Convincing win for U18s

Having comprehensively disposed of Ardrossan 3 weeks ago Hamilton U18s played host to Newton Stewart in the quarterfinal of the West Cup. Newton Stewart had beaten Dalziel 22-3 in the first round and so they were expected to be a different class of opposition.

Throughout the game Newton Stewart showed they had plenty of spirit and skill and they played with good discipline and effort. The young Bulls however played with better structure and a game plan that has been drilled into them over the season. Before the game their coach Ross Whiteside reminded them of the importance of working as a team and though his method was unconventional the boys clearly got the point. Every member of the team played a part in picking apart the visitors defence, creating overlaps for the Hamilton wingers Ali Govan and Callum Stewart and full back Cammie Moran to exploit. All three of them scoring in the first half hour without reply from the visitors. The pick of these first three tries started with the forwards disrupting the opposition’s lineout on our 5 metre line allowing Billy Simpson to collect the ball on his own try line and carry it like a true Bull up to the half way line before giving it to the backs, who passed it through the hands with precision, releasing Cammie Moran on a scintillating run up the right wing ripping the scramble defence to shreds and offloading to Ali Govan who had an easy run in beneath the posts.

Newton Stewart did not give up and before the half was finished they managed to get a try of their own. After being penalised for going off their feet in a ruck just inside their 22, Hamilton lost a further 10 metres for arguing with the referee and the visitors pressed home the advantage with a power play that the hosts could not defend. A few acts of indiscipline with the referee was probably the biggest threat to Hamilton losing the game. When they played rugby and stuck to their game plan they dominated the game but when they got caught up in the emotion of the game they lacked focus, giving advantage to the opposition.

Taking a 17-5 lead into the second half the Bulls knew that their game plan was working and all they had to do was stick to it. The visitors, recognising the damage done in the wings in the first half, tried to push their defence wide a bit more quickly but as their legs tired this created gaps in the middle. Robbie MacDonald could see these gaps appearing in front of him and used his impressive turn of pace to score two tries through the middle early in the second half. Half way through the second half the home team brought on their subs who all put in strong displays showing the true depth the squad has now. Conner Virtue in particular continued to impress in his new role as a flanker.

Newton Stewart continued to work hard and they were rewarded with a second try deep into the second half but Hamilton refused to take the foot off the pedal and pressed home two more tries before the end. The first was scored following good support play from the forwards making ground on the right and finished by a strong run through a tired defence by Billy Simpson. The second, when Nathan Brown found space wide and kicked forward intelligently into space and dribbled over the line by Dominic McRoberts.

The final score of 43-10 was well deserved and reflected a dominant team performance. The U18s are now looking forward to hosting Dumfries in the semi-final in two weeks time where they will be looking to get revenge for their narrow defeat earlier in the season.