On-song Heriot’s master conditions and County to rack up resounding victory

pack can be as it controlled the game from start to finish.

Heriot’s coach Phil Smith said: “I would say fair play to both sets of players because it was so cold out there and it was awful to have to keep playing all the way through that.

“As for our performance, we played two halves the way they should be played. Ever since we came off the pitch last week [after winning away to Ayr] there has been a sense of confidence that means there is less coaching needed because the guys have taken it on themselves. Today was a good example, they saw the conditions, dealt with it and played a grown-up game for rugby.”

In atrocious icy and windy conditions, Heriot’s lock Adam Sinclair was the first blue and white shirt to cross the line and get the scoreboard ticking over. After Stirling blindside flanker George Arnott was sinbinned for a dangerous tackle at one end of the pitch, the Heriot’s forwards cleared the way for scrum-half Andrew Simmers to score at the other end. Ross Jones missed the relatively easy conversion, the only failure in what would eventually be a seven out of eight total.

County reminded the home side of their threat with their first real spell of possession resulting in prop Adam Nichol diving between the posts with the defence posted absent.

But Heriot’s cancelled that one out minutes later when centre Richard Kay ran on to the ball at an angle to touch down for his team’s third try, only for Stirling to rebound immediately with Logan Trotter scoring out on the right wing.

Heriot’s bonus point was safely achieved just before half-time when another forwards surge led to a try for tighthead prop Stuart Cessford.

The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees in the second half, with Heriot’s continually on the attack and Stirling forced into ever more frantic defending. Soon it was the turn of Cessford’s front row colleague Martin Bouab to get his name on the score sheet, quickly followed by left winger Alex Ball who ran 30 metres from an interception that broke the spirit of the visiting team.

Two late tries by replacement forward Josh Scott and full-back Charlie Simpson rubbed Stirling noses in it as the darkness rapidly descended and the game ended.