- The going was heavy – and it was a difficult afternoon for the TOL tipster. Four ‘seconds’ – albeit each by a short head – plus a dead heat for Edinburgh Accies. Top two beaten – bottom two draw. Plenty of excitement for the punters who braved the dreich conditions – and much concern about the attempted power grab back at the Jockey Club – yet no reported sightings of Mark Dodson or his pal Sir Bill Gammell.
- ‘Fortress Fullarton has fallen’. Marr‘s unbeaten run came to a nerve-jangling end in atrocious conditions. Total domination of both possession and territory – but they could not bury GHA’s inspired and heroic defence. The big one at Malleny next week.
- A miserable December afternoon – missing their key playmaker – it was never going to be easy for Currie Chieftains against a rejuvenated Hawick at a rain sodden Mansfield Park. And so it proved. Their scrum struggled all game – they kicked aimlessly – they picked up two needless yellow-cards – and never really got into the game until the final five minutes when they were denied what would have been a totally undeserved win by an overly officious touch judge.
- The green machine is back. Hawick struggled to convert pressure into points against Chieftains – but did enough to get the win which takes them to third place in the table. Shawn Muir was immense – Daniel Sudden is improving with every game, though he is disadvantaged by a tendency to over complicate their line-outs – Andrew Mitchell played well and grabbed the vital second half try – but it was Wiaan Griebebow who found the space and the the angles he needed.
- A second home defeat in consecutive weeks has dented Aberdeen Grammar‘s play-off aspirations. They bossed the scrum and built up a 14-0 half-time lead – but a sloppy, ill-disciplined start to the second half cost them dear – leaving them with it all to do in terms of securing a slot in the play-offs. They cannot afford to lose down at Jed next week.
- The relentless rain and cold wind at Balgray would supposedly have favoured Glasgow Hawks against Jed – but their line-out broke down – and according to Andy Hill they got ‘suckered into trying to play too much rugby’. They could still have won it, however, but Liam Brims could not convert Gary Strain’s last ditch try from the wide right. Fine margins – leaving Hawks having lost their last three home games by a combined total of five points – a situation they will be looking to resolve against Musselburgh next week.
- ‘Defence wins games’ – and this was certainly the case as GHA snatched the Bill McLaren Shield from Marr with a win ‘which few outside Braidholm saw coming’. Facing a stiff breeze in the second half, their 10 point half-time lead did not feel anywhere near enough – but they stuck it on the line – every man jack of them – and took the one chance that came their way to bag a famous victory. Well done, GHA!
- Maybe not a classic but plenty of excitement at Newfield where Edinburgh Accies fell away badly in the second half – and were in the end lucky to come away with a draw against Musselburgh – which leaves them very much in the relegation dog-fight.
- Gavin Kerr was delighted that Jed-Forest showed that they could ‘roll up their sleeves and get stuck in’ against Hawks –with their forwards fighting all the way – and Gary Munro controlling the play astutely – constantly forcing their opponents to play from deep. But what is Fraser Harkness doing picking up yellow cards at his age!
- Danny Owenson missed a penalty in the fourth minute of injury time which would have given Musselburgh a very welcome win over Accies – but Graeme Paterson is happy that his side are hanging in there – and comfortable that they are heading in the right direction. They are only one good weekend away from escaping the relegation zone.
Sir Bill Gammell and Norman Murray recommend radical change in SRU governance