Mackie Win

Report on Mackie U15 rugby match, 4th September 2016
After the previous week in which Mackie U15’s had defeated Perthshire , it was only to be expected that their old adversaries, Deeside would offer significantly sterner opposition. And this proved to be the case. The game was played in warm sunshine in Banchory on a firm if not hard, dry pitch. Conditions were great for running rugby but also for getting hurt. So it turned out. In a pulsating and brutal game a battered and bruised Macke came out worthy winners 28-14, with a try count of 4-2. However this score did not look on the cards in the first 15 minutes when a sluggish Mackie team found themselves pinned in their own half by an aggressive Deeside-Wanderers team who had started well and were intent on playing the better rugby. Deeside quickly went ahead to a well worked try. Only stalwart defence and some dropped passes prevented Deeside from extending their lead. However the longer the first half went on the more Mackie began to take control. As they learnt to cope with the Deeside style the forwards eventually started to fire and so possession became more secure and time on the ball increased. The first Mackie try was the pick of the four, starting within their own 22 on the nearside of the pitch, and finishing on the far side after the ball swept across the back line twice with excellent recycling. Murray Allan scored on the final overlap to a loud cheer and applause from both sets of supporters. Deeside wilted as Mackie took control and Joseph Reid soon crossed for a second try after some good passages of Mackie play. They looked destined to increase the try count but for a number of handling errors when overlaps beckoned. This had as much to do with the line speed of Deeside as it did poor execution by the Mackie players. Something to improve hopefully as the season progresses. A score of 14-7 at half time was a fair result and it was still all to play for. In the second half Mackie continued as they had finished the first, controlling the contact area and Tom Mair score twice to extend the Mackie lead. The first came from a kick and chase by Logan Grant who was able to recycle the ball to feed Tom on the overlap. The second another overlap created by Mackie pressure in the Deeside 22. Tom Mair also converted all 4 tries to cap off a fine individual performance. In the final quarter of the game the injury toll began to tell as players suffered the impacts of the hard ground. Deeside began to exert more control as Mackie tired and lost some of their more influential players. They scored a second try from a 5 yard penalty. However it was too little, too late and the final whistle ended any thoughts of a comeback. Overall a physically tough game but one in which the Mackie U15s showed their true mettle. A great team performance.

Neil Grant.