Highland cruise to comfortable win
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
HIGHLAND surged up to third in the Caledonia Division One table after powering to a 62-3 win over Ellon at Canal Park.
The home side proved too much of a handful for Ellon — even though they did slacken off in the second half.
The playing conditions were perfect for fast running rugby and both sides looked full of energy from the kick-off.
Highland were immediately into their stride and the forwards looked like they would provide plenty of ball for the backs to exploit.
It took only three minutes for the first score with the ball going wide to stand-off Craig Irvine, who made a nice step inside. The gap created saw him dart to the posts and touch down, before converting his own try.
A second try quickly followed, with the ball going wide for full-back Steven Rutledge to score, again converted by Irvine to make it 14-0.
It was already going so well for Highland that the players slackened off letting Ellon have a promising 10-minute spell. Their strong running prop and skilful stand-off gained some good yardage, pushing Highland to make some desperate tackles. This included one stop that the referee judged illegal and the penalty awarded was converted for 14-3.
This was perhaps the nudge that Highland needed as they gradually regained their concentration and went back on the attack. A move along the back line was blocked by the Ellon defence and, although it seemed the opportunity was lost, Craig Findlater stepped in and used his pace to race across the line. With Irvine in fine kicking form the score was now 21-3.
A great burst through the visitors’ line by David Titterington put Irvine through for his second try, which he also converted.
With Highland now well on top they were keen to keep the ball so it was unfortunate for Stuart Watson as he got pulled up by the referee for blocking release and was yellow-carded.
The home side were so much on top that they kept up the pressure despite this, with Irvine kicking a penalty for 31-3.
Ellon could not make the man advantage count and Highland kept coming. A great back line move saw Epi Vukicea collect a reverse pass at pace, slicing through the defence, then taking out the last defender with a nice pass to Findlater who scored.
Matt Allan then pounced on a loose ball and caught the Ellon defence by surprise to race over the line. Irvine completed the first-half scoring with the conversion for 45-3 at the break.
It is perhaps understandable that Highland’s players thought the job was done and they lost a lot of their composure and concentration after the break. Ellon came into the game for about 20 minutes, but though they got a lot more ball, the Highland defence was too strong for them.
It took another yellow card to get the scoring restarted and this time it was the Ellon stand-off who went off for a high tackle.
The man advantage was too much for the visitors and when the ball went wide number eight Stuart MacDonald got through and he powered down the line to score in the corner for a 50-3 lead.
The game was now nearing the end and, with the visitors’ defence tiring, Vukicea collected the ball to go over for a try which was converted by Findlater to make it 57-3. The game ended with another break by Titterington and an unconverted try for 62-3.
Coach Dave Carson was pleased with the total control his squad exerted and will want to see this repeated in every game. He will want to ensure that his players do not slacken off as they did for a couple of periods, as better sides would take advantage, but the performance was impressive all the same.
The only bad news was a shoulder injury to Corrin MacKenzie, but it is hoped that some rest and physiotherapy will mean a quick recovery.
Highland’s under-18s continued their fine season with a 39-17 win over Ellon at Canal Park. Highland raced away with the game early on but were guilty of slackening off badly to let Ellon threaten for a spell.
The win puts Highland joint top of the league with Currie, but coach John Carson and his staff will be emphasising the importance of staying focused for the entire game with bigger matches forthcoming.
On Sunday, Highland’s under-16s and under-15s completed another weekend of wins all round. Both were playing Caithness, with the under-16s winning 43-17 and the under-15s 50-22.
There was some sad news on Friday as the club heard of the death of former stand-off Colin High after a long fight against cancer. He played in the best squad produced by the club, in the period that saw them promoted four seasons in a row to reach Division One in the 1975-1976 season. A minute’s silence was held as a mark of respect before Highland’s games at the weekend.
