Ayr get set for top of the table cracker
Horror injury is left behind
The main interest in Saturday’s BT Premiership at Mansfield Park was in seeing how bottom of the table Hawick would cope with an undefeated Ayr side trailing Melrose by one point at the top.
That was until it was announced that Finn Russell would make his return to competitive rugby after his horrific injury in the Pro12 semi- final in Galway, the donning of the familiar No10 shirt for Ayr being the final stage of a long summer of rehab.
The Warriors and Scotland’s outside half coming back to Ayr prompted one observer to suggest that it was like Pavarotti coming to the Gaiety to warm up for Covent Garden although one didn’t have heart to point out that the great Luciano has been serenading the angels for a few years now.
So what with Finn and young brother Archie Russell lining up together ( for the first time ever) at Mansfield attempting to outscore each other and the Murray brothers performing heroics at the Emirates to keep us in the Davis Cup, Saturday afternoon was as big a Scottish sporting bruderfest as you could wish for.
With Warriors coach and Scottish coach elect Gregor Townsend watching, the match turned out to be a belter with Hawick belying their lowly league status and in the end, as Gala did the week before, collecting a well- deserved bonus.
The Ayr faithful were stunned in the opening minutes when Neil Renwick scampered through for a try which he converted himself.
It was not until the end of the opening quarter that Rob McAlpine, Blair Macpherson and Steven Longwell made the dents for Gregor Henry to pick a great line and zip over with Russell ( F)’ s conversion levelling the scores.
Ayr’s favourite green man, Bruce McNeill edged the home side ahead and Renwick again converted then the Russells in tandem, Archie with the try and Finn with the conversion again tied the scores at the break.
The first try after half time was always going to be crucial and the man who nicked it, as he does so often at vital moments, was one which Ross Curle conjured out of nothing to give Ayr a five point lead and the bonus.
Not to be outdone, Russell the elder, taking a lovely run- around offload from Will Bordill, grabbed a try, converted it and when Blair Macpherson ripped the ball out of a breakdown melee and raced off for try number five, Ayr looked to have the game sewn up.
McNeill pinched his second from close quarters Kirk Ford converted and the margin was back to nine points but Archie Russell ghosted through for a beauty then Macpherson too claimed his second try off a superb Armstrong offload.
Frazier Climo, on for a cameo in the final quarter, landed the conversion but when, as Gala had done the week before late in the game, Wes Hamilton went over for Hawick’s fourth try, it was well deserved for the effort they had put into a game which at times could have gone either way.
Again in perfect conditions ( I mean when did you ever see a pitch in as good nick as that in Hawick!) Ayr made heavy weather of parts of the game but when they upped the pace they exposed the Hawick frailty in defence and particularly in the second half, fitness told as the scores rattled in.