The lineout was working well with Finlay taking a lot of good clean ball at the front. Twice in succession we had good catch and drives from the Montrose 22 and on the second of these Montrose were penalised for coming in from the side. A poor option though saw the ball given to Andy Quin, who, without support, was bundled into touch.

It took 25 mins before we eventually got onto the score-sheet. A succession of quick ruck ball saw Richie almost go over under the posts, but was held up. When the ball came back Chaz picked up and drove over. Woody adding the extra 2 points.

From the re-start the ball didn’t go the 10, but as Montrose switched off Doggy took the ball on before eventually being tackled into touch.

We extended our lead just before half-time when, at a defensive Montrose scrum 5, Andy Quin took another ball against the head which saw Richie pick up and go over. Woody again adding the extra 2.

Half-time Reflections
There was some good attacking play from both sides requiring good covering tackles. At times we didn’t make the most of overlaps created, choosing to chip ahead rather than keep the ball in hand. However the question is whether 14 points is enough when playing against the wind in the second half.

The second half saw Andy Quin continue in the same vein, taking more strikes against the head. From one, breaks by Richie and the Quins almost saw Richie go over in the corner, but the ball was thrown back infield allowing Montrose to clear.  We continued to attack the Montrose defence but poor contact skills saw us lose possession on a number of occasions.

After 70 mins Montrose worked their way up-field again and got into our 22 but knocked on. From the scrum Richie scored a superb individual try. He picked up from the base and broke clear and with no-one in close support, but chased all the way by a Montrose centre, ran the length of the park and over.

2 minutes later saw us score another great try. Mike McDonald collected a loose kick ahead from Montrose and ran it back to them. He handed the ball onto Swannie who took the ball further into Montrose territory before passing back inside to Mike who ran in from the 22 to score in the corner.

The last 8 mins saw Montrose severely test out our defence and were unlucky not to get a try which they deserved for their efforts.  

Full-time Reflections
This was a great result and one which saw us finish 4th in the league. Both forwards and backs played their parts in this win. Andy Quin won numerous balls against the head, Finlay winning his own ball at the lineout and disrupting the Montrose throw-ins. There was even time for a cameo performance from El Presidente. Woody put in some great covering tackles and Swannie showed good hands in taking and giving passes.