Greens Mark New Strips with Convincing Millbank Victory

Caithness welcomed Ross Sutherland RFC to Millbank on Saturday 12 September, with a good turnout of spectators there to see the Greens run out in their new strips for the first time.

We warmed up in the rain, but thankfully the skies cleared just before kick-off and the sun came out to make it a nice afternoon for rugby. There was still a tricky wind coming from the west, which isn’t the usual wind we get at Millbank and made conditions a little different from normal.

We had the wind at our backs in the first half and came out hard from the first whistle. Caithness quickly got on the front foot and put together some well-worked rugby, with the forwards and backs combining well and making good use of the ball.

Ross Sutherland were a physical side with some strong ball carriers, but they tended to keep their running lines tight around the ruck. Our defence dealt with this well, with the boys putting in plenty of tackles around the breakdown and making it difficult for Ross to build much momentum.

Connor Allan got Caithness on the scoreboard with our first try of the afternoon before Jack Murray went over for his first try for the club, on his first appearance at Millbank.

Our set piece was working well throughout the first half. The scrum gave us a good platform and the lineout was functioning well, allowing us to get plenty of clean ball and play in the right areas of the pitch.

Will Oag and Grant Mackay both added tries as Caithness continued to make the most of our possession, with Marc Anderson keeping the scoreboard moving from the tee.

Ross did manage to break through for a try of their own during the first half. The conversion was missed, leaving them with five points, but Caithness responded well and continued to control the game when we had possession.

Things were made a little more difficult when Gregor Mill received a yellow card, leaving the Greens down to 14 men. Ross tried to take advantage of the extra man, but Caithness defended well and managed to hold them out during the period with a man in the bin.

The Greens continued to push forward and went into the break with a commanding 31–5 lead.

The second half was a much stuffier affair. Ross came back out with their tails up and started causing us a few more problems, particularly at scrum time where they began to get the upper hand. The change of ends also meant we were now playing into the tricky westerly wind, which made kicking for territory and finding touch much more difficult.

Things got a little heated on the five-metre line when a bit of a kerfuffle broke out between the two sides. Once everything had settled down, the referee decided a Green and a Blue would both spend the next 10 minutes in the bin, with Duncan Macmillan finding himself on the naughty step for Caithness.

Ross continued to come at us and made the second half much more of a battle, but the Greens dug in and defended well. Their physical carries around the ruck kept us busy, but the boys worked hard for each other and prevented Ross from building any sustained momentum.

Caithness eventually started to work our way back up the field and Cole Wilson crossed for our first try of the second half. Douglas Webster then got himself on the scoresheet before Scott Webster added another, as Caithness ground out the points and began to put the game beyond Ross.

Ross Sutherland managed another try in the second half, this time adding the conversion, but Caithness continued to keep the scoreboard moving at the other end.

Marc Anderson had a good afternoon from the tee, finishing with five conversions and a penalty as Caithness kept the scoreboard ticking over.

It maybe wasn’t as free-flowing in the second half as the first, but it showed another side to the team. When Ross put us under pressure, the boys battled it out, defended well and worked hard for each other right up until the final whistle.

The game finished Caithness 53–12 Ross Sutherland, giving the Greens a convincing home victory in front of a great Millbank crowd. The result also earned Caithness the full five league points, with the bonus-point win making it a very worthwhile afternoon at Millbank.

A special mention has to go to Jak Murray, who was named Man of the Match on his first home game for Caithness. After making his debut last week, Jak once again looked very keen to get his hands on the ball and capped off his first appearance at Millbank with his first try for the club. Well done, lad!

Man of the Match: Jack Murray 

DOTD: Douglas Webster - unfairly awarded, according to Douglas Webster.

Thanks to everyone who came along to Millbank to support the boys and see the new strips in action. A great turnout and a good win for the Greens!

Next week we’re back on the road as we head south to Kinross, but make sure to get yourselves back to Millbank on Saturday 26 September, when we welcome Moray RFC for a 3pm kick-off.

See you there!

• Written by Douglas Webster