Heriot’s 20 - 29 Sitlring County

IT TOOK Stirling the best part of an hour, but they eventually ran out worthy winners – and picked up a four-try bonus point to boot, writes David Barnes at Goldenacre.

A tenth-minute penalty by Graham Wilson gave the home team an early lead, and they probably should have led by more before Stirling proved they were clinical when they finally had a chance to test the Heriot’s defence on the 20-minute mark. Stevie Swindall rumbled over from a close-range pick and drive.

Wilson narrowed the gap to a single point with a second penalty before half-time, and after Alex Moffat and Ruaraidh Carmichael had exchanged converted tries at the start of the second period, the hosts finally got back in front when Jason Hill somehow managed to reach through a wall of bodies to put down beneath the posts.

At this point, the visitors were down to 14 men, Troy Nathan having been harshly yellow-carded for coming in at the side of a ruck. But you wouldn’t have known it from the way Stirling bounced back, Stuart Edwards dashing over for a try and Archibald slotting a penalty before the ten minutes were up.

Heriot’s didn’t cope quite so well when they lost Kevin Bruce to the sin-bin, and Stirling’s victory was secured when Sean Kennedy broke to cross the whitewash virtually unchallenged.