Rugby: Dunfermline and Moray draw in National League Division Four

Dunfermline Rugby Club's senior men's first XV were held to a draw on Saturday after a performance their head coach felt wasn't "well-executed".

Gavin Emerson felt his team needed to be more comfortable in possession during their match with Moray, which ended in an 11-11 draw, and saw the hosts, late on, be reduced to 14 players following a red card.

The teams previously met on the second weekend of the season, with Dunfermline being edged out 33-31, but Emerson felt their second National League Division Four encounter was won his side should have won.

They were ahead at the interval, and three points in front towards the end of the match, but a successful late penalty earned the visitors a draw.

"As we didn't manage the breakdown well enough, we were getting turned over, so we were conceding penalties," Emerson told Press Sport.

"I think in the first half there was six or seven occasions where we had a good entry into the 22 and then we just came away with nothing. They won the ball back, and that kind of just stuck all day.

"It was just our errors, and not looking after all, but I think maybe as well - I'm yet to look over the game - I think we were just struggling with retaining the ball.

Dunfermline and Moray played out a draw at McKane. (Image: David Wardle.) "We've had four or five shots to try and penetrate them, and then we were just losing a bit of a concentration. As a result, we'd lose the ball.

"It's just being comfortable holding on to the ball for longer periods of time and knowing it'll come.

"We also had a penalty in the last kick of the game to win the game and, normally, our kicker would get that. Unfortunately, we actually missed it, but, like I said to the boys at the end, I said that's not on Andy (Andrew Storie). We shouldn't have been in that position in the first place to have to come down to scrape a win."

Emerson, who said the end result "felt like a loss", added: "Although, at the minute, it hasn't affected the league table, Moray are two games behind us and, if they get two bonus point wins, they'll be in front of us, and we'll drop to fourth.

"It was a game where we needed to get a bonus point win just to keep them away from us a wee bit.

It wasn't a good one to finish our last home game of the year for the ones. It wasn't a bad performance - it just wasn't a well-executed performance."

Dunfermline's second XV, meanwhile, lost 61-0 to leaders, Kirkcaldy second XV, in Caledonia Midlands Region League, Division Three.

They host Dundee Uni Medics this Saturday at McKane Park, at 2pm, whilst Rosyth Sharks visit Panmure at the same time.