Falkirk 20 - 50 Aberdeen

Aberdeen Rugby made it 4 away wins in a row and moved up 2 places to 4th in BT National 1 after their 20 – 50 point victory over Falkirk.

Falkirk have previously won the last two encounters, yet Aberdeen’s sharp and fast attack proved too much for the home side.

Aberdeen demonstrated their trademark attacking flair throughout the contest, utilising the outside channels whenever the opportunity arose.

The Rubislaw men sprang out of the blocks showing off their wide and fast style of play. It was obvious the 4-week break had done little to impact the team’s synergy.

Despite having the majority of the possession and territory, it was 3 a piece after 15 minutes with Aberdeen suffering from white line fever knocking the ball on in key scoring positions several times.

On the 17th minute a fantastic set piece move between, man of the match, Alec Dravitski and Captain Alex Ratcliffe saw Alec dive over for the first of Aberdeen’s 7 tires.

The next 5 minutes saw Falkirk twice kick the ball straight out from the restart and Aberdeen score directly off the resulting scrum. The ball went wide through the hands for Racliffe and then Matt Arnold to both score, giving Aberdeen a comfortable 21-point lead after almost as many minutes.

The men in white looked unstoppable the rest of the half with the backs tearing Falkirk apart with their set piece. Strong running from no.10 Bryn Perrott saw Aberdeen gain a try bonus point before the end of the first half, his subsequent conversion took his first half points haul to 16.

Half-time Falkirk 3 – 31 Aberdeen

After the interval, Falkirk looked a different team. Their backs were linking well and starting to bring together multiple phases of attacking play. The visitors 3 changes at the interval and resulting reshuffle of the back line may have played a part in Falkirk’s awakening. However, it was Aberdeen who would again dictate play.

Fly-half Sam Knudson picked up where Perrott had left off, controlling the game well and timing his passes perfectly to unleash several of his backs. Alec Dravitski scored his second of the day off the back of a scrum. Knudson himself pulled off a smooth step to gallop in under the posts for the visitors 6th try, a few minutes later.

The game was not all smooth sailing for the men from the granite city. In the final quarter, several injuries saw Aberdeen clear their bench and play players out of position.

Falkirk’s attack had been building all half and the Aberdeen injuries created the perfect opportunity.

First, a break and chip from inside their own half saw the home side finally cross the whitewash in the 64th minute. 5 minutes later they opted for a tap and go in the Aberdeen 22 and passed the ball out wide for their second.

Falkirk continued to capitalise and scored directly from the kickoff. It’s as if the roles were reversed with Aberdeen static in defence and Falkirk running the ball fast, wide and with ease. The home side were a score away from a try bonus themselves, something at halftime no one would have predicted.

The final 5 minutes saw Aberdeen awaken once more to deal the final blow. Calum Ruxton made a lovely break down the far wing and passed back inside for club captain and, last-minute addition to the squad, Doug Russell to score.

Full-Time Falkirk 20 – 50 Aberdeen.

On Saturday, December 9th Aberdeen look to make it 5 wins in a row as we travel down to Galashiels to take on Gala who will be looking to break their 5 game losing streak.

Falkirk: F. Syne, C. Rennie, E. Rooney, M. Hall, R. Cameron, C. Faulds, R. Limbert, J. McKenna, S. Govan, G. Simpson, C. Lawson, R. Denny, R. Howie, M. Mladenovic, S. McCulloch

Replacements: G. Kirk, M. McSpadden, R. Crawford, Ch. Lawson, F. Call

Aberdeen Rugby: S. Kundson, G. Walker, N. Clough, A. Ratcliffe, M. Arnold, J. Gray, G. Ryan, R. Ellinson, M. Schosser, R. Anderson, D. Whitehead, A. Robertson, R. Cessford, W. Alton, A. Dravitski

Replacements: P. Gillies, L. Gallagher, E. Stewart, C. Ruxton, D. Russell