Team get set for top- of- the- table clash

There was no denying that Heriots coach Phil Smith was bang on the money when he said after the win at Millbrae.

He said: “Our set piece was better, we played in the right areas of the pitch and we did the right things at the right time.”

Nothing could better sum up a game which Ayr got off to a flyer then were given a salutary lesson in how to play in driving wind and torrential rain while themselves demonstrating an alarming inability to adapt their own game.

That defeat knocks Ayr off top spot in the Tennent’s Premiership thus making the table top clash at the Greenyards next week against Melrose a tipping point in the league.

Regardless of the result in the borders Ayr will end the year in at least second spot in the table but that was small consolation to Ayr coach Peter Murchie.

He said: “I am not denying it, we have to play an awful lot better than that.

“Of course we put ourselves under serious pressure by the mistakes we made inside our own 22 and there is no doubt that constantly defending at scrums and driving line outs is draining.”

The obvious conclusion from that has to be that Ayr were in that situation because Heriots had almost monopoly of possession but the coach also hinted that the way the maul had been refereed did them no favours.

Murchie added: “We didn’t get the decisions we could have had when our driving line out absolutely destroyed them but we were constantly penalised for our defending when they set up the drives and it cost us dearly.”

It cost Ayr two yellow cards in fact and playing for a quarter of the game a man short was only adding to Ayr’s woes.

“Did they do a number on us in the end?” asked a frustrated Murchie.

“Yes, they did but we suffered the frustration of when we were taking the ball, forward, we got nothing on the back of it.”