AT LEAST Sean Lineen’s second-half selection made a case for promotion, dominating after the break and narrowly failing to overturn the 21-point advantage which Ayr had built up in the opening three-quarters of this bounce game at Millbrae.


Scorers: Ayr: Tries: C Taylor, K Gossman, S Mpofu; Conversions: F Russell (2). Scotland Under-20s: Tries: A Sinclair, JJ Kilmartin, A Hagart; Conversions: Hagart (2).

Coach Sean Lineen praised his squad’s “excellent team spirit” but admitted there is a lot of work still to do before the team’s Six Nations campaign gets underway.

He has, however, got food for thought: “We made a lot of basic errors for Ayr’s tries, we didn’t make the best use of a lot of possession but at least we have selection options for the next camp,” he continued.

The young Scots dominated the opening exchanges but all they had to show for this was a Tommy Allen “try”, disallowed for crossing. Then Ayr got into their stride and gave the youngsters a lesson in clinical finishing as they went 14-0 ahead by the break.

In 23 minutes Ayr snaffled an over-thrown under-20s line-out, Ross Curle hoisted a kick to the corner and Cammy Taylor gathered to touch down, Finn Russell converting. The home side’s second try, in 34 minutes was a Gossman special, Craig running onto a Murray McConnell pass, drawing the final defender then sending Kerr in for the try, which Russell again converted.

Lineen rang the changes for the second half and his new-look side had Ayr under the cosh for the opening 15 minutes of the period.

However, Millbrae regulars have seen this DVD before. Ayr soaked-up the pressure, then broke out. Russell hoisted an exquisite kick to a line-out deep inside the Scots 22 and forward pressure was rewarded when Zimbabwean Shingi Mpofu drove over, Russell again converting.

But, the young Scots returned to the attack and Perpignan lock Adam Sinclair completed a series of forward drives for their opening unconverted try.

Ayr now had more second XV than first XV regulars on the park and it showed as the Scots ratcheted up the pressure, gaining their reward in 70 minutes, when JJ Kilmartin chased his own kick ahead and touched down inches inside the dead ball line. Alex Hagart converted and the youngsters had hope.

Three minutes later, Bath youngster Kilmartin again showed his pace in open field running, before giving Hagart, who had released him and kept going in support a simple run-in for the under-20s’ third try, which he himself converted to make it a two-point game.

The Scots kept up their momentum to the end, but Ayr’s terrific defence held-out for the narrowest of wins.

Ayr: C Gossman, K Gossman, R Curle, D Kelbrick, C Taylor, F Russell, M McConnell; B Schmidt, S Fenwick, N Cox, C White, P McCallum, A Dunlop, R Doneghan, C Forrester. Replacements used: A Miller, D Young, H Wisnewski, S Mpofu, B Rankin, C Brown, P Jericevich, G Anderson, R Dalgleish, M Beckwith.

Scotland Under-20: (First half): G Lowe, P Stewart, C Auld, M Bennett, S Pecquer, T Allen, S Hidalgoe-Clyne; J Bhatti, R Anderson, D Rae, J Gray, A Welsh, A Henderson, W Bordill, A Ashe. Substitutes used: M McAndrew for Hidalgoe-Clyne, J Malcolm for R Anderson, C Barnes for D Rae. (Second half): R Young, D Hoyland, K Buchan, R Fergusson, JJ Kilmartin, A Hagart, M McAndrew; S Muir, C Barnes, J Malcolm, A Sinclair, R Leishman, T Spinks, W Bordell, C Turner. Subs used: A Price for McAndrew, A Black for C Barnes, A Henderson for Bordell, D Rae for S Muir.

This article was posted on 9-Jan-2013, 08:06 by Hugh Barrow.