DUNDEE CAST SPELL ON GHA IN TAM O’ SHANTER STORM

GHA RFC MATCH 279: GHA RFC 0 – 30 DUNDEE HSFP 

2013/2014: Scottish National League

GHA’s match against Dundee on Saturday had to be transferred to Auldhouse on Saturday because Braidholm was waterlogged, and it was the only National League fixture that was fulfilled. However, the Braidholm faithful might have wished that match had been sunk like the others because the visitors won comfortably with a four-try bonus point.

It was a strange result in that Dundee led 30-0 at half-time, and that was still the score 40 minutes’ playing time later. However, if GHA had taken the chances that came their way the second half might well not have been scoreless.

One positive point for GHA from the first half was a reminder of Andrew Gillman’s electric and evasive running. Coming back after a long injury lay-off, Gillman sought to ignite an attack from his own 22, beating a couple opponents on the right touchline, but naught came from it.

Gillman started the match on the right wing, but latterly he returned to his old role at scrum half, swapping places with Murray Houston, who late in the second half had the best chance of anyone to score a GHA try. Dominic Dunn’s crossfield kick into the right corner was spot-on, and Houston gathered comfortably for what looked like a try. However, the score was denied because of offside, though it must have been only marginal.

Dundee went ahead after only eight minutes with the first of Bryce Hosie’s two tries. Stephen Longwell also scored two, both off the forwards’ rumbling drives from lineout possession. The second of those, the bonus-point try, was scored while Glen King was in the sin-bin because of what was judged to have been a deliberate knock-on just inside the home 22. Hosie also kicked two conversions and two penalty goals.

Undoubtedly, whatever the reason, GHA did play better after the interval. It may have been that they were persuaded into more urgency in the half-time briefing or they may have preferred the stiff wind to be on their backs, even playing uphill, albeit the conditions turned to their worst as soon as the second half started. Appropriately, on the birthday of the Bard, the weather was straight out of a line from Tam o’ Shanter as “the rattling showers rose on the blast.”

GHA’s new impetus procured a series of penalties at the breakdown. These eventually drew a yellow card for Mat Harland, but GHA made nothing of the numerical advantage. Nor did they benefit from three close-range scrums at which they drove the Dundee pack into disruption. If Houston had scored in the right corner it would have no less than GHA deserved for their second-half efforts.

It was not a good day for GHA, not just for the result. After the match it was ascertained that Hefin O’Hare had broken a finger. It is not yet known if surgery will be required.

Source: Bill McMurtrie