Men's 1st XV - Annan
Oban Lorne made the long trip south to face Annan on a sunny day, but it was the home side who started brightly. Annan capitalised on Oban's ill-discipline early in the match, using quick tap penalties to work their way up the pitch. Their first try came after sustained pressure, which was converted to put them 7-0 ahead.
Annan's ambition to play running rugby was clear, especially through their scrumhalf, who kept tapping quickly at penalties. A penalty kick soon followed, extending their lead to 10-0. From the restart, Annan quickly added to their tally with a strong carry and offload by their backrow, allowing their number 13 to charge upfield. An awkward bounce landed in the hands of their scrumhalf, who scored another try. The conversion made it 17-0.
Oban found a spark shortly after. Good running from Blair MacFarlane created space, and eventually, Connor Ferris crossed the line to put Oban on the board. However, Annan responded with more pressure through their powerful number 8, earning another penalty and extending their lead to 20-5.
Oban began to settle into their attacking rhythm, and after several well-executed phases, Lorne Sinclair crossed for a try, which Finlay Carmichael converted, narrowing the gap to 20-12.
Despite Oban’s momentum, Annan’s disciplined defence held firm, and they worked their way back up the pitch with some clever kicking from their scrumhalf. A penalty followed after sustained pressure, pushing the score to 23-12.
Annan’s scrumhalf continued to cause problems for Oban, taking advantage of a knock-on near Oban's 22. He scooped up the loose ball and ran untouched to score another try, extending Annan’s lead to 28-12 by half-time.
Despite the scoreline, the teams seemed more evenly matched than the scoreboard suggested, but Oban’s lack of defensive structure and the influence of Annan's scrumhalf were proving costly.
Early in the second half, a missed touch kick by Oban led to another dangerous counter-attack from Annan. After sustained pressure, Vas Borisov received a yellow card, leaving Oban a man down. Annan capitalised on the advantage, scoring a forwards’ try after several phases. The conversion made it 35-12.
Annan struck again soon after, with their number 8 picking up from the back of a scrum and charging over from 22 metres out for a powerful try, bringing the score to 40-12. Oban showed flashes of positive, structured attack but struggled to finish, as Annan’s organised defence kept them at bay.
Annan added another try through their flyhalf, who latched onto a clever box kick from the scrumhalf inside Oban’s 22 – a tactic they had tried earlier in the game. This extended their lead to 47-12.
Another Oban mistake in attack led to a kick forward by Annan’s scrumhalf, with their number 13 finishing it off. The conversion pushed the score to 54-12.
Annan quickly added another try through a tap-and-go, with slick link-up play leading to a score and making it 61-12.
Despite the heavy scoreline, Oban finished the game strongly, with Blair MacFarlane scoring two well-worked tries in the closing stages, one of which was converted by Finlay Carmichael. The final score was 61-24.
For Oban, it was a tough day, and they’ll be focusing on improving their defensive shape and capitalising in attack. However, it was a valiant effort from the 16 players who travelled, again showing the challenges of winning away from home without a full squad.
