Any win will do for Irvine Rugby Club

Dec 19 2008 Irvine Herald

Any win will do for Irvine

IF on-field results are a measure of progress, then Irvine have come a long way from that dreadful day in early September when they lost by more than 50 points to a Perthshire side that took them apart and scored almost at will in a very one-sided match.

The return fixture last Saturday was quite a different display from the Maroons who should have won by a greater margin but for a failure to do the simple things when the try-line beckoned, coupled with some bizarre refereeing decisions.

This was not as close a game as the score suggests with Irvine failing to cash in on the superiority of their forwards and, particularly in the final quarter, spurning chances to notch a bonus point fourth try on several occasions. That Perthshire came close to scrambling an equalising try in the dying moments when they broke out from defence only to be bundled into touch by the combined efforts of Paul Johnston and James Adams shows just how close Irvine came to repeating their old failing of not putting teams away when required.

This was a pretty flat game with much of the first half played in the No-Man's Land between both 22-metre lines and with neither side showing much flair in conditions that would be best described by that uniquely illustrative Scottish word as "dreich". At times, the best entertainment on offer came from some very odd refereeing decisions that provoked an unseasonable verbal exchange between the match official who was having an off-day and some of his refereeing colleagues who, while having a day off, were clearly confused by his unique interpretation of some of The Laws of The Game.

One particularly odd decision led to Irvine being denied a conversion attempt following a superb handling move by Irvine's two centres, Alastair Spice and Matt Kennie that brought the opening try for the latter. As Sean Christie lined up to take the conversion, the visiting backs charged from behind their own goal line on the basis that Christie has started his run-up to take the kick. In reality, Christie had not moved, other than to flex a leg muscle in preparation, but anarchy prevailed and Irvine were denied the opportunity to go 7-3 ahead, having to settle instead for a 5-3 lead.

It is symptomatic of the one-sided way in which the game was being handled that the penalty count at half-time was 21 to five in favour of the visitors, a remarkable imbalance that in normal circumstances would have produced at least one yellow card. Fortunately for Irvine, only one of these 21 penalties was in a kickable position otherwise the visitors could have been out of sight long before half-time but instead, the Maroons turned round with that narrow 5-3 lead which could have been more had Christie not missed a relatively simple penalty in the final play of the half.

Perthshire started the second period well and took the lead in 44 minutes when two missed tackles in midfield by Irvine's backs gave Steve Smith the opportunity to score between the posts. David Fleming's successful conversion edged the visitors ahead again but Ruchin Filander's break two minutes later ensured that their 10-5 lead was short-lived and Christie's successful conversion put Irvine back in front by 12-10.

With rain falling and light fading, the Irvine forwards seized the initiative both in the loose and at the set pieces and the home side should have gone further ahead when, with a two-man overlap on the left, both Gordon Brown and Morne Strydom could have crossed the line but opted instead to move the ball wide where Arthur Mawhinney was finally caught by the cover defence. On the opposite side of the field, Paul Johnston and Kevin Lang also had scoring opportunities before Kennie was driven over in the corner at the end of yet another steady drive by the Irvine pack.

Despite further pressure, that try ended the scoring on an afternoon when Christmas shopping might have been a better option for many of the spectators for there was little to cheer in the game. However, winning is all that matters at this stage for Irvine, who, while moving in the right direction, are still far from safe from relegation.

Saturday’s visit to bottom-placed Livingston cannot be taken lightly and a five-point winning bonus must be Irvine's Christmas objective.

This is certainly no time for showing any sort of seasonal goodwill towards a struggling Livingston side, particularly when a five points bonus win could see Irvine joining Cartha QP and Perthshire in mid-table and beginning to distance themselves from the pursuing Ellon and Ardrossan Accies, both of whom will enjoy home advantage over Irvine in their league encounters in the New Year.

By Fly-Half.