Melrose 69-11 Dundee HSFP: Melrose make big strides towards league success

Everything came up smelling of roses at the Greenyards. In brilliant spring sunshine the Borders club took another big step towards their first title since 1997 by beating Dundee by the handy score of ten tries to one with the bonus point in the bag well before the hour mark. If this one comes down to points difference Melrose did themselves a huge favour with this one-sided score.

The result was rarely in doubt. Despite playing into a stiff breeze Melrose grabbed three first-half tries, the last coming just before half-time, to make the game safe. Dundee needed early points after the break to keep the game alive and when flanker Rob Cessford was tackled into touch by Callum Anderson just inches short of the line the chance had come and gone. Instead the floodgates opened up at the other end and the home team scored at will in the second 40.

"We'll not beat Ayr if we play like that," said coach Craig Chalmers after the match. "The score looks impressive but we murdered a lot of chances in the first half. We have a lot of work to do. The good thing is that our big men who don't play sevens will get a rest next weekend (when the Melrose Sevens takes place]."

Dundee's set scrum looked pretty robust but Melrose held the whip hand almost everywhere else. The home side simply had too much firepower for Dundee to handle and the appearance of Edinburgh winger Lee Jones on the Melrose flanks helped immensely. The pacey winger burst clear for the first try, scored another after the break and looked dangerous every time the ball came close. He wasn't alone and that proved the difference between these two teams. Possession was shared more of less equally, Dundee might even have shaded the territory battle but Melrose looked like they were going to score tries every time they had possession and in the second half they pretty much did.

Dundee huffed and puffed but couldn't produce attacking threat with their own try-scoring machine James Fleming sidelined with a knee injury. They eventually found their way over the line through skipper Richie Hawkins but it was scant reward for all their efforts. Colin Strachan got over the line late in the game but bounced the ball rather than touch it down. It was that sort of afternoon for the visitors. The home half-backs are a nice contrast with scrum-half Scott McCormick always looking to pick up the pace of the game and Scott Wight bringing his quick men into the game and calmly sticking the ball in the right areas, especially after the break when he had the breeze at his back. He even tried a cheeky little chip kick inside his own 22 which was indicative of the confidence coursing through the whole team.

Dundee had little enough to shout about although scrum-half Rick McKenna would be a genuine threat if only his body could keep up with his razor-sharp mind.

They also had the satisfaction of putting in the best tackle of the entire match when centre Strachan stopped a charging Graeme Dodds in his tracks. To the surprise of everyone in the ground the Melrose No.8 jumped straight back to his feet.

After Jones, Joe Helps and Dodds claimed those first-half tries the second 40 degenerated into a rout with further scores from Grant Runciman, John Dalziel, Fraser Thomson who ghosted past any number of tackles to dab down three times, Jones (again) and Jamie Murray.

Scorers: Melrose: Try: Jones (2) Helps, Dodds, Runciman, Dalziel, Thomson (3), Murray. Conv: Wight (8). Pen: Wight. Dundee: Try: Hawkins. Pen: McKenna (2).

Melrose: Thomson; Anderson (A Dodds 60 min), Murray, Helps, Jones; Wight, McCormick; Little (Beavon 20 min), W Mitchell, Holborn, Miller, H Mitchell (Johnson 60 min), Dalziel, Runciman, Dodds.

Dundee HSFP: Brown; Hay, Duthie (Bowie 245 min), Strachan, Coleman; McKenna, A Dymock, N Dymock, Forrest, Brown, Linton, Hawkins, Cumming, Cessford (Milne 47 min), Levison (Redmayne 55 min).

Referee: A McMenemy.