Dunfermline Rugby Football Club

Sunday 7th March at Haddington

Following the havoc caused to our fixtures and training in recent weeks due to the snow, rain and frost the boys returned to action away to Haddington playing two matches against the hosts. With 20 boys turning up, two teams were chosen to give everyone a full game each. The first was played out aginst a combined Haddington P6/7 side and the second against Haddington’s P7 players plus some of the Dunfermline squad to help with numbers. 

In the opening game Dunfermline took a while to get accustomed to playing rugby again however after some early rustiness they scored the first try with Jamie collecting a spilled ball and darting through to score the opening try. The second try came after a period of pressure hounding Haddington on their own try line which eventually led to a turnover and Ali’s quick pass let Stuart in to score his first try. He then followed this up with two scores, from quick lineout ball (one excellently caught by Stonesy at a stretch) being spun wide to allow him the space to run in unopposed. Stonesy added a further try before halftime giving the boys a comfortable lead going into the interval.

Dunfermline increased the pressure at the start of the second half with Stuart taking the ball from the kick off and offloading to Stonesy for a run in to score the next try. The team were now beginning to ruck really well and some excellent forward play set Ross up for an easy run in to the line. Stuart then scored a fourth try running the length of the pitch to touch down. Haddington scored with a breakout before Ali popped up on the blind side to take a pass and score with Jamie and Stuart finishing of the game with further tries.

Overall a good workout and the team can be pleased not just with their try scoring exploits but also the quality of some of their defensive work which kept Haddington pinned back for much of the game.

Final score Haddington 1 v 11 DRFC p7

In the second game Dunfermline came up against a Haddington team with Stuart, Stonesy and Jordan playing for the hosts. In a more even contest, all the Dunfermline players on view contributed to a lively game.

Dunfermline opened the scoring with a well worked try finished of by Dougie before Haddington scored two tries of their own. Another good move saw Chris score in the corner but a Stonesy drive and score saw Dunfermline 3 v 2 down at halftime. In the second half, Haddington had the edge with Stuart and Stonesy scoring again however Dougie got his second of the day with an excellent pick up in the middle of the park and run to the line through the Haddington defence. 

Final score Haddington 6 v 3 Dunfermline

So overall a good run out for the squad who needed some match action before the tournament season starts next week at Perth. Plenty of good performances from the boys today and it is good to see the handling work of the winter is paying off and the boys have not forgotten how to tackle. Thanks to our hosts today and to all the mums and dads who turned up to support the boys after their enforced hibernation. Good to see Spring may finally be arriving.

Squad for the day Ross, Ali, Jordan, Stonesy, Conall, Matt, Craig, Jamie, Stuart, Mark, Charlie, Dougie, Murray, Conner, Tom, Chris, Euan, Kieran, Chris and Duncan

  

Sunday 24th January at Kirkcaldy

After weeks of inaction due to Christmas holidays and then snow; the boys finally came out of hibernation last week with a full on training session at McKane. That work would hopefully stand them in good stead as we headed to Kirkcaldy for the first games of the New Year to play a round robin against our local rivals and Perthshire.

Despite scoring straight from the kick off against Perth in the opening match, through Stonesy’s run down the wing following Stuart’s offload, the rustiness of not having played competitively since the middle of December showed in the first half with the boys not as sharp as they needed to be in and around the breakdown. A second try from Stonesy gave the team a comfortable cushion at half time and with some extra advice and swap about of players, the boys showed a greater urgency and willingness to protect their ball and offload to support runners in the second half. This resulted in three further tries. The first an excellent run from Sam at pace taking the defence one way then the another before sidestepping the ref and Perth Coach to score in the far corner. Stuart then finished of good driving play from Ross, Conall and Dougie to score in the corner before Craig’s big hit on a Perth player saw the ball spilled allowing Stuart to pick up and run in the final score of the game and a 5 v 0 win.

