SUPER6 RUGBY

A last-gasp try gave the Southern Knights a 24-24 draw at Stirling County yesterday as they fought back from a 16-point deficit, writes STUART BATHGATE.

Russell Anderson’s score was the Melrose side’s fourth touchdown, giving them a bonus point in the Super6 opener at Bridgehaugh. The conversion would have given the visitors the win, but Jason Baggott’s attempt from wide was off target.

County were 21-5 up at one point in the first half, but that narrowed to 21-12 at the break, and the visitors had the better of the second half.

Round one of the tournament wraps up today when Ayrshire Bulls take on

Watsonians at Millbrae in a match that is televised live on Freesports. Watsonians

were the pace-setters last year before the competition was called off, but their coach Fergus Pringle is taking nothing for

granted this time round.

“I think we all know that it is a totally new season with very different squads,” he said. “We might have been top of the table last season, but the bottom line is that we didn’t play in the play-offs because of Covid and we didn’t get our hands on the trophy.”

Ex-glasgow and Scotland hooker Pat Macarthur is now in charge of the Bulls after Pete Murchie moved on to the Warriors, and he will be assisted by two old Warriors team-mates, Pete Horne and Rob Harley. The game kicks off at 1.30pm.

Boroughmuir got season two of the competition under way on Friday night when they claimed a 15-13 win at home to Heriots. The visitors could have snatched a draw with the last kick of the game, but Bruce Houston’s conversion attempt came back off a post.