Match report by George Easdon

With Leith enjoying another week with over 60 players available, a fully stocked 3rd XV ran out onto the sun-kissed Academy Park turf, looking to build on some strong individual and team performances. Whilst the win ultimately ended up being out of reach, this was entirely down to the strength of a very well drilled Lismore 2nd XV, who showed that they too are beginning to build some impressive depth.

The match kicked off with Leith receiving the ball and the home side were able to dominate the opening stages of possession, making strides through a sizeable forward pack, with particularly powerful carries from the mountainous forms of Robert Stitt, Andrew Clunie, and returning stalwart Danny Fox. Not to be outdone, the backs too looked sharp, with stand-in stand-off George Easdon linking up with Tommy Seymour at 12 before putting the Irish Whippet David Keogh down the left touchline on a mazy run. Keogh would continue this rich vein of form as the game progressed – being a real star performer for the Leithers – before a rib injury put an end to his afternoon after his 149th tackle of the day. Fortunately, another legendary Leither – Lee Robson – was plucked from the touchline and put in a seriously impressive performance from multiple positions (yes, we’re still talking about rugby), even battling through a broken hand.

Despite the strong start, Lismore would be the first to strike after their fullback gathered a kick and mounted a quick counter attack before putting a teammate in out wide. Literally striking while the metaphorical iron remained hot, it wasn’t long before Lismore were in for their second of the day as they quickly established field position and capitalised on a couple of soft Leith penalties before sticking a quick tap into the bread basket of an unnecessarily large forward, who rumbled over for the score.

As the game settled back down and the first half became the second (albeit via a short break) Leith were again able to establish some longer spells of possession, continuing to enjoy success in the wider channels which was happily exploited by Dylan Bompas & Jack Fraser, both of whom enjoyed success against their opposite men and were perhaps unlucky not to grab some points for the Leithers. The pack, too, started to exert some dominance, embodied by the selfless efforts of Christian Jetuah, who’s work-rate and physicality made a real difference.

However, points were still not forthcoming and it became time for Coach Bates to pull the strings and mastermind a fightback, challenging the spirit of a young Graham Henry. Unfortunately – as the first paragraph has given away – this would prove to be unsuccessful, although his finishers certainly made their mark. Pistol Pete the Heat Duncan – Leith’s most nicknamed man – truly punched above his weight in both defence and attack, whilst Gino Crolla and Abdula Muhammad – two relative newcomers – similarly looked completely at ease and showed some great progression. Refusing to be bettered by the novices, however, veteran George Forrest would have the last word, carving through a fatigued Lismore defensive line to dot down and send the home crowd into hysterics.

With the whistle calling an end to proceedings at 7-27, Lismore were always in control, but the scoreline belied some excellent individual performances and some good spells as a team, leaving plenty to build on for the final stretch of the season.