- The strong wind dictated play at Malleny and Currie Chieftains took full advantage in the second half to chalk up a comfortable win over Jed, leaving them needing a solitary point to finish the season top of the pile. Joe Reynolds grabbed a hat-trick and Jamie Forbes was a more than adequate replacement at fly-half for the injured Gregor Hunter.
- Great stuff at Raeburn Place where a last gasp try from Fraser Grant more or less guaranteed Marr home advantage in the play-offs – though Hawick are still to visit Fullarton on 19th February. They generally had the better of the breakdowns and they finished the stronger – with a couple of quickly taken penalties from Scott Bickersstaff giving them the vital edge.
- After the club paid an emotional pre-match tribute to the rugby legend that was Wullie Gray, Hawick blew Musselburgh away in the fourth quarter to confirm their slot in the play-offs – and they still have half an eye on home advantage. Conditions were difficult for their talented young backs in the first half – but their powerful pack put a throttlehold on the game after the break, with Shawn Muir and Ross Graham very much to the fore.
This weekend’s Premiership match reports:
Premiership: Hawick climb to third with bonus point win over Musselburgh
Premiership: Marr take step closer to home play-off with win over Edinburgh Accies
Premiership: Aberdeen Grammar make GHA work for win in high-scoring encounter
Premiership: Glasgow Hawks bounce back with win over error-prone Selkirk
Premiership: Currie Chieftains blow Jed-Forest away with second half blast
- Edinburgh Accies will be disappointed to lose their unbeaten home record to Marr, but it was fine margins and they took enough from the game to feel that winning a play-off at Fullarton might not be beyond them – particularly with Jamie Loomes and Neil Armstrong back in the side..
- A morale-boosting win for Glasgow Hawks at Phiiphaugh – probably just about deserved by virtue of their adapting to the stormy conditions more purposefully than Selkirk. Not a great game – but Brendon McGroarty looked very good either side of the ball.
- GHA kicked on from their stellar result against Hawks last week with a clinical 10-try victory over Aberdeen at Braidholm, with centres Charlie Lonergen and Max MacFarlane again on fine form and the ‘heavily tattooed’ Scott Derrick a powerhouse on the wing.
- Jed-Forest were struggling for numbers for their match against Currie at Malleny, with three of their squad having played in their 2nd XV’s win over Hawick Force on Friday night. They kept it fairly respectable with the wind at their backs in the first half, but struggled against the unrelenting pressure after the break. They hung in, however, and Mason Cullen nicked a well-deserved consolation try.
- Not much joy for Musselburgh against Hawick Mansfield. Danny Owenson rowed manfully against the tide, but on the day, nothing was happening for them.
- Selkirk had their chances against Hawks at Philiphaugh, but did not take them and then fell victim to some sloppy defence – though, in fairness, their cause was not helped by what looked like fairly serious injuries to Ryan Cottrell, Andrew Cochrane and Ben Pickles.
- Another heavy defeat for Aberdeen Grammar against GHA at Braidholm but they did pick up a try-bonus point and there were admirable signs of defiance from the likes of Patrick Mulholland, Ben Inglis and Cameron Shepherd – and from head coach Ali O’Connor who said: ‘We are going down a division, but where do I see us going? We rebuild and come back stronger’. Clearly, like Mark Twain, ‘rumours of their demise have been greatly exaggerated’.
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