Rugby: Defeat leaves Watsonians on the brink

WATSONIANS face a tense climax to their Scottish Hydro Premiership campaign after they suffered a 33-22 loss away to Glasgow Hawks in their penultimate fixture to remain second bottom.

The Myreside men are now teetering on the brink of demotion and need to take at least a bonus point from their trip to Melrose on 17 April then hope that Edinburgh Accies lose heavily against Heriot's the following week.

The result has removed West of Scotland from the relegation equation, meaning either 'Sonians or Accies will take the drop along with Stewart's Melville, who are already relegated.

A Mike Ker penalty kept 'Sonians in touch at the break at 10-3. Their prospects looked even rosier when Richard Minto marked his return with a converted try that squared matters early in the second period.

However, despite further scores by Ali Rowe and Max Learmonth, 'Sonians returned along the M8 facing a bleak outlook.

The gloom hanging over Myreside is in sharp contrast to the buoyant mood at Stoneyhill, where Musselburgh virtually assured their survival in Division Three with their best performance of the season – a stunning 62-8 win over Dumfries.

The result has moved Burgh into the top six although the congested nature of the division means that any one of six sides could accompany Irvine into the National Leagues next season.

But Burgh's latest win means it would take an unlikely sequence of results and an improbably heavy defeat in their remaining game at home to second-bottom Garnock to see Donald MacDonald's men take the drop.

Burgh led 22-3 at the interval and clicked up a gear in the second period. They scored nine tries in all, with Greg Walker and man of the match Andrew Cook touching down for two tries apiece, while there were singles for Fraser Millar, Liam Slaven – one of three siblings in the squad – Andrew Clark, Mark Alexander and Neil Robert. Brian Walls contributed the remaining points with seven conversions and a penalty.