Sutherland steals the show in bad-tempered clash as Yellows go joint top
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Caithness 2nds bludgeoned their way to victory over Highland 3rd XV in a messy, bad-tempered affair at Millbank on Saturday.
The evergreen George Sutherland stole the show in their tension-filled 28-21 win which took the Yellows joint top of Caledonia League 4.
Sutherland chipped in with 21 points as the home side avenged their narrow early-season defeat at Canal Park.
Coach Cameron Boyd was elated if exhausted after a nerve-shredding stint on the touchline watching a game in which the result was in doubt up right up to the final whistle.
He had a tough job finalising a XV, never mind a squad, on a day when the 1sts were away and themselves had no shortage of personnel issues.
"On Thursday evening we were sitting with just nine guys confirmed but, after a bit of hunting about, we managed to fill the gaps and on the day ended up with a squad of 22," he explained.
Because both teams had front-row issues, the match was played with uncontested scrums.
Both sides more than made up for the lack of physicality in the set-piece with the intensity they brought to all other aspects of the game. This occasionally resulted in players becoming embroiled in unedifying off-the-ball skirmishes on the ground.
Caithness settled well and were soon stringing together some incisive phases deep in opposition territory.
The pressure paid dividends when a series of close-in breenges for the line fractured the Highland defence to allow Sutherland to plunge over for his first try on 10 minutes.
Midway through the half, the Yellows forged further in front when Danny Gordon, playing his first game in four years, showed he had lost none of his pace as he finished off a long-range counter.
Sutherland, a career-long back-rower, adjusted well to playing stand-off, even converting the two tries, albeit from in front of the posts.
Any thought this might herald a comfortable home win was dispelled as the Eagles laid siege to the Caithness line towards the end of the first half.
Defiant defence prevailed until the third of three penalties was taken quickly by scrum-half Iain Stewart to send winger Peni Tubuva scuttling to the line. Kyle Bruce added the extras.
The visitors retained the whip hand in the third quarter when they again fully tested the opposition's defensive lines.
It was against the run of play when Sutherland strong-armed his way through to finish off a counter-attack. Craig Cannop converted to put his side 21-7 up.
Back came Highland with Tubuva running in his second try and Bruce converting, with just over seven minutes remaining.
Sutherland quickly restored some breathing space with his third try, which he converted.
But the contest was in the balance with two minutes left when another Fijian, Waisala Patokalau, crossed. Kyle's third successful kick earned Highland a losing bonus point.
Coach Boyd said his side's win was based on their work off the ball.
"Our defensive effort was immense," he said. "We hang our hat on our defence and I was delighted how it featured in our performance.
"It was a really tight game and it could have gone either way."
Apart from Sutherland, he highlighted the parts played by another returning super-vet Will Mill, prop Ian Sutherland and tyro flanker Ryan Cormack.
The result, combined with Deeside's 38-12 victory at Dyce, puts the Yellows joint top with Dyce on 30 points.
Deeside are on 27 with Highland 3rds on 26, though the Inverness side have a game on hand on their three rivals.
On Saturday, Caithness travel to Deeside before completing their campaign away to Dyce on March 26.
