Heriot’s hold their nerve to edge

● Sonians’ indiscipline proves costly but they play their part in entertaining game

20 yards out. The mood music had changed and, with the Heriot’s full-back in the bin, the visitors marched a maul over the line to take the lead for the first time, with prop Jack Stanley getting the try.

Millar added the extras and Watsonians had a three-point lead well inside the final ten minutes. It wasn’t enough.

Heriot’s summoned one last hurrah. The home team held on to the ball and, helped by Watsonians’ serial indiscipline, worked their way upfield and into the opposition 22 where a second penalty try from a set scrum, with Watsonians’ skipper Craig Borthwick kicking his heels in the sin bin, earned them local bragging rights.

“We beat ourselves at the end,” said Watsonians coach Steve Lawrie, who was not wholly disheartened after departing Goldenacre with a losing bonus point. “We put in some good phases and applied pressure but there was a heavy penalty count which obviously didn’t help us. “We gave away five or so penalties last week and won a game that we didn’t play fantastically well. We had better spells in this game but lost it because our discipline is poor.

“I think there were three or four minutes when we kicked it away. If we just hold on to it [the ball] we close the game out. They [the players] need to recognise that. We’re disappointed but I thought it was a decent enough game of rugby.”

At the end of the match, Heriot’s teenage winger Blain had his picture taken with Watsonians’ equally young flanker Conor Boyle. The pair played in the same Stewart’s Melville school team but ambition drove them to look elsewhere. Two promising young Scots lit up this match and will both be eyeing a Super 6 contract.

0 Heriots’ Innes Hill, left, leaps highest to win a lineout for the home side at Goldenacre on Saturday. The Edinburgh rivals served up an