Dundee HS FP 33, GHA 8

A try by Gregg Taylor and a penalty goal by Jim Noonan were all that GHA could muster on the scoresheet on their visit to Mayfield on Saturday. Dundee scored five tries in emphasising their role at the top of the table in the Scottish Hydro Electric Premier Two championship.

GHA were only two points adrift when Taylor raced through on the right off possession from the lineout tail on the other flank. However, the GHA lineout did not work effectively for much of the match. Nor were the visitors up to speed in matching Dundee’s streetwise play at the breakdown. The home forwards seemed to have sussed that the referee was not bothered by players who dived over the top at the tackle.

That latter difference was a crucial factor late in the first half, by which time GHA were down 5-19. Andy Williamson made a storming run up the left touchline, and though he was brought down just short of the line it was a position that GHA could well have exploited. But they were penalised for holding on the ball on the ground whereas another referees could well have sanctioned the opposition for diving on to the tackle with the sole intention of preventing or slowing the ball’s release.

That said, however, Dundee were the better team. They scored first with Stephan Dryer going in from a tapped penalty, Barry Jones converting, and they struck two quick-fire blows soon after Taylor’s try. Dryer had a second, this one off a close-range scrum, and Aubrey Horton went in from a tapped free kick, Jones converting one.

GHA could have been ahead from Taylor’s try if Noonan had not missed a penalty immediately after Dundee’s opener. Also, the conversion attempt was too far out for him, and though he opened the second-half scoring with a penalty goal Dundee had the game under control. Yet GHA held out for 27 minutes between the home team’s two further tries scored by Danny Levison (immediately after Adam McCormick had been sin-binned) and Cammy Ferguson. Jones converted both.

Dundee HS FP – Aubrey Horton; Richard Seivewright, Ross Lemon, Lindsey Graham, Andy Dymock; Cammy Ferguson, Barry Jones; Neil Dymock, Paul Scannell, Alan Brown, Richie Hawkins (captain), Chris Cumming, Stephan Dryer, George Oommen, Danny Levison. Substitutes – Ben Fulton, Euan Grewer, James Hogg, Tom Sheffield.

GHA – Gregg Taylor; Patrick Hilley, Niall Cassie, Andrew Rushforth, Ross McClymont; Jim Noonan, Jamie Smyth; Geoff Warnock, Joe Coffey, Andy Kelly, Ian Smith, Andy Wiliamson, Paul Harkin, Andy Boag, Dominic Kellock. Substitutes – Adam McCormick, Ryan Jenkins, Paul Bennett, Rangi Jericevich.

Referee – Rupert Henderson.