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News Article |
| MORAY U18 V SHETLAND 02-11-13 |
| Mon 4th Nov 2013 |
Moray u18’s completed the first half of their league program with an away trip to Shetland.
This is the first season that the islanders have competed in the league and it’s been a steep learning curve for them.
Moray took a little time to adapt to the heavy pitch but they recorded a 75-0 win.
To Shetland's credit, they never stopped competing in the game and provided a warm welcome and great hospitality for the visiting team.
Moray kicked off and took an early lead after 3 minutes when centre Euan Stuart intercepted in midfield and broke the defence before offloading to Cameron Beattie on the wing who touched down and left no 10 Calum Gaffney with a straight forward conversion to make it 0-7.
Shetland provided stiff opposition for the next 20 minutes and the Moray team were finding the wet ball tricky to handle leading to several knock-ons and some frustration setting in.
However Moray finally broke the defence using several phases of rucking in the home 22 before moving the ball down the backline for centre Stuart to break though and score out wide.
Moray continued to dominate the territory and a clearance kick by Shetland was caught by winger Beattie who made ground up the wing before offloading to full back Kieran Young who went over in the corner to extend the lead to 17 points after 24 minutes.
5 minutes later Moray added another try when from a lineout in the home 22 they ran a backs move and full back Young went over in the corner to give them a 22 point lead.
They finished the half with a further try when the pack won the ball against the put in and moved the ball down the blindside before touching down to give them a 27 point lead at half time
The second half started badly for Shetland when the kick off didn’t make 10 m and Moray opted for a scrum on half way. They moved the ball down the back line and winger Beattie went over to extend the lead to 32 points.
10 minutes later Moray scored another try when they won a penalty 5 m out and the pack set up a ruck to pull in the defence before the ball went wide and full back Young crossed near the posts for a converted try.
The visitors kept the pressure up from the restart and scrum half Lewis McDonald kicked deep into the Shetland 22. The chase was good and Moray turned over the ball in the ruck before moving it to centre Stuart who sidestepped through the defence to score and allow Gaffney a simple conversion to give a 46 point lead.
Morays next try came from scrum on half way which they won and moved the ball down the back line to attack deep into the home 22. From the ruck they recycled the ball and moved it wide with flanker Will Davidson popping up in the back line to finish the move for another converted try to make it 0-53.
Morays next try was a well worked move after winning the ball in their own half at a lineout, the backline burst up field and Gaffney who was now on the wing, unloaded a reverse pass for no 8 Drew Cooper in support, to finish the move in the corner.
With 5 minutes left Drew Cooper got his second try of the afternoon with a pick up and drive from a 5 m scrum after continuous Moray pressure had forced Shetland to carry the ball over their own line.
The Moray lads were playing with great gusto now and from a scrum McDonald playing at 10 chipped the defence and Stuart caught the ball at pace before offloading to Beattie to touch down in the corner. Beattie kicked a good conversion to make it 0-70.
Moray finished the afternoons work with a good drive by prop Niall Ward allowing taking play deep into the Shetland half to set up a ruck. The ball was quickly recycled and Stuart finished by crossing in the corner giving Moray a 75 point win.
This was a great display by Moray who once they had adapted to the conditions used their pacey backs to open up the Shetland defence.
The forwards played their part too with strong set piece play giving them a great platform. The defence was strong and shut down the Shetland attacks before they could get any momentum.
The home team deserve credit for their unstinting efforts in the face of such relentless pressure – they never gave up and always played with great spirit. Credit is also due to the 4 Moray players Gavin MacDonald, Gregor Hands, Kris McInnes and Anthony Brownless who played with the Shetland team at various points to allow a full 15 aside game to take place.
Moray are now on 18 points and at the top of their league awaiting the second phase draw.
Next up is a friendly on Saturday against local rivals Highland who have been playing in the national league. This will be a true test of how far the Moray team has come this year.
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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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