ARNOLD CLARK PREMIERSHIP
SATURDAY 31st JANUARY 2026
GHA 29 CURRIE CHIEFTAINS 24
By CHRIS NAIRN
A traditional dreich day welcomed all to Braidholm on Saturday. Despite the inclement weather there was a great deal to look forward to in this, GHA’s last home league match of the season. A victory for the home side against one of the top sides in Scottish rugby would keep GHA in the mix of a possible play-off position depending on matches remaining.
A full attendance at the Hucheson’s lunch sponsored by Elanic Hospital Glasgow and a good contingent of Currie supporters in the adjacent lounge meant a busy club house pre match. The club welcomed Mr Simon Aldridge, officiating at the 2XV match in his 1400th match! A superb achievement. Our very own David Marshall prepared to play his part in the Lions match as a sixty-nine-year-old!
Senior Coach Calum reflected during his address to the Hutchie attendees that there is a very healthy procession of talented players coming through at all levels which with careful nurturing will bode well for Gee-ha.
An inspection of the playing surface once again showed a good playing platform; a little soft but capable of holding a stud with a rather annoying gusty wind blowing directly across the pitch from the main stand to the 3G pitch. Both teams prepared thoroughly as a light, but persistent rain began to fall. Both squads went through a series of unit core drills then into full team drills. There was an effortless and assured persona about all of the Currie work which reflected perhaps a squad who are talented and very well organised and confident in their ability.
Currie kicked off and sent a long high ball into the heart of the home defence. The ball ended in touch and to loud cheers of support Currie found themselves immediately at the GHA twenty two metre area. Smashing work by Messrs Harley, Davies, West and Hasdell moved the ball menacingly towards the home sides try line. GHA conceded a penalty and Currie kicked to almost the try line. The home side managed to win the lineout and under desperate pressure cleared the ball up to the twenty two metre area. Currie won the resulting lineout but as they moved forward, they were thwarted by the home side who won the ball back and fed Aminio Bogidrau who kicked the ball at an angle behind the Currie defence. The home side charged forward in pursuit and Currie were forced to concede a penalty to avoid GHA making deeper incursions into the Currie territory. Ben MacDougall (as he was to do all afternoon) placed a strong kick up to the Currie twenty two metre area. As we reached the sixth minute of the match, the home crowd were delighted to witness their side challenging Currie and already displaying a calm confident approach to their efforts. Euan McKirdy, who was to worry Currie all afternoon, chose to snipe his way towards the five metre area before being stopped. However, the home side quickly recycled and fed Grant Mollison who flew over to score. The try was converted by Ben MacDougall and the score after seven minutes was: GHA 7 CURRIE 0.
This score seemed to shake the visitors and they were to struggle to reclaim the confidence they had demonstrated in the opening attack. In contrast there was a spring in the step of the home side and a quiet determination to attempt to build on this good work. Currie attempted to rally and restart but as they gathered the restart ball they knocked on, which immediately undid the good work of seconds before. Currie were penalised for pushing too early and seemed surprised at the calm effective scrummaging position of the home side. Messrs Collins, Campbell and Fox were to provide a really steady platform at scrum time for the whole match and clearly frustrated their powerful opponents who could not gain any advantage from the scrum. GHA kicked up to the Currie ten metre line and began to pressurise the visiting defence. From a resulting scrum Euan McKirdy squirmed and shimmied his way through a shocked Currie rearguard to score to huge cheers from the home support. The try was converted and the score as we reached fifteen minutes of play was now: GHA 14 CURRIE 0.
The home side were playing with confidence and belief, and clearly asking questions of the visitors. However, Currie began to put their game together and there was consternation in Gee-ha ranks as superb drive by Fraser Sayers cut a passage through GHA ranks from inside his own half to the GHA twenty two area before he was tackled. The ball went loose, then forward and in the resulting scrum the visitors were once again penalised and the home side kicked into the Currie twenty two. Lovely work by Messrs McCutcheon, Little and Bogidrau chased and harried the visitors into turning the ball over deep inside the Currie half. The home side were probing to find space and a switch kick across the line of play just failed to find a home player, much to the relief of the visiting support.
As we passed the twentieth minute of this absorbing clash, Currie began to force the agenda, looking for ways to draw in the GHA defence before hopefully slick hands would find a gap. Suddenly as GHA lost a line out Currie seemed to sense there was a real opportunity to ask questions of the Gee-ha defence. Penetrating work by Messrs Harley, Hasdell, Sayers and Christie put the home side on the back foot as Currie, with excellent ball retention and short incursions, drove play powerfully towards the GHA try line. Some tremendous defending survived a number of clever, well-coordinated Currie drives but finally and deservedly the visitors managed to break down GHA resistance to score. The score was after twenty six minutes of non-stop action GHA 14 CURRIE 7.
Now would come a huge test for the home side. Currie had clearly been taken aback by the excellent start from GHA but being the class side they are had begun to wrestle with the home side for dominance and clearly felt they would now dominate the match. There was a period of breaks and raids from both sides which were nullified around the twenty-two metre areas by effective tackling and calm recycling of the ball. As we approached the interval GHA began to move up a gear and looked to reestablish some control over the match. The visitors found themselves defending their lines inside their half as well organised and penetrating driving work by the home side sucked in opposition players and crucially made yardage forcing Currie on the back foot. Once again clever work by Euan McKirdy, in consort with Luke McCutcheon, forced play into the Currie twenty two metre area. Currie managed to scramble the ball clear but from the resultant lineout the majestic Adam Kerr rose, collected the ball and set up the drive the impish Euan McKIrdy sniped and worked with Jonathan Davis to cleave a passage through Currie defences to score. The try was converted and the score at the interval was GHA 21 CURRIE 7.
