Please find some images that you may or may not see at the Accies Halloween party on Saturday 30th October 2010!
The other teams didn't do quite so well and they struggled when they had players off the field through yellow cards. Stay on the field please chaps!
Well it is a big derby this weekend and I found this on our rivals website. It made me angry and they are going to get posed some serious questions physically this weekend. I WANT TO RELEGATE THEM!
Gav's Grumblings
Ian Barnes, erstwhile Accies coach, has this mantra about rugby: 'Rugby is a simple game - win the ball, keep the ball, go forward'.
It's not often I feel sorry for backs, but, on Saturday, I did. In February, when we last played Hill/Jills, Hayden cut them open in midfield and we were able to play with sufficient pace to support him and end up comfortable winners. On Saturday, if we had even 40% of the ball, there was a chance we could repeat that victory with our back division. Unfortunately, the set piece was a struggle, both scrums and lineouts were unsecure and a number of turnovers let us down.
At Inverleith, the home crowd encourages the players to play in the opposition's 22 rather than to try and manufacture things around the half way line. If you are only getting 35% of the ball, however, why would you want to kick it back to the opposition? Surely, with the little amount of ball, you have to try and ask a few questions? Liam, Borth, Mike and Bambi could beat their opposite numbers, so the challenge was to support them and create.
Liam settled us nicely with a couple of well-struck penalties, but there was an unease about our lead because we knew that there is only so long we can play without the ball. Eventually, Hillhead allowed their possession to yield points and we were grateful to be still in the game at half-time, 6-12.
In the second half the game opened up a bit. We scored two good tries from George Turner and conceded four tries as Hillhead comfortably put us away. We were up against it physically; it is all very well to criticise, but I remember playing against physically superior teams, and it is not much fun.
What could we have done better? We could have supported each other better, and not only when we had the ball - there was often a delay after a tackle, allowing for potential turnovers. But also in the tackle, where you need to help your team mate - in the modern jargon, scramble defence. If you go high to tackle these big guys, they can brush you off, so try to help each other and get in their faces. I watched the rugby league on Saturday morning and sometimes there were four tacklers on the ball carrier. I know Union is different, but it's all about helping your mates.
Positives: Liam looked comfortable at 10, Greg looked a useful player who will add to our options in the centre and Rob injected a bit of urgency when he switched to scrum half. Our forwards all had their moments individually, but, once we were behind, collectively, the heads went down, and it was all a bit flat.
'Win the ball, keep the ball, go forward'. We have Accies on Saturday, and they have qualified as one of the 'fabled four'. They got a man sent off on Saturday, so they will be understrength this week. We beat them last year at Raeburn - can we do it again? We need to get our set piece better, and we need to support each other better in defence and attack.
Are they better rugby players than us? Absolutely not - do it for each other.
Gav Calder
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