Ross Sutherland stopped in tracks after back-to-back defeats
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ROSS Sutherland suffered back to back defeats that put the brakes on their recent run of good form.
On Saturday a lapse in concentration allowed high-flying RAF Lossiemouth to steal a win with the last play of the game.
Tying 10-10 as the clock went red, thanks to tries from Mat Thompson and Ru Waugh, the Ross players felt they should have had a penalty as Lossie turned over the ball. As they looked in appeal to the referee, Lossie broke through the middle to steal victory. Final score Ross Sutherland 10 v 17 RAF Lossiemouth.
The previous week it was a much improved performance at Aberdeen Uni compared to the early season Cup tie, but they were unable to secure the win.
The Ross forwards played very well in spells, especially in the lead up to Murray Kennedy’s two tries, but couldn’t win enough quality ball to give to the three quarters going forward. The students had quality in the backs and were able to put the Ross defence under a lot of pressure as the game progressed. Errors cost Ross Sutherland possession and territory, and Aberdeen Uni exploited this to their advantage, running out 34 v 19 winners.
Coach Alan McLean was left ruing his sides’ mistakes: "Too many times this season we’ve been the architects of our own downfall. We have to cut out these silly errors or we’ll find ourselves dragged into a relegation dogfight. We have six games left to play and I’ll be looking for a big improvement this Saturday."
The Stags remain 5th after these recent defeats, and this Saturday they have a chance for revenge as Aberdeen Uni make the return trip to Invergordon.
ROSS Sutherland’s U18s suffered a cruel 12-18 loss against Orkney on Saturday.
Playing in freezing wet conditions at Caithness RFC’s Millbank pitch, Orkney led 8-0 before Fraser Kitson-Jones brought it back to 8-5 just before half time.
Alan Bregazzi added another try early in the second half which Fergus Dobson converted to give the Ross youngsters a 12-8 lead. Orkney hit back with 10 minutes left to take the narrowest of lead and, as the Invergordon side pushed forward for a win, Orkney somehow regained possession and they scored with the last attack of the game.
The U18s have a free weekend before facing Deeside on Sunday 8th March.
Elsewhere the S1/2s recorded a huge 80-0 win at Lochaber, scoring 12 tries and 10 conversions.
