Rugby: Heriot's gutsy despite loss

DESPITE falling to their fifth straight defeat in the augural British and Irish Cup, Heriot's stand-in coach James Thompson was in good spirits as he reflected on his side's 34-7 loss against Munster 'A' last night.

The visitors gave as good as they got for much of the match and the final scoreline flattered a Munster side, who really only cut loose in the last few minutes.

Heriot's played with plenty ambition, and the commitment they showed in defence earned them the respect of the Cork crowd, who clapped them off the pitch at full time.

Thompson said: "I thought we stuck in well. It was professionals against amateurs but we showed a lot of heart and guts."

Heriot's try was piece of real quality and easily the best score of the night. The pack created the initial inroads, punching holes around the fringes and pulling Munster ragged. When the ball was recycled to the backs, Greig Rutherford fixed his man and found Peter Saunders, who in turn found full-back Colin Goudie to dart home in the corner.

Before that, Munster, who now move on to the semi-finals, scored first-half tries through Dave Kilcoyne and Mike Sherry, then added three more in the second half through Danny Barnes, Nick Williams and Sean Scanlon.