Stags Pipped in Wales

Grangemouth travelled to Wales last weekend to renew old rivalries against Llandybie.This is th 59th year of the fixture making it the longest running continuous fixture between Scottish and Welsh clubs. The side contained the usual tour mix of current and ex players and included two father and son combos and a rare outing on the same park for the McFarlane twins. Up front Sonny Campbell finally found his true position at prop and he was joined in an unlikely looking front row by Dom Ward and Paul Rutherford. Behind them their was a rare outing for Jimmy Norval in the second row. In the backs the veterans Ronnie Innes and Gordon Crossan were at 9 and 15 respectively and their combined age was greater than the rest of the backs put together! After all the rain in South Wales over the winter the pitch resembled the Somme on a bad day making handling difficult for both sides. Despite this the Stags started well with backs and forwards carrying the ball and clearing out the home side at the breakdown. However on 5 minutes a dropped ball on the halfway line saw the home backs spin the ball wide to their left winger who beat the cover to score in the corner. A few minutes later a breakout from defence by Llandybie was only halted by a fine covering tackle from Pedyo to force his opposite number into touch. Grangemouth continued to handle the ball well despite the conditions. Connor McFarlane looked like he was auditioning for Bambi on Ice as he cut through the defence before being dragged down on the home 22. As the game entered the second quarter Llandybie finally gained some territory and from an attacking scrum on the 22 they moved the ball wide for the fullback to create the overlap and score out wide. Again the conversion was missed. The Stags hit back straight from the kick off. A break down the right wing saw the ball being fed back inside to Connor McFarlane who raced in from 20 metres. Denny added the conversion. The Stags now had their second (or in some cases third or fourth) wind at this point and DJ Innes crashed through the defence before being tackled just short of the line and the ball was lost forward. Two minutes later the same player was over the line under the posts but was unable to ground the ball. Unfortunately he was injured at this point and was replaced by Gary Aitken (senior). The Stags continued to press and after further pressure on the home line the elder of the McFarlane twins (David) took a quick tap penalty and crashed over from short range. The conversion from Denny was wide. HT Llandybie 10 Stags 12.

The second half started well for the visitors with a break from Aitken (junior) who made 40 metres into the home 22 but was unable to find any close support. Llandybie gradually gained more and more ball as the visitors began to tire. However good defence from Hind, Scott and Grant prevented any clear chances. The game was heating up with several off the ball incidents including a kick on the head for Rutherford. Finally on 60 minutes the home side finally restored their lead. They moved the ball wide from a lineout and created an overlap to score in the corner. Again the conversion was missed. Grangemouth continued to look dangerous with ball in hand but were unable to create any clear openings. The niggles continued and finally on 70 minutes after a further fracas on the touchline the referee had had enough and blew for full time. This was a disappointing end to a good match on a very difficult surface. FT Llandybie 15 Stags 12

And so Llandybie regain the shield and will return to Scotland in 2017 for the 60th anniversary. Connor McFarlane was awarded the man of the match tankard for his try, stand off play and lineout jumping!! A remarkable combination. Afterwards in the clubhouse it was great to meet up with many old friends and for the youngsters to make new ones. A huge thanks from all of the players and supporters to Alan the bus driver who was brilliant throughout and to Ronnie Innes for his work in organising the trip. Sign up now for 2018 This week the Stags are back to cup action as they play the re-arranged Midland Bowl final against Stirling University at Glensburgh with KO 2.30pm.