With the winter sun shining over the Fortress, the Forrester players approached the game against Leith knowing that a bonus point win would be enough to secure promotion in to East 1. The sun was shining so much that the referee had to wear his Ray Bans throughout the warm-up and during the game but it didn’t stop the Leith coaches questioning the safety of the firm but very playable pitch. With Johnny ‘Hamstring’ Graham continuing his rehabilitation he volunteered to run the line and show off his extensive knowledge of the game with a string of inspired decisions. There were a few new faces in the Leith line up with a mixture of youth, experience (old guys) and a stand off sporting a controversial ponytail.

The game got under way with Himbo taking the kick off, recycling possession and Wee Al kicking play down in to the Leith half. A resultant scrum was the first of the day where Forrester had a definite upper hand but the referee failed to find any fault from Leith. We also exerted some pressure on the Leith lineout and in a number of rucks with an excellent steal from Calzo as well as disruption and slowing down any Leith attacks. When Forrester got the ball they managed to retain possession well but found it difficult to find any gap in a resolute Leith defence. After only a few minutes Newbs suffered from a head knock trying to make a tackle. The referee was concerned and asked Elaine to conduct a concussion assessment. He was so concerned that he requested that we bring on a front row substitute to replace our stricken inside centre! Clearly Newbs’ portly frame, and maybe the ref’s sunglasses, had clouded his vision of the back of his strip!

Just after this incident Forrester lost their way a little and some indiscipline crept in with 4 penalties in a row moved the game from inside the Leith 22 to defending our own try line. However, some good disruptive work in the ruck allowed Al to clear the lines and a good kick chase took the pressure off us. This wasn’t the end of the indiscipline though as the referee continued to find fault in everything we tried to do giving the ponytailed Leith 10 the first opportunity to kick a penalty. He failed his first attempt but succeeded with his second on 20 minutes to give Leith a 3-0 lead. This was short lived though as a good move from the lineout moved play in to midfield, then back to the blind side for Sean to exploit a mismatch against Leith’s chunky tighthead, dummy their winger and score the game’s first try. Newbs added the conversion and Forrester took a deserved lead. Just a few minutes later Newbs had a chance to extend our lead with a penalty, stepped up to kick it and ……. SHAAAAAAAANK!

Leith then had their best period of the first half but Forrester were guilty of standing back and letting them run at us, as well as dropping off a few tackles. The outcome of non-contact training in the last few weeks? Or player’s minds on the promotion rather than the game itself? Rydo decided to change the momentum of the game with a barrelling run over the top of the Leith 7 (rumours of him stealing Ryan’s pre-game steak bake) and this sparked Forrester in to a spell of pressure in the Leith 22. Some quick handling and positive support play got Danny Park over in the corner for his long-awaited first senior try for the club (conversion missed by the ginger prop). Just 2 minutes later and the ref was under the posts awarding a penalty try for a high tackle on Robbie as he attempted to score in the corner. The referee decided that the penalty try was enough punishment and kept his cards in his pocket. Newbs knocked the conversion over for a 19-3 lead. The last couple of minutes were played out between the 22s with some interesting interpretations of play by the referee and both sets of players struggling to find any momentum.

The half-time team talk from the coaches was centred around game management, playing to the referee’s instructions and a focus on securing the 4th try for a bonus point.

With the 2nd half only 2 minutes old a good break from Sean and offloading from a few of the backs got the ball to the ginger prop who dived over in the corner creating a seismic shock which was felt throughout Edinburgh and registered 6.5 on the Richter scale. The 44-inch waisted centre then missed his conversion attempt but the try bonus point was secured and the coaches took the opportunity to make a number of changes. This along with some more interesting interpretation from the referee broke the game up and didn’t allow either team to break beyond the 22 metre lines. Forrester were guilty of dropping their concentration during this period and let the Leith 9 take a quick tap and waltz through a weak defence to score under the posts although the conversion was missed. This shocked the Forrester team back in to action and after some fruity words of enthusiasm came from Horse, Himbo and Paddy, the kick chase from kick off was intense, resulting in a turnover, then good some good phases before Al got in under the posts for the 5th try and the conversion extended our lead further. Another try looked to be on the cards just a few minutes later after some great running from Lucas but the Butcher managed to mess up the scoring chance. It took until the 66th minute for Paddy to get his standard try after a pickup from the base of the scrum and then barrelling through a couple of Leith defenders. Wee Al took over the kicking duties but missed his first attempt. More changes were made after this and the coaches emptied the bench to give everyone a run and to allow Sean to catch his flight to Northern Ireland!

Some good carrying by Johnny Mac continued the forward momentum and his aggressive carrying started ruffling a few feathers in the Leith team. This started a few scuffles around the park and the referee was in danger of losing control of the game. This turned the Forrester player’s attention away from the game for a while and allowed Leith to capitalise with a score in the corner. However, on the 72nd minute Al got over between the posts again and kicked the conversion to return the game to a 30 point difference. The game finished with a few of the Leith players trying to get in the faces of the Forrester players but there was a determination not to get involved and spoil the promotion day. The referee was also determined to keep everyone on the pitch despite some kicks and punches being exchanged all 30 players remained on the pitch until the final whistle.

Full time – Forrester 45 Leith 13

The promotion party began in earnest in the clubhouse afterwards with the Scotland game being drowned out by some singing and celebrations that continued late in to the night. A well-deserved promotion but the hard work has to continue until the end of the season to start the preparations for next season. Well done boys. Congratulations on the club’s most successful season for a long time and may it be the start of things to come for Forrester.