Premiership spot is virtually sealed
Stirling Co ........ 13 Heriot’s FP ....... 29
Stirling County are certain of their place in next season’s BT Premiership despite this latest defeat to Heriot’s as the Goldenacre side out-muscled their hosts to complete the double over the Bridgehaugh men.
County would have to lose their final league match at home to Melrose by 116 points to find themselves in the relegation play-off position currently held by Hawick.
Heriot’s attacked strongly from the kick-off and kept County pinned back in their own 22 for much of the first quarter and took the lead in 12 minutes when powerful Edinburgh professional centre Solomoni Junior Rasolea received the ball from John Semple and broke through the defence to score the opening try to the left of the posts, converted by scrum-half Tom Wilson.
County responded and from their first incursion into the visitors’ half, skipper Jonny Hope kicked a 25-metre penalty goal only for Wilson to make it 10-3 from a penalty, awarded after County were caught offside on their 22.
Stirling scored an unconverted try when a loose clearance by full-back Charlie Simpson was collected by home winger Logan Trotter who sprinted 40 metres down the touchline to score.
Just before half-time, a controversial refereeing decision had a profound outcome on the match.
As Heriot’s drove over the home tryline, the ball came loose and before it could be touched down, a County player was able to boot the ball clear. The referee initially awarded a try, but when he was advised by the touch judge that a try had clearly not been scored, he inexplicably awarded a penalty-try to the disbelief of the home support.
Wilson duly added the conversion from in front of the posts, to give Heriot’s a nine-point lead at the break.
Chasing a bonus-point victory to keep them in with a chance of the playoffs, Heriot’s started the second-half in determined fashion and after a period of sustained pressure on the home line, scrum-half Wilson eventually found a gap to score his side’s third try, which he converted to extend the visitors’ lead to 24 -8.
County refused to give up and from a 10-metre penalty line-out catch and drive, tight-head prop Mike McDonald was driven over by his battling pack for a try in the right-corner.
Heriot’s continued superiority up front saw County’s Craig Black sinbinned with 12 minutes remaining, as the weakened home scrum repeatedly buckled under intense pressure. Despite repeated infringements, the referee surprisingly chose not to award a penalty try and County survived to clear the danger.
However on 70 minutes, the homeside were reduced to 13 when No.8 Ruaridh Leishman was harshly yellowcarded for what appeared an innocuous collision deep in the Heriot’s half.
This gave Heriot’s further impetus and eventually their attacking pressure told in the final play, six minutes into injury time, when full-back Simpson finished off a slick passing move to sprint down the left channel, throw a dummy and squeeze in for an unconverted try in the corner, to secure a bonus-point win for his team.
County’s Man of the Match, sponsored by John Graham Metals, was Alex Black (sponsored by Belhaven).
Afterwards County head coach David Adamson said: “We felt the game was there, but when your scrum is going backwards like that it was tough.”
County’s final BT Premiership match is at home to second-placed Melrose on March 11. In their next match, Stirling County host Boroughmuir in the quarter-final of the BT Cup on March 4.