Semi-Final Ayr 36 - 26 Currie Chieftains

AYR secured their place in the Premiership final, next week against Watsonians back at Millbrae, after coming out on top in an engrossing clash of styles with now dethroned champions Currie Chieftains.

“I’m delighted with the outcome because when we set our targets earlier in the season we wanted to remain unbeaten at home, so we’ll see where we land next week but, although I’m pleased with the win, I think you can see we’ve not played a game in a few weeks,” said Ayr’s Grant Anderson afterwards.

“Currie play a certain style of rugby – they’re fast and loose and all credit to them, especially their No 9 [Gregor Christie] who I thought was outstanding. It’s difficult to play against them when they get that momentum and target inside shoulders so although it’s maybe not the toughest game we’ve had here all season – there was a battle for the ages in the wind with Watsonians and a tough match against Heriot’s – it was certainly a challenge.”

While Currie played some of the more eye-catching rugby, they couldn’t handle the Ayr power game at set-piece. Scrum penalties were being handed out like free samples, and there were some missed opportunities with attacking line-outs being stopped, which added up to what their captain Charlie Brett felt was a missed opportunity.

“I think that’s one that’s definitely got away from us. I believed we were the better team, and I don’t mean that in a bitter way.” he said.

“To be written off earlier in the season and being told we were in the relegation battle, I’m super proud of the club and the senior squad, to take us to the play-offs here at Millbrae.

“I have to give credit to Ayr, they’re a phenomenal squad and they nailed what they needed to do for their game-plan, but I feel it’s one that slipped away from us.

“It’s been a recurring theme in our season that we get ourselves in good positions and don’t quite get that clinical finish we’re looking for.”

Cameron van Wky’s easy finish after the forwards had battered at Currie’s door and two powerful counter-rucks which turned Currie over showed Ayr’s power game, but when Ed Hasdell – yes, Ed Hadsell, it’s not a typo – nailed an inch-perfect 50-22 kick, the line-out went short to Courtney West, and – on the one occasion they did get an attacking maul moving – Currie were soon awarded the penalty try and Bobby Beattie was sent to the bin for bringing the maul down.

Although down to 14, Ayr retook the lead when Lewis McNamara spotted a gap round the fringes of a breakdown and ran home from about 20 metres, but were perhaps a shade lucky not to go down to 13 when a Currie counter-attack inspired by a Christie intercept was halted in the Ayr 22 by Robbie Orr. After a discussion with the far-side touch judge, referee Rob McDowell decided penalty only, which Currie failed to capitalise on. A chaotic ending to the half saw possession going to and fro before a final knock-on saw the sides off with the score at 12-7 to the hosts.

The six starting back-rowers are among the best in the league, and lovely interplay between the Currie trio of Wallace Nelson, Sam Cardosi and Hasdell combined to great effect to see Scott Robeson dive over the whitewash, but unfortunately for teh hosts, the last pass had gone forward. Currie had been playing with penalty advantage though, which they tapped, and Christie torpedoed under a pile of bodies to level the scores.

The Currie scrum-half again showed his defensive prowess by hauling down Blair Macpherson as he peeled off the back of another advancing Ayr scrum, but Jamie Drummond did finish the job from close range soon afterwards, before, from another scrum, Tim Brown found the rampaging Orr, who took the ball at serious pace before teeing up Fergus Johnston for the score.

At 22-12, at home, and with total scrum dominance. you could have expected Ayr to turn the screw tighter, but the visitors came roaring back to take a surprise lead with a little over 10 minutes to play.

The crisp passing game and adventure of Currie’s pack was impressive, West and Cairn Ramsay showed some nice skills before Ali Bain was folded in half by Adam McGowan, but Bain picked himself up, dusted himself off and finished when livewire Christie had again snuck round the edges and got within a couple of metres.

Iain Sim was then stopped within inches of the try-line after another sweeping move but Currie’s cleaners were in quickly to secure the ball and then a try was awarded by the touch judge, Christie emerging from the human debris with the ball in his hand. Alex Harley nailed both conversions from wide, so Currie now had a four-point lead.

There will be a few ‘what if?’ moments for Currie to look back on, and one of them will be the ensuing restart having taken the lead.

Unable to take cleanly, Ramsay had to sweep up near his own posts, was hunted down, and dragged back into his in-goal area.

With the way the scrums had been going, it was no surprise to see captain Macpherson rumble one over.

The coup de grâce came when Jamie Shedden picked up and went off on one of the thunderous runs we’ve become accustomed to. It must be hard enough trying to tackle Shedden when you’re not gassed, he made it to within 10 metre before being hauled down, but within a couple of phases, Beattie was over.

Teams –

Ayr: S Watson; C Van Wyk, J Shedden, R Orr, T Lanni; B Beattie, F Johnston; J Drummond, A McGuire, C Henderson, E Bloodworth, R Jackson, R Sweeney, L McNamara, B Macpherson. Subs: T Martin, C Rae, R Sayce, O Baird, T Brown, A Stirrat, A McGowan.

Currie Chieftains: C Brett; J McCaig, R Southern, S Robeson, R Daley; A Harley, G Christie; C Anderson, R Stewart, C Ramsay, R Davies, C West, W Nelson S Cardosi, E Hasdell. Subs: R Vucago, G Carson, G Scougall, A Bain, A Fletcher, D Innes, I Sim.

Referee: Rob McDowel.l

Scorers –

Ayr: Tries: van Wyk, McNamara, Drummond, Johnston, Macpherson, Beattie; Cons: Watson, Johnston;

Currie Chieftains: Tries: Penalty, Christie, Bain, Christie; Cons: Harley 2.

Scoring sequence (Ayr first): 5-0; 5-5; 5-7; 10-7; 12-7 (h-t) 12-12; 17-12; 22-12; 22-17; 22-19; 22-24; 22-26; 27-26; 29-26; 34-26; 36-26.

Yellow cards –

Ayr: Beattie

Player-of-the-Match: In a match of such quality, even the defeated have some nominees, in Courtney West, Ed Hasdell and Gregor Christie. For Ayr, you could have picked Ryan Sweeney, Rory Jackson or any of the front-row, so, for a near-80 minute display, which involved scoring a try and being part of a dominant scrum, Jamie Drummond takes the gong.

Talking point: Fond farewell to Graeme Carson who has announced his retirement, and he’ll miss days like this but will probably be glad he doesn’t want to come up against that Ayr scrum again. It was such a point of difference, at least half a dozen penalised, all one way. The only surprise was a lack of a yellow card.

Iain Hay for The Offside Line