The boys were straight back on to face Kirkcaldy. Right from the start the boys showed they were up for the game, defending well and earning turnovers. From a ruck the ball was fed to Sam who dummied two defenders before running through the gap to score the opening try. Stonesy then gathered a loose ball and evaded two tackles to run in and score the second. A tap and go penalty saw Stonesy take the ball at pace and power through to add the third before Sam emerged from a ruck on the touchline to run away from the defence to score the fourth. The boys then responded in the best possible way to a late late hit on Craig, by moving the ball fast from the resultant penalty to the wing where Stuart evaded three tacklers as he ran down the touchline to make it five. With the temperature rising in the game now the boys did well to hold their shape and discipline and tackled everything to prevent Kirkcaldy getting a foot hold in the game. A half time team talk focused the minds and whilst Kirkcaldy came back in the second half the damage had already been done and Stonesy’s final try earned the side a comfortable 6 v 3 win.  

In the final match Perthshire beat Kirkcaldy.

So in the end an excellent performance with two good wins over teams who have beaten us in the last 12 months. Whilst the boys can be pleased with their efforts today there is still some work to be done particularly on their speed at getting to the breakdown and then on what they do when the get there. Next up is a trip to Heriots before a rematch against Kirkcaldy with Crieff at McKane the following week.

Squad for the day: Charlie, Ali McLeod, Murray, Ali Stones, Jordan, Craig, Sam, Mark, Euan, Stuart, Conall, Jamie, Dougie, Kieran, Ross, Chris Conner and Tom.

 

Sunday 13th December at Stewarts Melville

Sunday saw the boys head over the Forth road bridge for our first venture into Edinburgh this season to play Stewarts Melville and Biggar at Inverleith. The fog on route was replaced by clear skies and hazy sunshine at the ground and the boys got down to business after a good warm up session by taking on Biggar first.

Dunfermline after an initially tentative start soon broke into their stride and an excellent first half performance saw the boys run in 6 tries against their opponents. Stuart bagged himself five tries through a mixture of elusive running on the wing and finishing of some excellent back line play and support work from everyone in the team. Sam added a try and Euan scored in the second half with a nice darting run. So a good win to start and what was pleasing was not only how well the boys defended but that the attack play the boys have been working on came to the fore in this match. Final score 7 v 2

Next up was the hosts and an opportunity for the team to see how they matched up this season against a side they had pushed all the way at Howe last year.

Stewarts Melville moved into an early lead with the boys missing too many tackles allowing a score down the touch line, This was then followed up by another and from the looks of it the boys heads were going down. However a few shouts of encouragement and a reminder to focus on the tackles saw the boys begin to compete and put real pressure on the hosts. Dunfermline were starting to get good quality ball and after a break by Jordan, Ross barged through three defenders to score. This was then followed up by the try of the day from Sam, taking the ball on his own 5 metre line and running the length of the pitch wrong footing the defence in the process to bring the boys level. Dunfermline were now up for this and in the second half put Stewarts Melville under real pressure all over the pitch defending their line well when it needed to be and gave their runners little room to manoeuvre. Stewart scored a third try with an excellent run down the wing to give the boys the lead and the team then spent the remainder of the half encamped in and around the Stewarts Melville try line harrying and tackling the opposition to secure a great win. Final score 2 v 3

Attacking Stew Mel line

So the boys finish 2009 on a high. Today was a great team effort with everyone playing their part in two excellent victories over quality opposition. The boys have shown what they are capable of, their performances today were excellent and this is the standard they should be aiming for from now on as we head into the new year and the start of the tournament season.  

Squad: Mark, Euan, Sam, Stuart, Charlie, Craig, Murray, Jordan, Matt, Stonesy, Conall, Ross and Ali

 

Sunday 29th November at Livingston 

On what proved to be one of the coldest days of the winter so far, the p7s headed to Livingston to play two games against the hosts, having not played or trained properly since the Madras games due to the bad weather.  

