Match report: Haddington vs. Broughton

Haddington RFC welcomed Broughton RFC to Neilson Park last Saturday. In what can sometimes be a difficult fixture to fulfil due to call offs, it was great to see the game played in fantastic conditions in Haddington.

The coaches decided to make some changes in the forward pack that won against Portobello, with Macauley Parker and Colin Stuart both unavailable, Aarron Thomson was promoted from the 2nd XV to start in the second row and Harvey Blake was promoted from the bench to start in the backrow. Dan Witko got the nod on the bench, along with Stephen Tennant, who was promoted from the 2nd XV.

Opting to kick-off down the hill, the Reds had an early opportunity to get points on the board after Broughton were penalised for an infringement. Young Donald Bathgate signalled to the posts; however he was slightly wide of the target and the scores remained 0-0.
After 10-mintues of play, Haddington were awarded a line-out on the Broughton 22-meter line. With the line-out won, the Haddington pack drove the ball forward to provide the outside backs with a great platform. Play then swung from one-side to the other and it was Harvey Blake who managed to get on the end of Donald Bathgate’s pass to burst through the middle and go over under the sticks. Bathgate added the extras to take the scores to 7-0.

Haddington didn’t have to wait long for their second try after prop Aarron Thomson drove the ball over from about 5-meters out to take the scores to 12-0.

After a period of sustained pressure, it was Broughton’s turn to get onto the scoreboard. After a quick tap penalty on the halfway line, Broughton shipped the ball wide and went in at the corner to take the scores to 12-5. With the conversion missed, the scores remained 12-5.
Broughton didn’t have to wait long for their next score. After some poor defence from the home side, Broughton were able to burst up the middle. Some scramble defence saw the Broughton player brought down just shy of the line. However, with a quick ruck, Broughton managed to recycle the ball well to release their runners and dive over the line to make it 12-10. Conversion missed; the scores stayed at 12-10 to Broughton.

Broughton’s next score came shortly afterwards, with the Reds in possession at the scrum, they opted to go blind. Some poor handling saw the ball being knocked on into Broughton hands and they scored again, out wide. This time, Broughton’s stand off was able to add the extras to take the scores to 12-17 to Broughton.
With the first half nearly wrapped up, Andy Durkin was able to put a clever kick in behind the Broughton defence. Some great work at the ruck saw Haddington pop up with the ball. The Reds were then awarded a penalty and opted to kick to the corner. A superb driving maul allowed young prop Steven Tennant to go over the whitewash and get his first try of the season for the 1st XV.
First half ends Haddington 17 – Broughton 17.

The second half was a rather quiet affair, with the next score not coming until the 74th minute. Outside centre Kyle Hamilton, provided the support line and managed to sprint over the line. With the conversion missed, the score was 22-17.

The last 10 minutes of the game certainly made up for the quiet start to the 2nd half. Shortly after Haddington scored, Broughton managed to get deep into Haddington territory and scored out wide. However, the conversion was missed, to take the scores to 22-22.

With the scores locked, it was a nail-biting finish to the game. The Reds continued to pile the pressure on the away side with phase after phase and were unlucky not to come away with a try. The continued pressure paid off however, as Haddington were awarded a penalty right at the death. Replacement centre, Ewan Cunningham managed to hold his nerve and slot the kick, to finish the game Haddington 25-22.

Next up, Haddington travel to the Capital to take on Royal High RFC with a 3pm kick off.