Very entertaining match with 12 tries (match très divertissant avec 12 essais)

Linlithgow  52 – 24  Plaisir

Sunday 11 February 2024

Report by Ken Richardson

Photos by Graham Black

Linlithgow Rugby Club hosted the biennial visit from Plaisir Rugby Club over the long weekend of 9th to 12th February, with the focus on Murrayfield on the Saturday and Mains Park on the Sunday.

Our visitors arrived on Friday night, most by train with others by car and by air. The group was hosted by Club members and a lively weekend was enjoyed by visitors and hosts alike!

The annual twinning match kicked off just after 1pm on the Sunday after the 6 Nations’ match, allowing the players time to recover from the festivities of the day before – well nearly! In contrast to the 6 Nations’ match, this was a highly entertaining game with no controversy and with the referee receiving a standing ovation after the post-match meal!

The home team had a large squad made up with a good mix of both second and first team players. Jamie Tulloch captained the Reds for the day with Nicolas Cros doing the honours for the visitors.

After a strong start from Plaisir, the Reds gradually imposed themselves on the match with some trenchant running and great support work. The first half ended with the score at 38-7 in favour of Linlithgow, with tries from Ross Tulloch (2), Shaun Lamb, Fraser Mochrie, Alex Kenny and Gregor McLean and 4 conversions from the boot of John Strachan, only marginally offset by a penalty try awarded to the French after a maul was brought down close the Reds try line.

Plaisir bounced back to shade the second half 17 – 14, scoring three excellent tries from Fabien Buisson, Julien Bigot and Edouard le Prieur with Thibault le Bail kicking a conversion. The Reds points came via another fine try from Shaun Lamb, to claim his brace of tries in the match, and a cracking try set up by captain Jamie Tulloch who blasted through three layers of defence from deep in his own half, to send Finlay Chadwick away from the half-way line. Both tries were converted by John Strachan to make the final score 52-24 in favour of Linlithgow.

This was a very entertaining contest, with both sides looking to play open rugby, but not afraid of earning some hard yards, or should it be metres? Jamie Tulloch was outstanding as Linlithgow captain, leading by example and highly effective in both attack and defence. He easily had the highest tackle count of any player on the field and his yards per carry were also high up the list. The impact of both Fraser Mochrie and Alex Kenny was huge and it was pleasing to see Neil Lockhart back in full flow. At scrum-half Archie Rusack proved to be both a highly effective link and an excellent support runner. Ross Tulloch and Shaun Lamb both deserved their try braces and both made a number of important runs from deep.

Plaisir were well served by their “homme-du-match” Thibault le Bail at 10 and by captain Nicolas Cros and they will have been particularly pleased with their second half performance. Well done to all players for contributing to an excellent match played on a heavy grassy pitch on a dull day – although the sun did make a brief appearance in the second half.

There were two notable occurrences during the match. Father Jim watched with pride as his youngest son Aiden came on to the pitch as a replacement to join his two brothers Fraser and Euan in the Linlithgow team.* Another father, Nick Chadwick, came on to the pitch for a cameo appearance to join his son Finlay. A typically rumbustuous counter-ruck provided a trademark “Chad” moment in the match, much to the delight of the crowd!

After the match, all the players, guests and hosts sat down to a sumptuous meal provided by a group of Linlithgow volunteers, after which the presentation ceremony took place. Ken Richardson, Club Secretary, set the scene and welcomed the guests in both French and English, before Club President, Jean McKeown, added her welcome in French. This was followed by the presentation of the Cup to Linlithgow by Nicolas Cros. Awards were made for the two respective men-of-the-match. Linlithgow nominated Thibault le Bail, while Plaisir nominated Nick Chadwick. In 1987 Nick, still a schoolboy, made his senior debut in the first ever twinning match played in Guyancourt. His cameo substitute performance in this year’s match (2024) was his final appearance for the Reds – a playing career spanning 37 years!

The after-dinner celebrations and socialising went late into the night, with singing, games and other entertainment! The following morning our friends departed Linlithgow to make their way back to France, taking with them lots of memories from a unique weekend.

* This was the first time that three brothers played for the Reds team, since the 2007 match in Guyancourt, when Neil Richardson joined his brothers Robbie and Euan on the pitch in a match refereed by their father Ken.