Currie 17 - 37 Stirling County: Visitors make it clear they can be title contenders

THE visitors ensured they would be in the top eight after next week’s mid-season split with this comprehensive and thoroughly deserved victory.

More significantly, if they carry on in this rich vein of form, while their rivals continue to drop points, there is no reason why they can’t be in contention for silverware at the end of the season.

The Bridgehaugh men defeated reigning champions Melrose at home last week and scored six fine tries while hammering the 2010 top dogs this week. If they achieve a hat-trick by dispatching Ayr, the 2009 winners, next weekend, they will look like real contenders.

Of course, none of these vanquished foes are the sort of irresistible forces they have been in recent seasons, and with Gala and Dundee causing major waves in recent weeks, this promises to be one of the tightest league run-ins in recent history.

It is telling that neither Alex Moffat, who contributed a brace of tries, nor coach Eddie Pollock attempted to talk down Stirling’s title credentials after the match.

“Everyone is playing well and everything we put in place at the start of the season is starting to come to fruition,” said Moffat. ‘We know that when we play to our potential, we are a match for anyone else in the league, and when we don’t play well we can let anyone back in against us. Fortunately, things are going right for us at the moment and long may that continue.”

Pollock added: “We’ve won five and drawn one out of the last seven. We had a 15-minute blip against Gala, when we missed three tackles which cost us the game, but, apart from that, we have got better and better each week.

“The pack has been outstanding and it was very good again today, but what pleased me most was the all-round performance of the team. We went through a lot of phases at times, we were very patient when we had to be and some of our offloading was fantastic.”

This was not a fatal blow to Currie’s championship aspirations but it did do serious damage. They are still within striking distance of the top of the league but can not continue to drop points in this careless manner. For all that County were thrilling in attack and controlled the game expertly, they were never put under any real under pressure. Currie were missing a handful of key men, including No 8 Ross Weston and scrum-half Richard Snedden, but they should be able to cope better with these problems.

Both teams deserve credit for their positive approach, with Stirling’s third try the best of the nine touchdowns scored in this highly-entertaining match. It was instigated by a wonderful mazy kick-return by Currie wing Barrie Mansfield, which took the home team deep into opposition territory and had the Malleny faithful on their feet in anticipation. But Stirling somehow pinched possession and launched a searing counterattack of their own through Ben Addison, which took the game back up to the halfway line. There was a quick ruck followed by a powerful burst from Brian Archibald and the move was finished off with prop Mike MacDonald showing admirable dexterity to send winger Graham Lindsay scooting over.

That score made it 15-12 to Stirling with only 26 minutes gone. Moffat and Ross Aitken had already scored for the visitors, while Andy MacMahon and Michael Entwhistle had replied for the hosts.

The four-try bonus point was secured for Stirling just before half-time, when powerful running from Stevie Swindall and Archibald created the momentum for a Stuart Edwards touchdown. A try for replacement flanker Malcolm Peacock two minutes into the second half suggested that Currie might wrestle their way back into this match. Instead, Stirling stretched their lead with a second try for Moffat and a late score for Sean Kennedy, plus two conversions and a penalty from Archibald, who must have changed his boots at half-time, having missed all four of his pots at goal during the first 40 minutes.

Stirling set up camp in Currie’s 22 and spent the last 15 minutes bashing their way through the phases. It was an object lesson in how to close a game down.

On those rare occasions when the home team were given a chance to build pressure, they committed whopping great bloopers, such as passing to the touch-judge instead of a team-mate and kicking penalties dead when going for the corner.

Scorers: Currie – Tries: MacMahon, Entwhistle, Peacock. Con: Forbes. Stirling: Tries: Moffat (2), Aitken, Lindsay, Edwards, Kennedy; Cons: Archibald (2). Pen: Archibald.

Currie: J Forbes; B Mansfield, D Fife, A MacMahon (A Whittingham 78), D Smith; A Binikos, C Leck; J Cox, F Scott (N Scobie 30), R Merrilees, A Adam (A Johnston 78), G Temple, S Marcell, M Entwhistle (M Peacock 30), M Cairns.

Stirling County: B Addison; G Lindsay (M Doneghan 30), D Gilmour, B Archibald, R Aitken; S Edwards, S Kennedy; M MacDonald (C Hutton 78), A Moffat (J Graham 78), G Mountford (C Hutton (47-68), C Deacons, R McAlpine, T Clarke, R Boswell, S Swindall (S Robertson 61).

Referee: D Changleng.