The first match proved to be a keenly fought encounter with both sides looking to play rugby. Dunfermline looked rusty particularly in and around the breakdown, an area where Livingston were much stronger intially. However the boys persevered and eventually a pass released Sam whose dummy sent two defenders the wrong way allowing him a gap to run in the first score. Livingston scored immediately from the restart with the boys failing to deal with an initial drive allowing them in behind the defence however two further scores from Sam including a long range effort down the touchline gave the team a 3 v1 halftime lead. In the second half, Livingston came more into the game and scored a second well worked try of their own. The closing minutes were tense however the boys held out with some excellent first up tackling and scramble defence. Final score 2 v 3

 

 

 

 

 

The second game saw a much improved performance by Dunfermline at the breakdown with all the forwards stepping up and rucking much more effectively allowing the backs quicker ball. After a great run and recycle by Jordan, Matt picked up and made a blindside dart to score in the corner. This was followed up by a good back line run with Sam taking the ball at speed to run through the defence and score. Stewart then ran in three excellent tries, on the back of some good team work and rucking from the side, outrunning the cover defence and allowing the squad to finish with a comfortable victory. Final score 0 v 5

So after a sluggish start the team came onto a game. Some of the tackling was excellent and the rucking improved as the games went on. Hopefully the weather will now ease of a bit and we can get back to playing and training again in something other than a monsoon.

Final word goes to Chris Cain who had to be carried of in the second game with an ankle injury, having played his part in the victories including one excellent try saving tackle in the first game. Hopefully it’s not too serious an injury and he’s back in time for the next set of games.   

Squad for the day: Chris, Craig, Charlie, Dougie, Murray, Conall. Jordan, Matt, Sam Stuart, Chris, Mark and Euan.

 

Sunday 8th November at Dunfermline HS versus Madrascals

A combination of last weeks heavy rain and some fixture congestion at McKane meant the P7 team moved across town to the High School pitch to play Madrascals.  On what proved to be a glorious morning and a good playing surface, the boys observed the Remembrance Sunday’s minute silence before playing two games against the visitors.

In the opening game, Dunfermline started tentatively and there was a rustiness about their play particularly in the tackle and ruck. As a result there was little between the teams in the opening stages. However as the half progressed Dunfermline started to dominate and from a scrum, a back line move allowed Stuart the freedom to run in the first try. A half time pep talk on defence and tackling saw the boys come out a different side in the second half. From the restart a direct run from Ali Stones through the heart of the defence caused all sorts of problems for Madras and the support from Ali McLeod, Matt and Dougie whose final offload to Stuart created the second score. Stonesy then added a third from a  penatly tap with a straight run through the defence. Final score 3 v 0

 

In the second game, Dunfermline dominated from the start, with good work being seen in defence, pressurising Madras into mistakes allowing the boys to play most of the game on the front foot. Stonesy opened the scoring with an excellent run round the defence after a turn over. Ali McLeod then looked to have scored the second with an excellent charge however his good work was undone by a hand off short of the line and he was pulled back for a penalty. Craig was then stopped short with a run before the team regrouped and after another penalty tap, Stonesy charged through the defence for a 2 v 0 lead at halftime.

In the second half the team scored three further tries, two from excellent runs from Stuart and one by Dougie following some excellent passages of support play and rucking from the team.  Madras replied with two scores of their own, one by Ross on loan from us who wrong footed the defence with a good angle and the other as result of the team switching off at a penalty tap on their own line allowing the Madras player a free run in. Final score 5 v 2

So the boys are back playing again and in the winning habit.  Plenty to work on (particulalry ahead of the challenges coming up over the next month) but overall good contributions from all the squad today which saw a healthy turnout of 17 players. With Madrascals short of numbers, a special mention to four of the squad (Jordan, Chris, Conall and Ross) who played for Madrascals.

Squad for the day: Chris, Matt, Charlie, Ross, Ali, Stonesy, Conall, Craig, Mark, Euan, Stuart, Duncan, Kieran, Chris, Jordan, Dougie and Sam. 

