QUICK KENYA END SCOTS IN SINGAPORE SEMI

Note from Ed--just wait until the Ethiopians take up Rugby


Scotland’s campaign to win the bowl at the IRB Singapore Sevens ended in the semi-final stage today, going down 26-14 to a quick and determined Kenyan side.

The crowd of 16,500 really got into the match with the acoustics of the ground creating a party atmosphere with plenty of Scottish support. It could do nothing to will the boys to victory as once too often, Kenya showed their pace and were destructive when given the opportunity.

Pete Gallagher, Scotland 7s team manager, said: “Not the result we looked for. I thought the problem we had was that in the contact area they were much stronger. They turned us over too many times. With the pace that they’ve got, if you don’t have the ball, you’ve got problems.

“We’ve played against them a number of times and beaten them but they’ve done their homework and they knew what the target was and did it well,” he added.

Kenya started well, gaining ground and forcing hard tackles from Ben Cairns and Scott Forrest once more. In a high-tempo game, the Kenyans looked comfortable in the humidity but it was fairly evenly-matched for the duration.

The deciding factor proved to be pace and Kenya had it in plentiful supply. Try number one came in the fourth minute, Teddy Omondi the scorer but Scotland returned the pressure and were able to level the scores at seven points each for the half thanks to a Ciaran Beattie try, Clark Laidlaw slotting the ball between the posts.

A critical try for Kenya came in the opening minute of the second half, Scotland a little slow to react and close them down. A Kenyan re-start and another Kenyan try as speedy winger Omondi got his second to take them 19-7 ahead.

Andrew Turnbull kept up his scoring routine but his eighth for the tournament just wasn’t enough this time. At 14-19 down, Laidlaw took a high-tackle in the dying seconds which saw Dennis Mwanja sent to the sin-bin for Kenya but the two penalties that Scotland were awarded after the hooter could not be capitalised on.

They came agonisingly close in the right corner, but when the ball was fed back inside, a sloppy pass was kicked ahead by Humphrey Kayange who gathered and touched down, leaving Scotland with no more chances and an early finish to the day’s events.

Gallagher concluded: “At the end of the day, they got the result. They’re a good side and have been for a number of years – people don’t seem to realise how talented they are. They are big, physical athletes who’ve got pace.”

Kenya now face Japan in the bowl final; Samoa and France line up in the plate showdown while Fiji go into their sixth consecutive final to play England once more.

Captain Mark Lee is an experienced sevens player and thinks that this trip has been a great experience for all the squad and should be used as a vital development tool for rugby.

He said: “Today we slipped up slightly but the good thing is we know why we went wrong and these are areas we can improve on and it’s important to stress that we should always improve performance and look for the win. If we can develop winners then we can push them forward for the 15s game.

“I think this is why rugby sevens is so good for the young lads and their personal development as rugby players. Going from a good performance yesterday beating Argentina, who are a quality side and running South Africa close, we had to go on from the disappointment of not qualifying for the cup and try to put in three good matches to win the bowl.

“That was our aim and I think the boys found out today how difficult it is in international rugby. It doesn’t matter who you play, everybody wants to win. I think they boys are realising that they have to play at the top of their game every time they put on a Scotland jersey if they are to win,” he added.

Mark knows better than most in the squad what it means to be playing for their country. He suffered a serious injury here last year and was told he may never play again. He said: “It’s never difficult for me to pick myself after defeats when I’m playing for Scotland. It’s something that I’ve always dreamed of.

“It has been a bit of a rollercoaster season. I think some of the teams have worked us out from last season but we’ve taken a step forward and yesterday we took a step forward in developing our game and keeping the focus mentally.

“Personally it is very gratifying to come back to Singapore when I didn’t get a chance to play last year. All credit to the guys who helped me get back into it. Hopefully the rehab has extended my playing career, and I’ll keep working on my fitness and take it on to the next tournament.”

SCOTLAND 7s: Clark Laidlaw * (Jed-Forest), Andrew Turnbull * (Watsonians), Scott Forrest (Glasgow Warriors and Glasgow Hawks), Dave Callam * (Edinburgh Gunners), Oli Brown * (Boroughmuir), Ben Cairns (Edinburgh Gunner’s and Currie) and Ciaran Beattie (Border Reivers and Selkirk).
Substitutes: Mark Lee * (King’s Own Scottish Borderers) CAPTAIN for Forrest, Matt Coupar (Edinburgh Academicals) for Beattie, Ross Rennie (Edinburgh Gunners and Stewart’s Melville FP), Colin Gregor * (Glasgow Warriors and Watsonians), and Ali Warnock * (Nottingham).

* indicates member of the Scottish Institute of Sport

This article was originally posted on 9-Apr-2006, 13:31 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 9-Apr-2006, 13:36.