Melrose v Dundee
Melrose | Dundee
Saturday 27th January 2024
Captain Angus ‘Goose’ Runciman being awarded Man of the Match by President, Grant Hogg
Melrose v Dundee Rugby – 27/1/24
Saturday’s National 1 match was played on a dry sunny afternoon with a strong and cold breeze and the floodlights being required for the second half. With 5 minutes played, following a break up the middle by Will Owen, the ball was shipped wide to Harry Makowski who crossed in the Town Corner for a try converted by Struan Hutchison. Five minutes later the visitors benefitted from a 50/22 kick winning the lineout and from the resulting maul Sean Gauld scored an unconverted try in St. Mary’s Corner. On 16 minutes Melrose took a scrum for a penalty in the Town Corner with the ball being passed across the face of the posts to Bruce Colvine who dived into the Policeman’s Corner for a try well converted by Hutchison from the touch-line. Gauld scored his second try, at 32 minutes, again from a lineout rolling maul in St. Mary’s Corner with Stuart Kirk adding the extras. At 36 minutes, from a penalty lineout in the Church Corner, Craig Fairbairn, running a fine line, crashed over for a try with Hutchison converting, then, with the interval imminent and from pressure in front of the posts, Fraser McKay scored and Kirk converted to end the half.
Half time – Melrose 21 Dundee Rugby 19
The Dundee bonus point try was scored three minutes into the second half when Calvin Nelson completed a penalty lineout rolling maul in the Town Corner with an unconverted try. Eight minutes later Adam Flynn followed up on a fly-hack up the stand side to touch down in the Town Corner with Kirk converting. The Melrose, unconverted, bonus point try came at 57 minutes when Ben McLean completed a lineout rolling maul in St. Mary’s Corner. At 66 minutes Kirk kept the scoreboard ticking over with a penalty and, four minutes later, Flynn ended a period of Dundee pressure with his second try which McKay converted. Four minutes short of no-side Nelson’s game was ended with an invitation to the naughty step for a misdemeanour in the red zone with Melrose pressing.
Melrose 26 Dundee Rugby 38
Melrose – Keiran Clark, Harry Makowski, Donald Crawford, Roly Brett, Bruce Colvine, Struan Hutchison, Scott Clark, Will Owen, Sandy Fairbairn, Andrew Kirk, Angus Runciman, Thomas Brown, Craig Fairbairn, Will Ferrie, Ruairidh Lindsay. Replacements – Ben McLean, Hamish Derrick, Seb van der Sluis, Elliot Ruthven, Robin Sharp.
Dundee Rugby – Fraser McKay, Andrew Denver, Callum Nicol, Stuart Kirk, Ross Jackson, Thomas Armstrong, Grant Healey, Scott Doig, Keir Gray-Wooton, Ewan Macdonald, Lachlan Graham, Cameron Fraser, Sean Gauld, Finlay Overend, Adam Flynn. Replacements – James Shellard, Max Raitt, Calvin Nelson, Callum O’Hagan, Oliver Snodgrass.
Referee – Darroch Ramsay. Assistants – Ronan MacHugh & Victoria Lindsay-McGee.
