Rampant Melrose too strong for ‘disgraceful’ Watsonians

● Defeated coach Lawrie hits out at team

Melrose on their outstanding performance today,” Lawrie said. “They were by far the better team.

“For my part, we as a group, and I’m talking about everybody, were a disgrace.”

Melrose took the game by the scruff of the neck right from the kick off. Within five minutes they had created the space for winger Ian Sim to cross. Inside centre Craig Jackson missed the conversion – and the next one – but that was about the only thing Melrose did wrong all day.

Watsonians had the bulk of the possession and the territory in the first half but insufficient rugby sense to turn it to their advantage. Stubborn persistence was not enough to get them anywhere.

By contrast, Melrose, backed by an unflinching defence, looked dangerous whenever the ball was in hand and when an attempted kick ahead was intercepted it was shifted to 0 Ruaridh Knott scored the third try for Melrose.

the left before Watsonians knew what was happening and full-back Fraser Thomson was motoring the length of the field to score.

Melrose lock James Head was yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle just before halftime but it made no difference to the balance of play and, a couple of minutes after the break, Melrose replacement flanker Ruaridh Knott crashed over from close range. This time Jackson’s conversion was good.

The bonus-point try came next with No 8 Iain Moody launching himself off the back of a scrum to touch down, with Jackson adding the extras once again.

The game was well beyond Watsonians at this stage but they persevered and were eventually rewarded with a try from a lineout and rolling maul, the score among the pile-up of bodies coming from Kiwi full-back Josh Rowlands, the conversion from centre Lee Millar.

That was as good as it got for Watsonians.melroseswitched up a gear and orchestrated a lineout and maul which invited former Scotland hooker Scott Lawson to score a fifth try, converted by Jackson, that confirmed their dominance.

Melrose coach Rob Chrystie said: “I was really pleased with that performance and now we can build on it.

“We’ve been pretty honest with ourselves over the last three weeks and we’ve been nowhere near where we need to be and some of the work we’ve been putting in could be seen out there.” Five-try winger Ben Robbins believes Currie Chieftains’ backline is starting to click and can build on this victory over Hawick, writes Gary Heatly.

The home side won comfortably, but sloppy mistakes by Ben Cairns’ men and some good defence by the Greens meant things were level at the break.

After the interval a second converted Currie try of the day from back-row Thomas Gordon made it 14-7 before Scotlandsevenscaprobbins took control.

He scored a further four tries to add to one from the first half to see the hosts home with ease. Robbins

said: “It is obviously nice to score five tries. I don’t think I have done that in a game since I was at school, but more pleasing for me was the way in which the team came together after we went behind.

“There was some nice linkup play in the backs and hopefully we can take that forward into the next few games.”

Hawick have now conceded 153 points in three reverses this term, but this showing was a big improvement on the capitulation at Boroughmuir seven days previously.

Their head coach, George Graham, said: “I am not happy that we got beaten but it was a much better performance than last week. We now need to target our next game with Glasgow Hawks at home, it is a big one.”

converted by Andrew Goudie, off-set by a Frazier Climo penalty, had County deservedly ahead after the first quarter, before tries from Blair Macpherson and Kyle Rowe, book-ending a Goudie penalty for County, had Ayr 17-15 ahead at the turnround.

Thereafter, the home side tightened-up, overcame County’s forward power and pulled clear in the second 40. Rowe and Macpherson both scored second tries, David Corbenici also touched down, Climo kicked three conversions and Ayr were home with both the Cairdeas Quaich and the Bill Mclaren Shield defended.

Their name now goes on the Shield for the second time, after four successful defences.