Match Report by George Easdon

After the disappointment of last week’s call off by Ferry Road Wanderers, the Super 2s took to the field looking to defend a perfect 4-0 record against a Corstorphine side who had recorded a convincing win the last time the two met.

Thankfully, any rust which may have accumulated due to the week off was quickly washed away by the persistent downpour, which had turned the usually carpet-like Academy Park into something of a swamp. It was clear that slick hands and expansive rugby would not be the order of the day, and the forwards began to collectively salivate at the prospect of an afternoon of one-out rugby.

Sensing their chance to take centre stage, the pack wasted no time in punching some sizeable holes in the Corstorphine defensive line, with particularly strong efforts from the virile Robert Stitt, who would prove to be a powerful weapon in the loose. With the Leithers gaining some serious momentum, Ben Place carved a tight line to cleverly change the angle of attack, causing 15 defenders to scream “your man” in unison, allowing the gentle giant to plunge over from 5m out.

The early score got some Cougar tails up and, despite some heavy hits, their defensive enthusiasm started to leave them exposed at the back. Reading the game as easily as he would a nursery-level book, stand-off Dave Robertson wasted no time in brandishing his wand of a boot to great effect – a Hogwarts letter is surely in the post. Wingers Dylan Bompas and George Easdon got their steps in for the day with some strong kick-chases, the pressure began to mount and the Leithers threatened the line once again.

Taking advantage of a fragmented defence, the backs were able to step-up, and it wasn’t long before the imposing Felix Palin linked up with his equally-imposing centre partner Jaime Najera-Aleson to send the latter in for the second score of the day. Not to be outdone, number 8 Michele Crolla continued his impressive start to the season with a quick brace of tries as reward for his usual abrasive running.

With the rain continuing to pour down into the second half, both sides looked to emulate their heroes in the Scotland team by exchanging knock-ons, leading to the scrum count quickly reaching triple figures. This only played into the Leithers’ hands, however, as young dynamo Reece Barclay asserted his dominance at the set piece, picking up a couple of tries for his troubles along with (SPOILERS) a well-earned man-of-the match award.

Whilst Leith were employing the power game to great effect, spearheaded by the ferocious Scott Moore (a man who it’s seemingly impossible to tackle with less than four defenders), the space begun to open up for the more flamboyant among the Leith ranks. Step forward Messrs Meadows & Hepburn, who showed their usual deft skill to identify space and tie up the defence, ultimately giving scrum-half George Lees a great platform from which to pull the metaphorical strings. Frustration and the penalty count soon begin to rise, allowing the aforementioned Lees to put in a series of quick tap-and-go penalties, sliding through a tired Corstorphine defence like a hot knife through already-melted butter. Some say it’s simply a coincidence that his initials also spell ‘Greased Lightning’; others say it’s fate.

The surge in momentum allowed fullback Lex Dunko to take a break from fielding clearances and push forward, where it didn’t take him long to make his mark with some strong running and a well-taken meat pie for himself. Readers may be thinking that the Super 2s would surely be about to tire, but the indefatigable Andy Mac kept energy levels high, making a menace of himself at seemingly every breakdown. One for the future, that lad.

With the scoreline looking convincing, Coach Smith took the chance to ring the changes and allow his finishers to stamp their authority on proceedings. It didn’t take long for proceedings to be well-and-truly stamped; the effervescent Cook going Cougar hunting at the ruck and the elastic Cordoba making the line-out well and truly his own. No man was more thankful for this than replacement scrum-half Jose Fernandez, who whipped the ball wide with trademark flair. Waiting to capitalise on this was perennial try-scorer Steven Eadie who, despite running in almost literal treacle, still managed to set a new land speed record on the way to the line.

Sensing that he might not have been mentioned in the match report for a while, Michele Crolla finished off both the day’s scoring and his own hat-trick with some deft footwork truly befitting of his piercing white boots. As Corstorphine searched for their first points of the day, they unleashed their monstrous second row on a frankly terrifying run, only to be met by winger Dave Keogh, a man who eats both fear and second rows for breakfast. On the opposite touchline, Keogh’s wing-partner Pete Duncan was unlucky to not make it two tries in two games after some probing carries, but this was another strong performance from a player who’s started the season with a bang.

The final whistle called a halt to proceedings at a resounding 49-0, and the men in blue & white (and brown, on this occasion) should be proud of their most complete performance of the new season. Next stop: deepest, darkest Penicuik…