West lose out at Hughenden
Friday, 8 November 2024
After last week’s excellent win over the previously undefeated Allan Glen’s, West of Scotland travelled in confidence to Hughenden to face Hillhead-Jordanhill. Ryan Hope returned at tight-head with Pete Rhodes moving to No 8 to replace Donald Morrison, the latter crossing to blindside flanker. The only change in the back division saw Gareth Hopkins replace Lien Brown on the right wing.
West kicked-off with the advantage of what wind there was and immediately were on the front foot. Twice in the opening exchanges they were held up over the home line. It was their hosts, though, who would go ahead after five minutes. It was a superb score. The backline moved the ball at pace from left to right and then right to left. They switched direction again, creating the overlap for right wing Damien Genocchio to score. Rory Harte added the conversion. The try was the only really moment of quality in the opening quarter. The greasy ball made handling difficult but the Hills-Jills backs did look the sharper. West had lost openside Adam Young to what could only be described as stupid yellow card, the flanker preventing a quick tap penalty by pulling his opponent back by the shirt.
Home stand-off Harte has always looked a class act in matches between the sides and it was he who set up the second try. He went through a gap in the West defence before his perfectly timed pass sent in the supporting Andrew Brown. Harte was again successful from the tee. It was a deserved lead with Hills-Jills’ big ball carriers dominating. West, though, brought themselves back into the contest a few minutes before the interval. From a ruck on the home line, the ball was moved right. They did look short of numbers but the pace of full back Lewis Howick took him outside the Hills-Jills defence to score in the corner. Before the half-time whistle, home scrum-half Fraser Ebbitt was yellow-carded for a high tackle. West trailed by nine points at the break but it was very much all to play for.
It took Hills-Jills just four minutes of the second half to extend their lead, Calum Griffiths scrambling over from a ruck on the visitors’ line. Harte made it three out of three with the kick. The win was more or less secured a few minutes later when Scott Halliday took Harte’s pop-up to score with ease. It was also the try bonus point. Nicky Sutcliffe’s superb long miss pass allowed Nicky O’Brien to reduce the arrears, Howick converting. It was vital West got the next score but it was their hosts who would do so, capitalising on a West error. The ball was loose in the visitor’s 22, Halliday hacked it over the line and got there first to touch down. Harte added his fourth conversion of the afternoon.
The powerful running outside centre Sutcliffe had looked the most dangerous of the West backs and he set up West’s third try. Breaking the home defence, he found O’Brien in support. The left wing was stopped just short of the line but managed to offload to Hopkins who scored. Howick converted. West had ten minutes in which to score the try that would give them a bonus point, possibly even two. It didn’t come. Appropriately, it was another fine score from the home three-quarters, Brown finishing off, that would end the scoring.
Hillhead-Jordanhill certainly deserved the win in what had been a tough, physical but in all honesty, scrappy game. It was the first time West have failed to take at least a bonus point this season. Next Friday evening, West visit Old Anniesland to play GHK in the National League Cup. Kick-off is 7.30 pm. It will be a tough task against a side from the division above.
