Ayr Rugby Club struggle to beat Boroughmuir

Dec 11 2009 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

AYR knew it was always going to be hard to get up a performance similar to the one against Rotherham Titans the previous week but against Boroughmuir the dip in form was alarming.

Not so much in the way the team played overall but in not taking chances to put points on the board.

It was a great opportunity lost because although Ayr won, Currie got a crucial win at the Greenyards against third in the table Melrose but failed to get a bonus point so the chance was missed to close the gap on the leaders.

Yet Ayr started with a beauty after only five minutes. The ball was worked down the left, switched crossfield and with Rhuraidh Jackson, making his first appearance since injuring his shoulder for Glasgow Warriors at the start of the season, coming into the line from full-back, Andy Wilson cruised in for the try.

The kick was missed but Ayr had the advantage in the line out, the scrum was solid and they had bags of territory. Only thing, the points were missing and when Graham Blackhall slotted a penalty for 'Muir just after the half hour, Ayr went into the break with a tenuous 5-3 lead.

It all got a bit panicky in the second half and it was with only five minutes remaining that Ayr managed to stretch the lead.

The pack piled on the pressure, attacked the fringes and when the gap appeared, AJ MacFarlane spotted it and scooted through.

Frazier Climo missed the conversion but added a late penalty only for Blackhall to slot an even later one to pick up a losing bonus for Boroughmuir and in the end, most of the Ayr side and support were not so much happy but relieved to leave Meggetland with four points.

Coach Kenny Murray claimed: "We played well in the first half and our lineout and scrum were working well despite the fact that we rested Damien Kelly who was still suffering from flu. But after Andy Wilson's try we just couldn't get the ball over the line.

"Eventually it all became a bit frantic - we forced passes and lost our composure and there is no doubt that our decision making and finishing was not up to the standard the side have set for themselves.

“It was always going to be one of the difficult games and Boroughmuir defended well and although they never really looked like scoring a try, it was one that we could have lost."

Murray added: "We had a couple of injuries to Paul Burke and Andy Dunlop which disrupted things a bit and Damien Kelly is always a big miss but we would still have liked to get the bonus point.

“However, if you are not clinical in finishing, and we certainly weren't, and with some players off their game we have to say that at least we got the four points.

“It also made the players realise that they can't just turn up and the game will be there for them and with a couple of hard matches coming up against Edinburgh Accies at Millbrae on Saturday then Hawks at Old Anniesland the following week, we have to make sure that there are no slip ups.

Scott Sutherland was probably the pick of the side and Rhuraidh Jackson had a good 40 minutes at full back then 15 minutes at stand-off and it would be good if we have him again this week before he resumes with Glasgow."

So Ayr go into the clash with Edinburgh Accies on Saturday mindful that the Raeburn Place outfit had a useful win over West and that when they played them in the capital in September, the Millbrae men had to come back from 18-13 down with 12 minutes to go before winning 25-18.

The sick and injured will be assessed during the week but it’s a tough couple of games to see out the year and Ayr are desperate to go into 2010 still in a strong challenging position to retain the Scottish Hydro Premier One title.

Millbrae ended several weeks of inactivity with a resounding 57-3 win over Strathclyde Police with try doubles from Johnny Finnie, Steven Lynch and Johnny Gemmell and one each from Stuart Kerr, Kenny Stobie and David Courtney. Finnie landed one conversion and Courtney five.