GHK continued their unbeaten home run on their first outing of 2022 with a fine bonus point victory against a resolute Whitecraigs side.

Both sides were raring to go after a month without any rugby due to the festive break and postponements. The two teams came into the match at opposite ends of the league table so it was likely that the south-siders would have to produce something special to leave Old Anniesland with a victory. GHK could not afford to be complacent though as their recent loss against Gordonians (a team that they had beaten by 70 points on the opening day of the season) proved.

Any concerns about rustiness were soon dispelled as the home side made a blistering start to the game. A turnover on the halfway line was spun wide by our new social media designer, Lewis Brock, to el capitano, Ben Frame. The scrum half cleverly chipped ahead which put pressure on their full back who attempted to recover the ball. GHK came out with it and the ball was recycled a few times before Glen Sutherland crashed over to the left of the posts. Craig Gossman missed the conversion but the opening attack was a sign of things to come.

Whitecraigs barely had time to catch their breath before GHK had added a second score. Some neat handling from the backline created space for openside Matt Smith to make good yardage down the left touchline. A few phases later Frame produced a wonderful flat pass to Angus Troop who only had to dot the ball down under the posts. Two more from Gossman and GHK were 12- 0 up within ten minutes.

Most of the following ten minutes were spent between the two 10 metre lines as both teams made more mistakes than Boris Johnson. The slippery pill was causing problems so the GHK pack wisely decided to ‘stick it up the jumper’ in a driving maul. As momentum slowed Feargus Haston spotted a gap and ghosted, with all the grace of a reversing dumper truck, down the right-hand touchline. He was hauled down short of the try-line but the ball eventually made it out to Jack Steele who asked his opposite man to take a seat and powered over for a fine score. Conversion missed but GHK looked good value for their lead.

Whitecraigs claimed the restart and enjoyed their first real foray into GHK’s 22. Their winger made a great break down the right touchline but was brought down metres out. Some excellent scramble defence on the try-line kept the visitors out before a turnover allowed Frame to clear into touch.

GHK were soon back on the offensive courtesy of some sublime passing from the midfield backs releasing Kerr Gossman on the halfway line. The industrious winger had a busy afternoon and managed to beat a few defenders on his way to the visitor’s 22 metre line. Steele ran hard off a short pass and then offloaded to the runaway train that was Sutherland for his second try; a collector’s item for the front row union. Gossman slotted the conversion to make the score 24-0.

It was almost a point per minute but Whitecraigs fought back and made some good yards in front of the main stand after collecting the restart. Some neat handling released a midfield runner who was brought down twenty metres out illegally by Smith. He reluctantly accepted his fromage and sat in the cheap seats for ten minutes.

Though nothing came from the resulting attack, there was a marked increase in intensity from Whitecraigs and they soon turned pressure into points. A huge 50:22 nudge pinned GHK back deep in their own half. Some desperate defending kept Whitecraigs at bay but not for long. A scrum and a few phases later lead to the visitors getting their first score under the posts which was duly converted.

It would be GHK that got the final score of the half though, despite being a man down. The ball was slung left to right on the halfway line and the bouncing ball checked the Whitecraigs defensive shape. Their hesitation allowed Jack Somerville to beat a few defenders on the right-hand side. The ball was spun quickly to the opposite touchline and up to the Whitecraigs try-line before an anonymous scorer flopped over from close range. Please contact us directly if you have a claim to the try though we cannot promise this report will be edited for legal reasons. No ambiguity about the kicker though as Gossman added two points to make the score 31-7 at half time.

There were rumblings from the (substantial) visually impaired members of the crowd that they could not tell which team was which due to the similar strips. So, GHK switched to their white away strips at half time – apologies in advance to whoever cleans them!

Though their strips had changed, GHK’s chokehold on the game stayed the same. A sublime left-footed crosskick from Frame bounced kindly into the hands of Ben Hutton and the full back strolled over from ten metres out. Another score soon followed after powerful bursts from replacement hooker Cian Smith and Gossman Jr created acres of space for Steele to grab his second try of the game. The centre had taken over kicking duties and made no mistake with the conversion.

Whitecraigs responded strongly though and after regaining the kick-off used an overlap to charge towards the GHK line. A number of pick and go’s were quelled superbly and a penalty was awarded to the defending team. GHK continued to defend well, particularly in midfield, which forced a number of handling errors.

The next try began with a scrum won against the head on the halfway line thanks to an almighty shove from the GHK pack. A few wide passes created space for Frame, now playing full back, to scythe through and he almost made it all the way. There was no sign of white line fever though as the home side patiently went through the phases until the ball was eventually spun wide to Brock to finish off an impressive team try. Steele added a tricky conversion to bring up the half century.

There was time for each team to score one more try. GHK’s came from replacement scrum half Luke Oliver; sniping round the blindside of the ruck from close range after excellent work from the forwards. Whitecraigs replied with a tidy score as their fly half collected his own grubber kick under the posts. Both of the conversions were successful and the final whistle went soon after.

Full Time: GHK 57-14 Whitecraigs

Given this was the first game back after the festive break, GHK can be really pleased with their performance. The set piece was largely untroubled throughout and some of the handling in slippery conditions was superb. What will perhaps please the coaches the most was the robust defence even when the result was beyond any doubt. Whitecraigs will be disappointed not to at least come away with a losing try bonus point as they did threaten to score from close range a number of times.

In terms of individual performers, there were a few stand-outs. Both props got through a mountain of work this week; Martyn White and Glen Sutherland carried hard and often which is particularly impressive given the number of scrums in the game. Lewis Brock showed some nice hands on top of his usual lineout prowess. Matt Smith made a copious number of yards with ball in hand which included a stunning break from his own line. Ben Frame provided real class behind the scrum with some lovely touches from hand and (both) boots. Kerr Gossman got the team going forward whenever he touched the ball. However, it is Jack Steele that gets this week’s Edinburgh Gin Player of the Match. This was a complete performance from the inside centre; two tries, some barnstorming runs, solid defence and he even took over kicking duties towards the end of the game. Well done Jack!