- Melrose grabbed their game against Stirling County by the scruff of the neck straight from the off with three tries in the first fourteen minutes. They were maybe not firing on all cylinders in the second half – which they drew 14-all – but as Stirling defence coach Graeme Young conceded: ‘They showed us why they are top of the league”.
- A fourth consecutive five pointer for Heriots against Boroughmuir – up to second spot in the league – and a successful defence of the Bill McLaren Shield – but they did lose impetus and discipline somewhere in the second half. Just a case of fixing the little bits according to Phil Smith– knowing that they need fixing before next Saturday’s arduous away encounter with resurgent Ayr.
- A hammering at Melrose last week – twenty seven points down against Glasgow Hawks – dead and buried? – Not a chance! – Currie Chieftains totally banished the cynics and any doubts about their ‘resilience’ with a monumental triumph of mind over matter. “It’s now about kicking on from here,” according to Ben Cairns – and who would doubt his prognosis after this outrageous, heroic, nerve-jangling fight-back?
- The wheels came off disastrously for Glasgow Hawks at Malleny – leaving the proverbial parrot feeling in rude health compared to their coach Finlay Gillies as he lamented a 27 point lead vanishing amidst two yellow cards and “a million penalties”. Discipline has been a problem for Hawks all season – and on Saturday it morphed into a nightmare. Stuart Bathgate’s analysis was neat and brutal: ‘Their brains were scrambled”.
- Stirling County put in a real shift against Melrose but were always on the back foot after conceding 19 points in as many minutes – and their problems were compounded by a needless yellow card picked up by Matt Lamb just when they had a chance to work their way back into game. League placings are still pretty cosmetic but Stirling’s drop from second to sixth on the back of this one defeat underscores how tight it is in the chasing pack.
- Watsonians blew Hawick away in the second half – with Rory Drummond and Chris Dean making huge impacts off the bench.
- Some good stuff from Boroughmuir at Goldenacre – but they did not really fire a shot in anger before the break and they made too many of the same old mistakes in the second half. They did, however, fight it all the way and the two bonus points earned could be crucial come the end of the season – but Peter Wright’s frustration was still palpable – “Groundhog Day” he said.