Ellerslie Rugby Park – A promising start dissolved quickly in the second half for St. Albert’s seconds 15 Wednesday night as resurgent Edmonton Clansmen beat the squad 31-24.
The game at Ellerslie field had all the makings of a St. Albert blowout, at least in the first half as the seconds put three consecutive trys on the board with little answer from the Clan.
A strong and persistent wind made conversions difficult, but St. Albert already scored three times and had a 17-0 lead before the Clan even managed to get on the board. The second try came courtesy of hard work by Simon MacQuire, with the third coming off a strong run from Kyle Ballie.
When the Clan finally got on the board late in the first half, St. Albert still appeared dominant. They opened the second half with a determined drive, nearly to the Clan goal, but were pushed back.
Coach Gareth Scott said the first half may have appeared to be St. Albert’s, but credited the flattering score more to a slow start for the Clan than the work of his own team.
“It looked like we were doing things right, but I think it was probably just a slow start on their behalf,” he said, adding once they woke up and the game got physical his team didn’t have a response.
The second half proved the local squad’s undoing, with several missed line outs and lost scrums.
St. Albert showed a brief flash of life when the Clan tied the game, but they continued to have real difficulty getting the ball out of their own end.
“Defensively we absolutely disappeared,” said Scott.
Midway through the half St. Albert was dealt another blow, with a yellow card to Graham Scott for falling on the ball and delaying the game.
The loss proved costly for St. Albert as the Clan’s fast-moving wings were already distributing the ball effectively down the line.
Scott said his defence simply wasn’t connecting.
“When their players are running in from 40 metres and missing five or six players, not even getting touched …” he said, trailing off in frustration.
Towards the end of the game, St. Albert’s 17-0 lead had dissolved into a 31-17 deficit. The seconds managed to narrow the lead to 31-24 near the end of the game, but it would be the last push the offence would show.
After the game Scott said he stressed to his players they needed to put more effort into the defence.
“The defence just completely collapsed. They didn’t want to get their noses dirty,” he said. “This game is a hard grinding game and if you are not willing to get dirty, there is no place for you.”
Prior to Wednesday night’s game St. Albert was in third place in the division. Scott said if his team wants to be serious contenders for the provincial championships, their game will have to improve.
“We have had a pretty good run in the last three or four weeks and I think I was kidding myself that this team could challenge for second division provincial championship on that performance.”
St. Albert's next game will at least be in front of a friendly local crowd, next Saturday against the Grande Prairie Centaurs at the St. Albert Rugby Club.
