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News Article |
| ROSS SUTHERLAND PUT THROUGH THE MILL |
| Sat 4th Oct 2008 |
To the delight of the largest crowd since last season’s cup tie against Hawick, Moray turned a half-time deficit of 6 points to 7 into a 40 -7 victory with 34 unanswered points in a second half dominated by their multi-national multi-talented back division.
Boasting two Fijians and two Frenchmen but led by a seventeen year-old Scot, Lee Millar, the Moray three-quarters turned on the style as the home side ran in four second-half tries to grab a bonus point. This edged them to within a single point of table toppers Ross Sutherland, with a game in hand, in the Scottish Hydro Electric Caledonia Division 2 (North West) League.
Young Millar dominated the game with a try, four penalties and four conversions but the Moray pack had to work hard to subdue the well-drilled Ross Sutherland forwards.
In a first half punctuated by penalties, Millar kicked Moray into a six point lead before poor tackling in mid field allowed the visitors in for their only try scored by Kennedy and converted by Joyce.
At this stage, Ross looked the better side. Their forwards were tighter in the scrum and Moray, though winning their own ball, did so going backwards. Morren at scrum-half mainly dealt well with untidy channel one ball. Fortunately for Moray, Ross Sutherland kicked often and not always well. Their hooker was finding it hard to pick out his jumpers at the lineout and the quality of Millar’s line kicking kept the Invergordon side at bay.
The second half, however, was all Moray. Five minutes into the half, Millar crossed for his try after some deft handling by Tuitubou and McWilliam created space inside. The teenage stand-off created the next try with a beautifully flighted kick behind the Ross defence. French wingman Dorian collected the ball and crossed unopposed. Millar converted.
The Moray mid-field trio of Miller, Tuitubou and McWilliam were beginning to control the game and , in their anxiety to put pressure on them, the Ross three-quarters conceded two penalties for encroaching at the scrummage. Millar converted both to put Moray out of reach.
Ross seemed to lose heart at this stage and the Moray forwards with Higgins, Porter and captain Craig Forster to the fore began to get on top. It was Forster who scored the third try after a rolling maul had taken Moray deep into the Ross Sutherland twenty-two. Again, Millar converted.
All Moray were missing was the bonus point try and they went for it, running kickable penalties and forcing Ross to defend desperately. From yet another scrum deep in Ross territory, Morren fed Arnaud on the blind side and the auld alliance worked again. Though Arnaud was held up on the line, Mark Abenheimer was on hand to score. Inevitably, Millar added the conversion.
On this form, Moray will be hard to beat this season. Despite problems in the scrum where they failed to contest the ‘hit’ as aggressively as they might have, the forwards did well in lineout and loose and provided enough ball for the backs to ‘strut their stuff’ and entertain the crowd. The Elgin side seems to have found a class stand-off in Lee Millar, a product of their youth system. Not since the days of Malcolm Alexander has a number ten so dominated a game at Morriston.
This Saturday, Moray are again at home where Kinloss are the visitors. Kick off is 3pm.
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Caledonia 2 North |
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| Aberdeenshire |
12 |
46 |
| Highland 2nd XV |
11 |
46 |
| Moray |
12 |
40 |
| Ross Sutherland |
10 |
22 |
| Banff |
12 |
19 |
| Mackie |
10 |
10 |
| Aberdeen Grammar 2nd XV |
9 |
1 |
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Last 1st XV Game |
| 1st XV Season (2021/22) |
| Banff 33 - 39 Moray |
| 5th Mar 22 - KO: 15:00 |
| Venue: Duff House |
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