BEN ROBBINS has spent a bit of time on the wing recently – so that Currie Chieftains could accommodate a combination of Jamie Forbes and Adam Hastings at full-back – but he was back in his favoured position on Saturday and showed that he can be a real handful as well.
It has been a fairly frustrating, injury-ravaged season for Stirling County youngster Logan Trotter, but his outside break to score his team’s second try against the Chieftains showed just why he is so highly rated, and likely to be a key man for the Scotland Under-20 team during this year’s Six Nations campaign.
Watsonians ran riot against Glasgow Hawks and centres Michael Allen and DJ Innes had a field day, with the latter’s 50 metre run-in a particular highlight. Meanwhile, on the right wing, Craig Gossman is long overdue selection, and despite a frustrating day for Ayr at windy Goldenacre, he managed to nip over in the corner for his fifth try of the season.
Charlie Shiel, also of Chieftains, again demonstrated what a dangerous threat he poses from the base of ruck, maul or scrum, with several sniping breaks, including one which earned him his team’s first try. He is partnered by team-mate Forbes, who was equally lively at stand-off in the Edinburgh team’s victory over Stirling County.
Three Heriot’s players – prop Elliot Millar Mills, plus flankers Iain Wilson and Jack McLean – in the pack, in recognition of their team’s powerful performance in a hard-fought victory over Ayr, in what looks like being a hugely significant result in the battle for a favourable play-off seeding. Second-row Callum Marshall and number eight Jack Turley could also easily have made the pack, as well as Tom Wilson at scrum-half.
Hamish Bain was immense in the line-out for Chieftains and busy all over the park to make the second-row; and he could very easily have been joined by team-mate Thomas Gordon, who created Robbie Nelson’s try, and put in a power of work all over the park, but he misses out – just – to McLean, who edged the stats on this occasion.
Tight-head prop Nicky Little and second-row Dalton Redpath were two of the stand-out performers for Hawick in a big win against Boroughmuir, while Shawn Muir was another leading candidate and is unlucky to not make the cut for the first time this calendar year.
Michael Fedo’s hat-trick for Watsonians against Hawks made him a stick-on at number eight, while the number two jersey goes to Lewis Anderson of Ayr.
15. Ben Robbins (Currie Chieftains)
14. Logan Trotter (Stirling County)
13. Michael Allen (Watsonians)
12. DJ Innes (Watsonians)
11. Craig Gossman (Ayr)
10. Jamie Forbes (Currie Chieftains)
9. Charlie Shiel (Currie Chieftains)
1. Elliot Millar Mills (Heriot’s)
2. Lewis Anderson (Ayr)
3. Nicky Little (Hawick)
4. Dalton Redpath (Hawick)
5. Hamish Bain (Currie Chieftains)
6. Iain Wilson (Heriot’s)
7. Jack McLean (Heriot’s)
8. Michael Fedo (Watsonians)