It had been an engrossing first half with some fine rugby played by both sides. GHA brought their skill set to the match, allied to a clear belief that they were not going to be overawed by their illustrious opponents. There was also a realism about their actions that this day would only be carried by tremendous effort and total concentration. The home side knew only too well that Currie would not meekly accept this situation. An exciting second half beckoned.
From the restart GHA were intent on taking the match to Currie and powered forward to engage the Currie defence inside their half. Following pressure from the GHA attack, Currie manage to scramble the ball clear just outside the five metre area. In a careful execution of the ball Grant Mollison squeezed in at the corner to score. The conversion missed narrowly and after five minutes of the half the score was: GHA 26 CURRIE 7.
This for many sides would be a hammer blow, but not a quality side such as Currie. Aware that they dare not be anything but accurate in their work, Currie began to move the ball with purpose inside the GHA half. A combination of short, well-supported drives before releasing the ball to Christie and Harley to set up the next inroad fully occupied the defensive abilities of the home side. This physical, coordinated pressure was taxing and allowed the visitors to make yardage into the GHA half. The visitors won a penalty inside the GHA five metre line and in a powerful thrust, Ryan Stewart got through to score and make the score after ten minutes of the second half, which was converted GHA 26 CURRIE 14.
Currie now looked to further reduce the deficit but found a resilient GHA had their own agenda and the home side won a scrum at the Currie ten metre area. The home side peeled off the scrum and sought to exploit a slight gap in the Currie rearguard. The visitors desperately covered towards their twenty two metre area but conceded a penalty to GHA and Courtney West was yellow carded for the infringement. The home side elected to kick for goal and converted the penalty to make the score after fourteen minutes GHA 29 CURRIE 14.
There were no signs that the home side was anything but determined to give ground willingly in this match and Currie were being forced to expend a great deal of physical energy to force their way through GHA ranks. Currie players were indeed making drives into the GHA half, and it was taking two or three tackles to put opponents on the ground. Suddenly, as we approach the twentieth minute of the half, Currie mounted a sustained period of possession deep inside the GHA half and only last-ditch tackling kept the visitors out. Despite heroic efforts, Currie broke down the resistance and scored. The conversion, to the dismay of the travelling support, was missed and the score after twenty two minutes of the half was: GHA 29 CURRIE 19.
The visitors, from the restart, attacked the GHA defence which began to show slight signs of tiredness as they desperately attempted to stymie further Currie progress. The crowd in the ground clearly realised that this was crucial time in the match and roared their respective support for their sides. Both teams put massive effort in the loose to secure the ball and Michael Fox was adjudged to have caused an infringement well inside the GHA half and was yellow carded. This was a huge blow to the home side as Foxy was at the heart of all resistance in the match and a giant in the dark world of front five play in the scrum. Following a penalty award, Currie manage to score and the score after thirty minutes of the half is: GHA 29 CURRIE 24. The conversion fails and as we moved into the last ten minutes of the match GHA found themselves once again in a match lead by one score in the final minutes.
There was now a marked contrast between the two sides- Currie trying everything to move the ball at speed and precision through GHA ranks, but met by a GHA side who tied the ball up in carefully managed mauls and rucks to allow them to retain possession and make limited progress into the Currie half. Several times the visitors broke this cycle but the home side quickly regained possession and moved to manage the last few minutes of the match to record a magnificent result against one of the best sides in Scotland.
This was an inspired performance by a whole squad of GHA players who clearly had the self-belief that they could carry the day. Should the squad continue to develop this self-belief allied to their undoubted skill set and courage, then they will be a very difficult side to defeat. Currie seemed totally taken aback by the commitment, talent and belief in the home ranks and struggled all match to find their normal rhythm. Senior coach Calum suggested that this may well be the finest result in the history of GHA against one of the top two sides in Scotland who have been defeated at Braidholm for the first time.
CURRIE :
F.SAYERS R.DALEY DJ INNES S.ROBESON M.LAIDLAW A.HARLEY G.CHRISTIE C.ANDERSON R.STEWART G.SCOUGALL C.WEST A.BAIN R.DAVIS A.FLETCHER E.HASDELL A.MAXWELL N.THOMPSON A.HOGGARTH R.MORRISON S.CARDOSI E.CROMBIE H.CHISHOLM
GHA
B.MacDOUGALL G.MOLLISON J.VENTISEI A.BROGIDRAU G.LITTLE A.GOUDIE E.McKIRDY S.COLLINS R.CAMPBELL M.FOX A.KERR J.DAVIS L.MONCRIEFF E.MCGOVERN L.McCUTCHEON F.McCOSS L.HODGE C.MacGREGOR S.CALLAGHAN B.CURTIS A.COBB A.SPOWART
REFEREE MR R MCDOWELL
ASSISTANT REFEREES : MR T COUTTS MR A WATT
Thanks to Mr Ian Robin for details of Officials and Mr Keith Jones for Programme Preparation
Photo Credit: Robinson Photo
