Glasgow Warriors 28
Edinburgh 62
DAVID BARNES @ Oriam
THE capital side (with 11 players in their starting XV who have had regular game time in the Tennent’s Premiership this season, including five full-time Stage 3 FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy members) were too strong for a rather less experienced Glasgow Warriors Under-20s outfit (who had none of their Stage 3 players available).
Warriors actually took an early lead through GHA scrum-half George Baird, with Dumfries Saints stand-off Joseph Strain adding the conversion; but Edinburgh bounced right back when Heriot’s full-back Jack Blain‘s neat offload sent Edinburgh Accies flanker Jack Mann over, and they then grabbed the lead when Melrose prop Will Owen capitalised from a powerful line-out drive.
Watsonians winger Lomond MacPherson was next on the scoresheet for the East coast side, gathering a loose-chip ahead and darting home; before centre Andrew Mitchell showed some of the power and pace which has made the teenager a big hit for Hawick this season when he charged in for try number four.
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Andrew Jardine of Melrose got a try back for Warriors, but Edinburgh finished the half on the front-foot again with Paul Cunningham nipping over; and the Watsonians stand-off started the second period as he finished the first, with his second try with an excellent surge to the line, then adding the conversion for good measure.
Man-of-the-match Connor Boyle of Watsonians was the next try scorer from a number eight pick-up. It was one-way traffic at this point, and Mann imposed himself twice straight from restart before MacPherson darted clear and replacement hooker Campbell Wilson of Currie Chieftains finished off the score.
Blain rampaged home from 60-yards up the left touchline, and the impressive Mann finished off Edinburgh’s scoring with his second try.
To Warriors’ credit, they kept battling (perhaps aided by Edinburgh taking their foot off the gas), and they got their reward with the final two scores of the match, through replacements Rowan Stewart of Biggar and Jacob Siems of Glasgow Hawks. Strain converted both.
Teams –
Glasgow Warriors: J McCaig (Melrose); J McCready (Glasgow Hawks), M Holland (Glasgow Hawks), A Jardine (Melrose), C Dineen (Stirling County); J Strain (Dumfries Saints), G Baird (GHA); C Miller (Ayr), S Fisher (Falkirk), G Kelly (Biggar), R Bundy (Stirling County), A Kerr (GHA), W Nelson (Currie Chieftains), S Dow (Glasgow Hawks), C Reece (Ayr). Subs: S Collier (Ayr), S Muklamani (GHA), F Muir (Stirling County), A Rutherford (Stirling County), G Wilson (Glasgow Hawks), J Siems (Glasgow Hawks), C Symes (Glasgow Hawks), R Stewart (Biggar).
Edinburgh: J Blain (Heriot’s); L McPherson (Watsonians), A Mitchell (Hawick), A Hall (Currie Chieftains), R McKean (Hawick); P Cunningham (Watsonians), R Frostwick (Currie Chieftains); W Owen (Melrose), F Scott (Jed-Forest/Melrose), C Imrie (Edinburgh Accies), K Watt (Watsonians), C Jupp (Heriot’s), J Mann (Edinburgh Accies), R Darge (Melrose), C Boyle (Watsonians). Subs: C Wilson (Currie Chieftains), T Hope (Hawick), M Wilson (Melrose), T Brown (Melrose), C Brown (Kelso), M Scott (Watsonians), K McGhie (Musselburgh), M Klein (Melrose).
Scorers –
Glasgow Warriors: Tries: Baird, Jardine, Stewart, Siems; Cons: Strain 4.
Edinburgh: Tries: Mann 2, Owen, MacPherson, Mitchell, Cunningham 2, Boyle, Wilson, Blain; Cons: Cunningham 6.
Scoring sequence (Glasgow Warriors first): 5-0; 7-0; 7-5; 7-10; 7-12; 7-17; 7-19; 7-24; 12-24; 14-29 (h-t) 14-34; 14-36; 14-41; 14-43; 14-48; 14-50; 14-55; 14-60; 14-62; 19-62; 21-62; 26-62; 28-62.
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