 

Sunday 25th October at Dundee Eagles

Sunday saw the return to competitive action for the team after a couple of weeks inactivity due to the holidays with a trip to Dundee and matches against the Eagles and Glenrothes.

In the opening match against the hosts, Dunfermline started well and began to exert some pressure with good runs from Ross, Stuart and Euan. However good defence from Dundee prevented any scores. The deadlock was finally broken by Sam with a good cross field run and score in the corner which in the end proved to be the decisive score. The boys spent much of the remainder of the game defending excellently against Dundee and worked hard to protect their lead. Final score Dundee 0 v 1 Dunfermline

Next up Glenrothes giving us the chance for many of our new squad members to get some much needed action. The game was fast moving with each side showing good commitment. In the end the boys ran out comfortable 3 v 1 winners with tries from Jamie (2) and Mark. Special mention to Chris Cain for his determination in chasing back and putting in a try saving tackle on his opponent, an excellent piece of work.

After a breather it was back in action against the hosts. The boys worked hard and looked dangerous throughout the match. Stuart eventually barged over following a run down to the wing to put Dunfermline in front however Dundee then produced some good running and handling of their own to score in the corner. With the clock running down the boys worked hard to score a winner however with some meaty tackles from both sides, defences were well on top. Sam finally broke through but was stopped just short in the dying minutes and then an overlap opportunity was spurned in the final move of the game. Final score: Dundee 1 v 1 Dunfermline 

The final game saw a 5 minute rematch against Glenrothes which the team won 1 v 0, Jamie again scoring this time from a long range run in to the line.

So after four games, the boys left Dundee unbeaten. Whilst the boys performed well in defence, the attack and scrum didn’t work as well as in previous games (a number of balls dropped or wrong options taken as well strikes against the head today meant momentum was either lost or pressure placed on defence at crucial times) which is something we will need to work on as we prepare for the challenges in the coming weeks.

Squad for the day:  Craig, Sam, Stuart, Euan, Matt, Conall, Ross, Murray, Charlie, Dougie, Ali, Mark, Jamie, Conner, Chris, Duncan, Kieran, Jordan and Chris.  

 

Sunday 4th October at McKane - Dunfermline Tournament

The P7’s hoped to go one better than last season and win their home tournament.

Playing out a league format against four visiting teams, the boys started well with a win versus Ellon. However the boys failed to get the better of Kirkcaldy, losing two early scores before failing to capitalise on second half pressure due to excellent Kirkcaldy defence.

The defeat meant the chance of winning their own tournament was now out of their own hands. The boys had to overcome the disappointment of their first defeat of the season and produce wins against Perth and Glenrothes to have any chance of staying in the hunt for the title. They duly did this although they had to defend doggedly on their own try line in the final minutes against Perth to secure that win.

In the end though it wasn’t enough to overhaul Kirkcaldy who went through the tournament undefeated and so it was the runners up spot for the boys, for the second year in a row.

Results
Dunfermline 4 v 0 Ellon
Dunfermline 1 v 2 Kirkcaldy
Dunfermline 2 v 1 Perth
Dunfermline 6 v 1 Glenrothes

Squad for the tournament
Craig, Matt, Sam, Ali Stones, Conall, Conner, Dougie, Chris, Mark, Jamie, Ali McLeod, Charlie, Murray and Euan. 

Sunday 13th September at Crieff

The P7’s returned to Crieff, scene of one of their tournament wins last season, to play the hosts and Mclaren. With a number of players unavailable this would prove a good test for some of the squad’s newest members to get some game time.  

