts The conversion put the league leaders 7 points down in less than a minute.

Such an unfamiliar opening seems to have focussed the Lasswade minds as they then laid siege to the Murrayfield line and within the next ten minutes had driven over the line four times only for the referee to judge the ball held up on each occasion. At the five-metre scrum from the last of these crossings, Clark and Wood combined to whisk the ball out wide and Smith outflanked the defence into the corner. 5-7.

Apart from one kick through and chase which was rescued near the home line, by Gray again, traffic was all one way as the hosts continued to batter at the Murrayfield goal line. With his scrum under severe pressure the Murrayfield scrum-half fumbled on the line. Elliot exploited the slip and Wood added the two to make it 12-7 going into the second quarter.

Seldom past their ten metre line, Wanderers went further behind when another Lasswade drive stalled 10 metres out on the right wing and again the ball flew through hands for Elliot to grab his second try wide out left.

Another score would seal the bonus try - and probably the game - and just when it looked as if this would have to wait till the second half, a five-metre scrum was stopped on the line but Brown picked up from the ruck and tunnelled in. Wood’s last kick of the half brought up 24-7.

After the break, the hosts picked up where they left off, playing some fluent handling rugby in spite of both the conditions and the Murrayfield attempts to spoil. When they had possession, the Wanderers could not get out of their half and their problems were further compounded by a yellow card.

Three Lasswade tries came at roughly five minute intervals: Clark recovered a loose ball at a five metre scrum; Borthwick ended a period of kick tennis with a storming run and fed Durie the scoring pass; and Clark again scooped up a Murrayfield fumble and ran it back 20 metres to the line - securing man of the match in the process.. With two conversions by Wood, the hosts were 43-7 ahead with 25 minutes to go.

Wanderers didn’t just lie down and, in spite of another yellow card, not only stemmed the flow of points, they also managed to make some inroads on Lasswade territory and get within striking distance of the goal line on a couple of occasions.

Superior numbers, fitness and skills prevailed in the end and with two minutes to go McWilliam joined the line to add another try, and action-replayed that just two minutes later with a sliding, diving touchdown to take his side though the half century. Wood’s fifth conversion finalised the scoring to the almost audible relief of the Wanderers.

Now exactly half way through the League fixtures, National 1 has three clear leaders Lasswade (45 points), Greenock (43) and Garnock (42). All three have won 9 and lost 2 with bonus points making the difference. Ellon are not far behind on 35.

A very competitive second half is in prospect and starts for Lasswade at Hawthornden on 20 November against Irvine.

Before then, they start their defence of the National Shield when Cougars return to Hawthornden on 13 November. Kickoff 1.30pm