Oct
11
Match Report first published by the SRU website: http://www.scottishrugby.org/news
Reigning BT Premiership Champions Heriot’s tonight returned to the top of the table after a well-fought 23-14 win over local rivals Boroughmuir at Meggetland.
An early lead built up by Rob Kay and John Semple was enough to make sure a second half comeback would not be enough with Semple’s second putting the icing on the cake.
Heriot’s were the first to strike within ten minutes; Kay crossed the line following a well-worked set move deep inside the Boroughmuir 22 which saw Stuart Edwards find space with a long miss pass to John Rae who flicked it on to the winger to score in the corner. Graham Wilson made up for his missed conversion with a penalty soon after to give the visitors an 8-0 lead.
Even early on, the dew had already started to build up on the pitch and this quickly had an effect on the game with a number of knock-ons with the slippery surface proving difficult to manage for the front rows.
With the home side starting to go quiet, the match was in need of a bit more action. This came in the form of a hack through by Rik van Balkom, forcing defender Semple into touch. From the resulting lineout, Craig Bachurzewski held firm at the back of the maul and was soon able to crash over with Dougie Steele adding the extras.
Simple try for Semple
From the kick off, Heriot’s quickly put the home side under pressure camped back out in the 22. However, it was not long before a gap appeared and fullback Semple did well to dive over in the left hand corner for the score. Wilson was unable to successfully slot the difficult conversion attempt.
Much like their first try, Boroughmuir again found themselves in the corner looking for their second score. Another rolling maul was set up, this time with Callum Reid at the back, yet Heriot’s held strong and managed to turn the ball over and clear danger.
Half Time: Boroughmuir 7 v 13 Heriot’s
Wilson opened the second half with a quick penalty for Heriot’s before missing another fairly simple opportunity
However, the flow of the game changed when Wilson’s half-back partner, stand-off Stuart Edwards was taken off due to an injury.
Soon after, the Boroughmuir attack, led by forwards Magnus Bradbury and Sam Gibson, started to make some dents in their opposition’s defensive line. It was not long before loose-head prop Robbie Wilson crossed the whitewash with Steele once again converting.
With 20 minutes left, the deficit had shrunk to just two points.
The end of the comeback
Heriot’s were not willing to lie down, though. Their defence held tight when Boroughmuir continued to attack
Heriot’s managed to back up their hard defensive work with some unrelenting attack of their own and, eventually, Semple crossed for another try following some powerful runs by the forward pack. Replacement Gregor McNeish converted and his side’s nine point lead now looked as though it would be enough to hang on to victory.
And so it was; Heriot’s looked to have scored another in the dying moments of the game through replacement scrum-half Hugh Fraser yet the referee claimed the ball was held up – the bonus point evading the Goldenacre side.
Full Time: Boroughmuir 14 v 23 Heriot’s
Normal service resumes next weekend with all BT Premiership teams in action as Heriot’s face third placed Melrose at the Greenyards and Boroughmuir play hosts to mid-table Hawick.
Teams:
Boroughmuir: Ed Farquharson, Craig Hunter, Alex Cox, Greg Cannie, Rik van Balkom, Dougie Steele, Robbie Smith, Robby Wilson, Sean Crombie, Craig Bachurzewski, Sam Gibson, Magnus Bradbury, Andy Rose CAPTAIN and Callum Reid
Replacements: Cal Davies, Dale Robertson, Scott Burnside, Johnny Adams and Mark Hare
Heriot’s: John Semple, John Rae, Max Learmonth, Cameron Ferguson, Rob Kay, Stuart Edwards, Graham Wilson, Murry McCallum, Michael Liness, Struan Cessford, Russell Nimmo, Roan van Heerden, Jack Turley CAPTAIN, Struan Dewar and Jason Hill
Replacements: (…), Martin Bouab, Ian Wilson, Hugh Fraser and Gregor McNeish
Referee: Graeme Ormiston
To see further photos by Dave Patterson from the game, click here.
In other games:
The Magic 2s lost to Heriots 2nds 12-24. To see photos of the game, click here.
Bears unable to produce a team to travel to Jed will have their game postponed
