Dyce RFC
Matches
Sat 14 Dec 2019  ·  TENNENT'S CALEDONIA NORTH REGION LEAGUE DIVISION 4 (MEN'S)
Aberdeen Uni Medics RFC
38
29
Dyce Rugby Football Club
Dyce RFC
Try bonus scant consolation for Dyce in defeat

Try bonus scant consolation for Dyce in defeat

Phil Horsfall17 Dec 2019 - 22:00
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Small margins sees Dyce count cost away from home

Report by Cameron Moore

Following a month’s hiatus in league fixtures, Dyce lined up against the Aberdeen Uni Medics who were second in the league table. Victory for them would see them close the gap on league leaders Ellon 2s, while points on the road for Dyce would see them climb away from the Deeside and Aberdeenshire 2s at the foot of Caledonia 4N.

On a cool and dry winter’s day Aberdeen Medics kicked off in the gloom at King’s Pavilion with the visitors receiving. A poorly executed Dyce exit from their own 22, coupled with some slack tackling led to the hosts regaining the ball. Dyce conceded the first try in the second minute from close range with the Medics number 8 rampaging across the line.

The concession of early points seemed to awaken the Dyce team who were off the pace in the opening skirmishes, but grew into the game. The boys reacted by carrying hard round the fringes and putting the hosts under pressure in defence. Driving powerfully into the Medics half, positive attacking play was stifled by poor handling and mistakes at the lineout which cost the men in blue field position. An infringement by the Medics allowed Dave Hay to slot a penalty to reduce the deficit after a quarter of an hour.

Dyce kept the pressure up and confidence built with free flowing rugby despite cold hands heavy under foot conditions. Attacking and offloading in the wide channels saw Dyce make good ground and were able to rely on a dominant scrum to provide them with good, clean ball to play with. A long distance pot shot from Duncan Scott held up just short of the posts, however with some fortune, the medics player knocked on when catching the ball under pressure from no-one, gifting possession back to Dyce with a 5m scrum. Unfortunately no points came the visitors way on this trip into the home side’s territory.

Nearing the half hour mark the pressure told. A sweeping more from deep in the opposition territory from left to right and good execution of a 3 on 2 allowed winger Mark Davison to scamper across the whitewash untouched to give Dyce the lead. From out wide, the conversion was missed.

The rest of the first half saw the both teams scoring tries in a free flowing game. Following yet more forays deep into the Medic’s 22, Dyce came away with another seven points as Centre Duncan Scott burrowed his way over the line in an unfamiliar fashion from all of two yards. The forwards maintained this was “their try” as they had been the ones who softened up the Medic’s defence after a succession of pick and drives at the line.

With the clock dead, Dyce won a penalty and opted to kick for the corner hoping to expand on their lead, however after winning the lineout the ball was lost forward in contact. The Medics launched a speculative counter deep in their own 22 and put boot to ball. From the kick up-field, a moment of madness from the Dyce covering winger let the ball remain in play, and be on the receiving end of an unlucky bounce, gifting possession back to the on-rushing Medic players. The gather off the deck was clean and the offload to a support runner was simple. The result; a body blow to the away side left ruing a missed opportunity, with the hosts taking full advantage scoring directly under the sticks. With a 14 point swing going against Dyce, the scoreline was closer than it should have been.

HT: Aberdeen Medics RFC 14-15 Dyce RFC

Dyce once again allowed the Medics an early score at the start of the second half to edge back ahead on the scoreboard, before conceding another through an interception in the midfield. Dyce trailed by 13 points in the 54th minute and rallied once more to hit back. Frequent infringements from the Medics saw them pinned back inside their half for long periods of play. From an overthrown lineout on their own 5m line, the Dyce hooker gathered at the tail and crashed over through the attempted tackles of two opponents in the 64th minute.
With the difference between the two teams now only 6, the Medics kicked a penalty goal from deep which showed the respect they held for a team who, for long periods of the match were holding the ascendancy.

The match finished with a flurry of yet more points as the home side scored a long distance try following a clean break with a flanker who sliced his way through the defensive line. Despite what the Medics must surely have thought was the final score of the game, at no point did Dyce’s resolve weaken, scoring in the final play after a prolonged attack which had Dyce camped firmly in the Medic’s 22. Chasing the try bonus point, the Medic’s line was finally breached following repeated penalty infringements in the red zone with a quick snipe from wily number 9 Corey Sneddon after many phases of hard graft by the pack.

FT: Aberdeen Medics RFC 38-29 Dyce RFC

Had Dyce opted to take the shot at goal at the end of the first half or not thrown the intercept pass it could have been a very different game, but Dyce were able to pick up the try bonus point and go into the new year on 8 points. Only 2 points behind Fraserburgh and 10 behind Inverness Craig Dunain (who we welcome to Central Park on the 11th of January) means it’s all to play for in the second half of the season. Last time out ICD came away with the win against an injury ravaged Dyce squad in Inverness, so it looks set to be a new year thriller.

Match details

Match date

Sat 14 Dec 2019

Kickoff

14:00

Competition

TENNENT'S CALEDONIA NORTH REGION LEAGUE DIVISION 4 (MEN'S)

League position

1
Aberdeen Uni Medics RFC
5
Dyce RFC
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Shirt Sponsor - House of Elrick
Home Match Shirt Sponsor - Intermoor
Home Match Shirt Sponsor - John Williamson Group
Shirt Sponsor - The New Greentrees
Player Sponsor - 102 (Aberdeen Airport) Squadron Air Training Corps
Digital Payment Partner - SumUp
Player Sponsor - SNAP Sponsorship