McLaren 1 v 5 Dunfermline

The first half proved to be an error strewn performance from Dunfermline who were given little space to operate on a tight pitch by an eager McLaren who tackled well, turned ball over in the rucks and looked to move the ball fast. The boys though gradually got a foothold in the game and scored the first try through a break and run in by Stonesy. Sam then followed up with a score at the end of the half with a run through the defence and score in the corner.  After a half time talk and a reminder from the coaches of the need for some direct play, the boys came through much stronger in the second half scoring straight from the tap with a much better executed ruck and release of quick ball to allow Stonesy to run in unopposed. He then followed that score up with another before breaking through the defensive line and providing the pass for Ali to drive on and over for the fifth. Charlie looked to have scored in the corner after a good cross field run only to be called back by the referee for a penalty before McLaren scored a well deserved try of their own. In the end a good win but the boys had to work for it.

Crieff 0 v 4 Dunfermline 

The second game against Crieff saw Dunfermline show much more in terms of rugby with the front five of Charlie, Ali, Murray, Stonesy and Dougie all working hard and providing a platform for the backs to get quick ball and score tries. The first try came from a mazy run by Sam before a turnover led to a pick and go by Stonesy who got round the defence to score down the touchline. Turning round at half time 2 up, Dunfermline were soon on the attack again with new team members Jamie, Chris, Ross Kieran and Duncan all contributing to the efforts. The third try when it came was a beauty with quick ball out from Craig of the line out catch, through the hands to Sam who broke through the defence and raced to the line. The boys, with their tails up now, almost scored a fourth with a well worked move using the width of the pitch and quick ruck ball, only for Duncan to be denied by a high tackle. However from the resultant tap, Mark broke through to score the final try.

Overall two hard working performances, although the boys at times were guilty at times of not protecting the ball at the ruck and not taking advantage of hard earned overlaps they should pleased to have come through the games undefeated .

  

Sunday 6^th September at McKane versus Livingstone

The start of the new season saw Dunfermline welcome a big strong P7 Livingstone side to McKane. With the heavy rain earlier in the week giving way to the drier skies of the last couple of days, the pitches were deemed playable so the boys could get down to playing some rugby after a couple of months summer pre-season work.

Game 1: Dunfermline 7 v Livingstone 1 

In the first game, the boys were up for it from the off, getting their tackles in and rucking well to gain the momentum in attack, allowing them the platform to play some excellent rugby.

After a near miss with their first attack, Dunfermline opened the scoring with a well worked move allowing Sam Mormon to score the opening try of the season. There then followed a series of good passages of play with the boys off-loading in contact, rucking well and moving it wide to the wings where Stuart Soutar used his speed to good effect in space to cross the line for a couple of tries, the best coming off a pass following a dummy move off the back of the scrum by Craig Templeton and Sam deep within their own half. Ali Stones and Stuart then finished of the scoring in the first half giving the boys a 6 v 0 halftime lead.

At the restart Jamie broke clear from a number of tackles to score unopposed. The boys were then forced to work hard on their defence as Livingstone looked to bounce back but the defence held firm. A couple of promising positions to add to the score were squandered by Dunfermline before Livingstone finally broke their duck with a well worked move to score in the corner.

Game 2: Dunfermline 5 Livingstone 1

The second game followed a similar pattern to the first with Dunfermline dominating in and around the ruck although a much improved tackling performance by Livingstone meant the boys had to work hard to get near the try line. The first score came as a result of a Sam turnover and run in across the field. Good rucking and quick hands by the boys then allowed Stonesy the opportunity to score from close in and he then followed that up with another score, this time a lung busting run from his own half following another turnover. A defensive kick out from Craig from within his 5 metre line almost resulted in a chance for Stuart but he was well tackled by the scrambling defence however he then worked a good move with Sam in the corner to add a fourth before half time.

In the second half Sam almost scored in the corner but was called for a foot in touch before Ross picked up his first try with a persistent run which evaded a couple of tackles to score in the corner. Livi finished the game with a well worked score of their own, using a couple of drives to the heart of the defence before working the ball wide to score.

So in the end a good day for the P7 squad; a number of boys made their debuts today and everyone contributed to the team performance. What was pleasing was their commitment to make tackles and the quality of rucking, offloading, passing and finishing. A promising start to the season!!