ROSS had to dig deep on Saturday as a big Lions pack battered the Ross defence throughout the first half, spending too much time in the Ross twenty two.

However some consistently brave tackling, with Luke Ward, TC Leech, PJ Muldowney and Pete Jarvis to the fore, somehow managed to restrict the home team to a single three point penalty. They then capped a brilliant first half defensive display with a last minute breakaway score, as centre Eli danced through the home defence to score under the posts. Chris Gage converted and Ross went in at halftime 7-3 to the good.

With the elements in their favour both sides had opportunities in the second half. However, it was the defence that held sway.

See the full story in this week's Ross Gazette.