THERE may be doubts about rugby's experimental law variations (ELVs), but one thing that cannot be questioned is its encouragement to attack and score tries.
These two sides have not been slow to cross the whitewash in years gone by, perhaps, but there was a new élan to this cracking city derby on Saturday that drew supporters in from the first minute to the last. The one disappointing note was the size o
f the crowd.
While the Glasgow derby last week pulled in more than 800 and double that figure is expected for the Borders derby between Selkirk and Melrose next weekend, the crowd at Myreside – one of the few places in Scotland that seemed to avoid the rain on Saturday – saw around 300-400 loyal souls turn up, in direct contrast to the entertainment on offer.
Among them was popular 'Sonian David Hoy, the father of Chris, whose sunny disposition suggested he was not missing the Beijing temperatures, nerve-jangling wait as his son pedalled like fury and waves of emotion when the former George Watson's pupil claimed another of three gold medals. He seemed to enjoy his return to some sort of normality, sitting back and chatting with fellow 'Sonians, but the rugby that led to seven tries clearly helped.
The fact four were garnered by his side ensured they won despite a tightly-fought finish, despite having threatened to run amok at times. The hosts took on Heriot's in determined fashion, led notably up front by second rows Jeff Nicholson and Torrie Callander, tireless flanker Guy Hills and prop Kian Coertze. And with ball won they couldn't wait to use it.
At the heart of the attacks was invariably Jamie Blackwood, even when he was switched from scrum-half to inside centre after an early injury to Dougie Brown. Blackwood was a star in the making as a teenager, but was a victim of falling between two stools – a huge talent in the club game, but lacking opportunities at pro level. Watsonians are the undoubted beneficiaries of his return from Rotherham.
Consistently on the end of the 'Sonians attacks was a newcomer from the Borders, Richard Minto. The former Kelso wing has stepped up a division with a new job in the capital and is clearly relishing it. He said afterwards: "The level of professionalism at the club; the attitude and commitment of the players is phenomenal, and I'm having a great time."
That was clear in the way Minto involved himself in most attacks and was terrier-like in defence. He regularly beat the first opponent, with a jink or a hand-off, so it was no surprise that he started the try-scoring after a terrific break from Ben Di Rollo, the centre, and typically slick handling from Mike Ker put him in space on halfway. Ker converted the resultant kick.
Graham Wilson, the talented Heriot's scrum-half, had slotted an earlier penalty, and the visitors showed a neat ability to respond to every home score. One would add that the hosts showed a less praiseworthy knack of dropping intensity and the ball after dazzling with their bewitching running and off-loading. Maybe it was inevitable after lengthy spells without play being stopped, but Heriot's seized on it.
The quality was undermined by a fair dose of handling errors and simple mistakes, but it was ping-pong rugby at its most entertaining for the crowd, and probably most frustrating for the watching coaches.
Greig Rutherford, the fly-half, struck a neat drop-goal for Heriot's; Jonny Pelter, the former Bedford flanker, barged through Jamie Syme to score off a scrum; Tam McVie finished a great forwards-then-backs attack by Heriot's; Ker converted a penalty, and then Finlay Gillies rewarded Heriot's patience and persistence by exploding three defenders to score in the Watsonians' left-hand corner. Phew! The half-time whistle drew a collective sigh of relief around the ground.
Watsonians, crucially, learned from the first period, Jeff Nicholson and Blackwood touching down after two more exhilarating attacks, Ker and Wilson swapping penalties between the scores, and Ker adding another to create a 35-21 lead and the first sign of daylight between the sides.
But with McVie, Ian Nimmo and Jamie Parker leading the forward battle and Graham Thomson and David McCall causing mayhem on the counter-attack – and 'Sonians missing yellow-carded Richard Mill for killing ball – Heriot's lifted again and took the game to the wire. Slick work from a lineout drive led to McCall, recovered from a year troubled by injury, breaking through to score.
The hosts lost prop Andrew Fisher to the sin-bin in the final minute as Heriot's battered away inside the home 22 desperate for the equalising score, but when Michael Short's pass was intercepted another palpable sigh enveloped Myreside, relief and anguish from either side. Blackwood cleared to touch and the final whistle blew on an encounter that underlined the growing competitiveness and ambition in club rugby's top flight.
Scorers: Watsonians: Tries: Minto, Pelter, Nicholson, Blackwood; Pens: Kerr 3; Cons: Ker 3. Heriot's: Tries: McVie, Gillies, McCall; Pens: Wilson 2; Cons: Wilson 2; Drop-goal: Rutherford.
Watsonians: A Nash; T Saena, B Di Rollo, D Brown, R Minto; M Ker, J Blackwood; A Fisher, G Wood, K Coertze, T Callander (capt), J Nicholson, J Pelter, A Tweed, G Hills. Subs used: N Tunnah, E Howe, A Rowe, G Scott.
Heriot's: C Goudie; D McCall, G Thomson, R Mill, M Short; G Rutherford, G Wilson; A Dymock, F Gillies, W Blacklock, J Stevens, I Nimmo, T McVie (capt), J Syme, J Parker. Subs: JP Ward, S Burnett for Gillies 55, S Dewar, G Anderson, M Sherwood.
Referee: G Knox.
Attendance: 350
The full article contains 966 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
