Cupar rugby side knows Howe it feels to lose to late penalty

Since the early-season fixture between these two, West’s fortunes have been on the up, with a new coach and returning players improving performances dramatically.

In the gloom of a dismal winter’s afternoon at Burnbrae, it was an ominous start for Howe as they were seven points down after a minute. A relieving Howe kick was charged down and, on a very wet pitch, puddled with water all over, West latched on to the loose ball, with their forwards driving over the line.

West continued to keep up the pressure on Howe, playing to a simple game plan, their heavier forwards finding the going easier on the heavy ground.

Howe made too many uncharacteristic mistakes in midfield, unable to keep possession of the ball. The Howe defence was resolute in very tricky conditions which were not conducive to running rugby.

In 18 minutes, Howe reduced the arrears. A sweeping move followed a penalty lineout, with Jack Todd and Sean Murray gaining ground before releasing Cammy Walker to finish. Iain Aitken was unable to hit the conversion.

The dominance of the West forwards in loose play created more opportunities for the home side. Howe didn’t capitalise when in possession, with dropped passes and a flow of penalties against them.

It was a dropped pass in midfield from Howe from which West scored. The loose ball was kicked through across the ground behind the Howe defence. When picked up by West, they scored after a couple of passes and added the conversion.

For a relatively young side, Howe are very resilient. Immediately, they were back on the attack. Just before the interval, they were unjustly denied what appeared a very definite try.

Fraser, with typical strength, assisted by Lathangie and Douglas, forced the ball over the line but the referee ruled it out for a double movement.

The second half was very much dictated by the actions of the referee, missing several apparently significant high tackles and penalising Howe on numerous occasions for misdemeanours at the break down. West kicked a penalty from one of these, giving them a 17-5 lead through the first quarter.

Despite the cold, wet, slippery conditions, Howe came more into the game, even accounting for the high penalty count against them.

With their persistence and application paying off, Aitken crossed for Howe’s second score, one he was unable to convert. Injuries and replacements did not deter Howe’s momentum. Strong running from Todd, Smith and Murray, Thomas and Clunas kept West on the defence.

Howe were again denied a score from another drive over the line. Then followed a period of intense West pressure, encamped on the Howe line, repelled by a huge effort from the Howe.

This galvanised Howe, with the whole team working for each other. Forwards and backs engineered field position close to West’s try line. Eventually, replacement prop George Tarling squirmed under

the defence to score. A magnificent kick from Aitken tied the score at 17-17.

But, in the last minute, there was a cruel flashback to three years ago. Then, Howe led by two points, with West kicking a penalty to score.

This was a repeat dose. Howe, having held off West’s late attack, fell foul of the referee again, losing to another late penalty. It was hard to take after the effort and work put in by the whole team.

This week, league leaders Lasswade visit Duffus Park.