GHA RFC MATCH 265: GHA RFC 18 – 26 HILLHEAD / JORDANHILL RFC
2013/2014: Scottish National League
GHA RFC |
|
HILLHEAD / JORDANHILL RFC| S. Lang | 15 | S. Howie |
| R. Jericevich | 14 | A. Leslie |
| H. O’Hare | 13 | C. Butler |
| (c) A. Henderson | 12 | A. Holland |
| G. Adams | 11 | D. Osugo |
| D. Dunn | 10 | R. Holland |
| M. Houston | 9 | T. Davidson |
| M. Kidd | 1 | J. Phyfer |
| R. Wilson | 2 | J. Stafford |
| S. Fisher | 3 | W. Goulden (c) |
| R. Glen | 4 | C. Tulloch |
| J. Auld | 5 | J. Agnew |
| R. Jenkins | 6 | D. Pitkethley |
| A. Auld | 7 | D. Mitchell |
| G. MacDonald | 8 | B. MacPherson |
| I. Nelson | 16 | A. MacMillan |
| M. Fox | 17 | C. Buchan |
| D. Larkin | 18 | C. Kerr |
| P. Harkins | 19 | D. Grove |
| J. Plumridge | 20 | M. Parks |
| O’Hare, Wilson | Try | Butler, MacPherson, Mitchell |
| Houston | Con | Leslie |
| Houston, Lang | Pen | Leslie (3) |
| DG | ||
| Referee | ||
| Mr C. Clark (West RS) | ||
For the third time in three Saturdays at home GHA came away with nothing. Yet in an RBS National League match that they had rarely looked like winning they came back strong enough in the final quarter against Hillhead-Jordanhill to generate even just slight hopes of snatching a win. A bonus-point margin was as close that they could get, and even that was denied with the last kick of the match.
Nor could Hillhead-Jordanhill have been happy despite their win. They scored their third try only four minutes into the second half, and thereafter never really threatened to gain the bonus point. Three times in the space of seven minutes they had penalties that other teams might have kicked to the corner in the hunt for a fourth try. Instead, they went for goal each time, but Andy Leslie struck over only one of them, stretching the visitors’ lead to 23-15 after 58 minutes. Leslie kicked three other goals; and missed five totalling 13 squandered points. But he slotted the one that mattered, the final-kick penalty goal that denied GHA a losing bonus point.
It was a match punctuated too often by penalties; 28 overall, equally split, though only nine
in the first half. Consequently, especially in the second half, the rugby had little flow in it. Yet GHA started brightly and took the lead in nine minutes. After two successive penalty kicks to touch, the second into the left corner, the home forwards piled over for Reid Wilson to score a try that Murray Houston converted.
But the visitors soon struck back. Leslie kicked the first of his three penalty goals, and after
25 minutes the visitors led 13-7 after tries by David Mitchell and Chris Butler.
However, GHA finished the first half hammering on the visitors’ goal-line. Nothing came from that pressure, and if it raised home hopes for improvement those were soon dashed as Blair Macpherson ploughed over early in the second half for a try that Leslie converted for 20-7.
GHA struck back from two penalties. Houston kicked a goal from one in front of the posts, and Andy Henderson sharply taken tapped penalty 10 metres out and quick recycling opened the way for Hefin O’Hare to score, though too far out on the right for Houston to convert.
Leslie’s second penalty goal pushed GHA away from bonus-point range, but the home team’s strong late surge, with more pick-and-drive rugby close to the opposition line, merited a try, It produced only a penalty goal for Scott Lang. Moreover, GHA lost Wilson with a leg injury in the lead-up to that score.
However, GHA had their hands on a bonus. Even that was snatched away with the last kick
of the match.
Source: Bill McMurtrie
