PICTURES - Highland record bonus point win over Stirling County
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Head coach Dave Carson hailed Highland Rugby Club’s defensive effort as giving them a launchpad to record a 35–10 win over Stirling County.
Scott Fraser claimed the first try, and Magnus Henry and Jack Sutherland added to the scoreboard before half time with only a penalty in response from Stirling.
Callum Carson secured the bonus point for Highland after the interval, but while Stirling did get a try of their own Hugo Crush left the outcome in no doubt with the final score of the match, and Highland’s head coach delighted with the performance.
“Defensively we were fantastic,” Carson enthused.
“We let in one silly try, but the rest of the time we faced phase after phase.
“We talked about over-competing against Gala, which left us short out wide.
“So we let Stirling have the ball and had 14 guys on their feet.
“We knocked them down, took the legs off them with no high tackles, and eventually we got a turnover.
“Defensively we didn’t give them an inch to play in, and then obviously tries come from turnovers.
“A couple of tries early on might have been the spark they needed to really go for it, because they are desperate for points in the league.
“In the first 20 minutes we carried the ball and tried not to give them a sniff, and then when they had it we defended really hard to frustrate them and show they weren’t going to get through – and the plan worked to a tee.
“The boys worked really hard and we got three tries in the first half, so I was delighted with that.”
As well as scoring a try himself, Scott Fraser had a perfect conversion rate on Saturday.
Occasionally something of an unsung hero for his kicking, Carson is in no doubt of the value that Fraser’s consistency brings to the side.
“When you come up the leagues, you have some big scores, but with where we are now you need a reliable kicker,” he added.
“You need someone who makes high-80s and into the 90s for percentage, and that’s where he is this season.
“Every time we go down there we can be confident we’ll get three points from a penalty, or turn five points into seven with a conversion.
“If the scores are close but you’ve picked up your extra twos or threes here or there, it makes a massive difference.”
With Gala and Biggar also recording wins, it is as you were for Highland in the National One table.
The Raptors were due to be in action in Caledonia North Two on Saturday, but their scheduled trip to Shetland was postponed late in the week due to an unplayable pitch.
