Bulls open with narrow Super6 defeat to Watsonians
AYRSHIRE BULLS ....................... 21 WATSONIANS ............................ 26 CALLUM KERR AT MILLBRAE
The Ayrshire Bulls kicked off their 2021 FOSROC Super6 campaign with a narrow defeat to Watsonians Rugby on a glorious day at Millbrae.
Played out in front of the live TV cameras, the game provided the enthralling rugby spectacle that was expected of the new tournament.
The lead seldom stayed with one team, juggling back and forth for 80 minutes.
Although not what he was after from his first game in charge, Bulls coach Pat MacArthur was still upbeat at the final whistle.
He said:“There’s parts of the game I’m really happy about.
“We had a lot of possession and dictated the territory battle.
“There’s a lot of positives in there.
“We just lacked that last pass, that cutting edge.”
MacArthur also praised the opposition for capitalising on the mistakes of his men.
“Credit to Watsonians,”he said.
“They took their chances well, they didn’t get many.
“They managed to get a few tries off the back of a few errors”.
It was the first rugby to take place on the Millbrae paddock for over 18 months.
And MacArthur was quick to mention that he wants the squad to perform when in front of their home fans.
He added:“It’s disappointing after a year and a half of building to lose, especially on our home pitch.
“That is a big thing for us – taking pride over our home pitch”.
There’s no time for the Bulls to lick their wounds.
On Saturday they’ll get another opportunity to defend their home when Boroughmuir Bears visit.
The match kicks off at 3pm.
Tries: Ayrshire Bulls – Matt Minogue, George Thornton, Robbie Nairn
Watsonians – Harvey Elms, Jamie Forbes
Conversions: Ayrshire Bulls Matt Minogue x3 Watsonians – Lee Millar x2 Penalties: Watsonians – Lee Millar x4
Ayrshire Bulls: 15. Matt Davidson, 14. Robert Beattie, 13. Tom Williams, 12. Tom Jordan,
11. Robbie Nairn, 10. Matthew Minogue, 9. Jordan Lenac; 1. George Thornton, 2. Rhodri Tanner, 3. Michael Scott, 4. Tom Everard, 5. Edward Bloodworth,
6. Ryan Sweeney, 7. Yaree Fantini, 8. Blair MacPherson (captain)
Replacements: 16. Alex McGuire, 17. Ruairidh Sayce, 18. Calvin Henderson, 19. Ewan Bulger, 20. Gavin Wilson, 21. Harry Warr, 22. Christian Townsend, 23. Aaron Tait