Resilient Ayr show their title credentials

● League leaders’ defensive qualities keep champions at bay as they extend their lead at the top of the table

In extremely difficult conditions, the BT Premiership’s top two produced a very good game of rugby, with Ayr confirming their right to top the table with a two tries to one victory.

The coaches, however, as they stood side-by-side in the committee room afterwards, both agreed that “this was a good, honest and hard game”.

That said, they had their regrets. Phil Smith’s were more obvious; for all the effort his men put in, he had to acknowledge “naivety” had cost them, while their failure to claim a losing bonus point was a sore one for Heriot’s coach to take.

Calum Forrester felt handling inaccuracies and wrong decision cost Ayr several more tries in an opening quarter in which Heriot’s were on the ropes.

“We should have had more points in the first half,” said Forrester.

However, once Heriot’s got into the game, it was Ayr’s outstanding defence which took the eye, strangling the Edinburgh side’s ambition before Fraser Climo’s astute kicking game enabled the league leaders to ease home.

American World Cup star Greg Peterson, loaned to Ayr by Warriors, scored his BT Premiership debut try after 65 sec- onds, with prop Javan Sebastian playing a huge part in the buildup. Frazier Climo converted.

Ayr then messed-up big time, conceding four stupid penalties on the Heriot’s line, while poor handling halted an equal number of broken-play opportunities.

Back came Heriot’s but, thanks to that superb Ayr defence, they only had a Graham Wilson penalty in mid-half to show for all their pressure.

The second half was somewhat spoiled by yellow cards. Max Learmonth’s, for a deliberate knock-on seven minutes into the second half, was punished four minutes later when Climo set-up Junior Bulumakau to win the sprint for his cross-kick. The Kiwi stand-off again converted the score.

One of Learmonth’s first contributions on returning was to contest a high ball in the air with Craig Gossman.

This sparked off a melee, which ended with full backs Grant Anderson and John Semple sent to the naughty step and, while they were off, Climo goaled two penalties, either side of Russell Nmmo’s unconverted maul try for the visitors.

Ayr seemed safe, but a somewhat harsh yellow card for skipper Ross Curle – it seemed the Herioter ducked slightly into his challenge – left Ayr’s 14 men to fend off the visitors’ attempt to salvage the losing bonus point their spirited play probably deserved. Melrose got their season back on track after two successive defeats and the players were praised by coach John Dalziel, writes Atholl Innes at the Greenyards.

“We were due a win after the pressure we had put ourselves under,” he said.

“We put out an experienced side, played some of the best rugby we have done all season, and scored some good tries in the poor conditions.”

Stirling blamed the defeat on lack of concentration and giving away soft tries in the first half, according to coach David Adamson. “We made mistakes after the break, but all credit to Melrose, who played the conditions well.”

Melrose raced into a 12-0 lead with tries from Lewis Carmichael, who later hirpled off the field, and Neil Irvine-hess before a charged-down kick allowed Danny Gilmour to pull a try back. Sam Johnson scored to put Stirling ahead, Jonny Hope converting again before Jason Baggott sliced through the defence and Irvine-hess scored his second try for a 19-14 interval lead.

Despite dominating the second half, it was only after Garry Mountford had been yellow-carded that Richard Ferguson was driven over for the crucial try, Joe Helps converting for the third time to add to his penalty.