1st XV
Matches
Sat 13 Oct 2018  ·  Division 3
Newton Stewart Rugby Football Club
1st XV
36
0
Murrayfield Wanderers
Superb bonus point win against Murrayfield Wanderers!

Superb bonus point win against Murrayfield Wanderers!

Jo jo_mcgeoch@hotmail.com14 Oct 2018 - 20:15
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Five tries scored with none conceded in good all round performance.

The torrential rain and gusting winds of Storm Callum raged last weekend as Newton Stewart RFC took on Murrayfield Wanderers RFC on the 3G pitch at Blairmount Park. The Reds were fired up and determined to take maximum points from this game after a disappointing loss away to Gordonians the previous weekend.
From the outset Newton Stewart took control and looked to make their mark upon the game. Maintaining possession well, the forwards made some hard yards, with Thomas MacDonald, William McCornick and Ronan McDonald all impressing with the ball in hand. Some patient play, repeatedly recycling the ball and drawing their opponents in, paid off when captain Mark McCornick proved unstoppable from close range, powering over the line for an opening try with only 5 minutes on the clock. Centre Fraser Morton converted to make it 7-0.
An unfortunate knock-on from Newton Stewart at the restart gave the visitors a scrum on the 5-metre line and an opportunity to put the Reds under pressure. The defensive response from Newton Stewart was excellent and the danger passed quickly.
A line-out for Murrayfield Wanderers on the halfway line followed shortly after, but the Reds were penalised when Mark McCornick was deemed to have tackled the jumper in the air. An excellent kick from Wanderers gave them another line-out just 5-metres out from the Newton Stewart try line. Having secured the ball the forwards tried to go over the top of the Reds, but to no avail, so the ball was thrown wide to the backs. Newton Stewart winger Robert Service had his wits about him however and intercepted the last pass with the tips of his fingers to avert a near try for Murrayfield, before running the length of the pitch to score a spectacular solo try for Newton Stewart. Morton converted once again for 14-0 with a quarter of an hour played.
Wanderers had a spell of possession now and once again began bearing down on the Reds’ line, however the defensive effort of Newton Stewart was consistent and no real opportunities arose for the visitors.
When the Reds regained possession brothers William and Mark McCornick led the charge upfield, running hard at their opponents and bursting tackles. An unfortunate handling error, of which there were remarkably few given the weather conditions, stopped this particular effort from going any further.
In the final minutes of the first half Newton Stewart had a scrum deep in the Murrayfield Wanderers half. The pick up was a little untidy, but scrum half Robbie McCornick took control, jinking and weaving his was through the defence and coming agonisingly close to scoring before the ball was knocked on. At the subsequent scrum, with Wanderers put in this time, Newton Stewart got the upper hand and the penalty. Electing to take the points, Morton slotted over an accurate kick to give the Reds a 17-0 lead going in to half-time.
Murrayfield Wanderers came with fresh resolve after the break and although Newton Stewart immediately took possession and went on the attack, they found their opponent’s defences solid and impossible to penetrate despite big carries from forwards Jason McKie, William McCornick and Thomas MacDonald. They were eventually penalised for holding on and the visitors were visibly fired up by this minor victory.
For the next fifteen minutes the play was back and forth up the pitch, disjointed at times as the slippery conditions played their part. Repeat offences at the breakdown from Murrayfield Wanderers tested the referee’s patience however, and ultimately they lost a lock to the sinbin for not rolling away.
Seizing the opportunity Morton kicked the resultant penalty deep into the visitor’s half and put the Reds in a great position from which to attack the try line. Much as with the first try, the Reds played clever and patient rugby, using their powerful forwards and maintaining possession until back row James Wallace bulldozed over for a try, with Morton adding the extras once again.
Mark McCornick reclaimed Reds possession from the restart, forcing a penalty again Wanderers for holding on. The penalty kick put them right back down into scoring territory once again with a line out deep in their opponent’s half. With possession secured the pack formed a driving maul and pushed towards the line before throwing the ball out through the hands, ultimately finding full-back Jamie Muir in space to score.
With the final play of the game, the Reds won a penalty in the midfield after an offence in the scrum. Taking the ‘tap and go’ flanker Jason McKie burst up the pitch and made some important yards before being tackled, but second row Alan Ferrie was on hand to collect the ball and finished the game with a super show of strength to score a last try. Morton kicked well throughout the game and secured this conversion also for a final score of 36-0.
This was an assured performance from Newton Stewart, and probably their best to date this season. Injuries and holidays forced a change of position for some players, but all coped admirably, with young guns Jack and David Gaw both giving a good account of themselves at centre and stand-off respectively, whilst Robbie McCornick was a nuisance to the opposition all game and looked in his element back at scrum-half.
This was a day for the forwards however, with huge tackles and powerful carries coming from them all. James Wallace had another good game, finding form at a critical time of the season. But Man of the Match was second row William McCornick. He made many yards for the Reds, assisted with all the forwards’ tries and tackled ferociously as ever when needed.
This win puts Newton Stewart back into second place in the league with another tough game next weekend when they travel to Glasgow to face West of Scotland RFC who are just two points behind. This performance will give them confidence going forwards however, and rightly so, because playing like this they will have little to fear.
Team: Jamie Muir, David Adams, Jack Gaw, Fraser Morton, Robert Service, David Gaw, Robbie McCornick, Ross Campbell, Thomas MacDonald, Ronan McDonald, Alan Ferrie, William McCornick, Jason McKie, Mark McCornick (capt), James Wallace. Subs: James McMiken, Richard Fiskin, Malachy Wright, Martin Wallace.

Match details

Match date

Sat 13 Oct 2018

Kickoff

15:00

Competition

Division 3

League position

4
Newton Stewart
10
Murrayfield Wanderers
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Shirt Sponsor - Mathers Ltd
Player of the Match Sponsor - Craig Wilson LTD