Howe hang on and return to Fife with crucial victory

Howe of Fife.......................28

Falkirk went down at home to Howe of Fife on Saturday in an intriguing BT National Division 1 match which saw three penalty tries awarded.

The encounter remained scoreless until the 17th minute when Falkirk’s forwards were pressurising on the Fifers’ five metre line.

The referee yellow carded visiting hooker Connor Crawford and then awarded a penalty try to Falkirk for the visitors collapsing the resultant scrum. Liam Brims slotting over the easy conversion.

However HoF retaliated with a vengeance bang on the half-hour mark. This time Falkirk’s number 8 Jake Eaglesham was yellow carded for a high tackle on his opposite Graeme Steedman and the Fifers awarded a penalty try which stand-off Dom Martin duly converted to make the half-time score 7-7.

Stalemate prevailed until left winger Kyle Rowe broke the deadlock with a well taken try from inside the visitors’ 22 metre line, which Brims converted.

Alas Falkirk’s lead lasted only three minutes as right winger Ben Mitchell charged down an attempted clearance kick and gleefully dived over for the touchdown, Martin converting.

Very shortly afterwards Brims converted a penalty for Falkirk but in another surge from the Fifers, just four minutes later, their forwards paved the way for inside-centre Stewart Lathangie to squeeze his way through a gap from a five-metre ruck for his side’s third try. Again Martin converted.

With the match finely balanced at 21-17 in the visitors’ favour, Falkirk fought tooth and nail but a midfield break from Crawford saw him eat up the ground right up to the home side’s five metre line and in the desperate last ditch defending the man in the middle spotted a Falkirk infringement and awarded HoF their second penalty try of the match right at the end of regulation time. Martin once more converting.

Falkirk never stopped trying and Brims forced his way through for an 84th minute try which he quickly converted himself.

This week Howe host Aberdeen Grammar Rugby.