Tough Lesson in Dundee

The Stags were back in league action last Saturday as they travelled to Dundee to take on Harris. Grangemouth welcomed new prop Craig Black in the front row and he was partnered by ex skipper Graeme Bell. In the backs Gary Dempsey was at centre with young Adam Mowat on the wing. On a good day for rugby the home side had the advantage of the slope in the first half and they opened the score with their first attack on 4 minutes. A pre planned move saw the Harris left winger collect an inside pass to break the line before feeding back to the support to cross for a converted score. Grangemouth tried to hit back and enjoyed a fair amount of possession and territory but the attacks came to nothing as they made frequent mistakes to lose the ball and allow the home side to clear. As the game entered the second quarter the Stags conceded another score. Harris took a tap penalty from well inside their own half and good handling took play up to the Stags 22. The initial attack was halted by a good tackle by Gemmell but Harris recycled the ball and moved it wide to beat the cover for a further converted score. A few minutes later the home side added a penalty to increase their lead but were wide with a further attempt just before the break. HT Harris 17 Stags 0

Grangemouth started the second half well and pinned the Harris inside their 22. Once again the home side defended well and were able to keep their line intact. Midway through the half Skelton had to look sharp to prevent a score as Harris kicked ahead after another turnover in midfield. With 15 minutes to go Grangemouth ran a tap penalty on the Harris 22. Unfortunately the ball was lost and this allowed the home side to break out of defence and run in a score from 70 metres. This proved to be the final score of the match. FT Harris 24 Stags 0.

This was a very disappointing result for the Stags. They had a good deal of possession but made too many mistakes and lost out at the breakdown to a streetwise Harris side. This week Grangemouth have their first home match of the season as they welcome Banff to Glensburgh . KO is 3pm.

The ladies also welcome Banff Ladies to Grangemouth for a friendly fixture. Please check the website or social media for the KO time.