- With seven enforced changes from the side which demolished Heriots last week, Melrose celebrated their strength in depth against Hawick at the Greenyards, and, in the second half, showed that they can tough it out when needs must – attributes which Alan Lorimer points out will be needed in spades once the weather changes and their better young players get well deserved representative recognition. They look good – but the pursuing pack will come hunting.
- “Just not good enough,” was Ben Cairns view of Currie Chieftains naive performance against Heriots – and particularly irksome, no doubt, was their first half misuse of the Malleny wind. They do, however, climb from third to second in the league on the back of this defeat – surely indicative of how tight it is in the chasing pack.
- Stirling County’s bonus point win over Marr was ‘comfortable although not commanding’. Plagued in the first half by their regular nemesis the penalty count, they were short of composure at times and almost critically lost focus for a spell around the hour mark – but they got there in the end to consolidate their spot in the play-off zone.
- A bad day for Ayr – bullied out of it big time by Watsonians. Stafford McDowall and Robbie Nairn were both missing – but their real problem was up front. Something to do with Halloween?
- Given the helter-skelter ride Glasgow Hawks have given Finn Gillies this season, nobody can begrudge him the relief and euphoria which must have surged through his veins when they snatched an unlikely bonus point victory from Boroughmuir with two injury time tries. They scavenged well — they took their chances — Ross Thomson kicked his goals — and, crucially they kept going. ‘Balls of Steel’ according to Finn.
- Watsonians have a great ethos about their club – they have recruited well – Rory Drummond and Euan Dodds are a handful up front – Andrew Chalmers and Rory Hutton are class acts – they are well coached – and it all came good at Millbrae on Saturday. It should be a bumper crowd at Myreside on Friday night when they entertain Melrose.
- The Heriots pack, showing no scars from their maulings by Melrose and Ayr, stepped gingerly up to the mark against Currie Chieftains and very much dictated terms in difficult conditions. The game, in reality, was maybe not quite as close as the score suggests — leaving Phil Smith with a sense that his structures are now beginning to mature — and are robust enough to be tested by Stirling next week.
- ‘It aint over until the fat lady sings,’ as Boroughmuir found to their cost against Hawks – though in fairness they were very harshly treated at 24-17 up when Damien Hoyland was ruled to have knocked-on when the ball never went to deck. That said they squandered two or three gilt-edged scoring opportunities and picked up a couple of needless yellow cards. They are not far away – but they need to pull it all together.