Rugby sevens: Youngsters in the vanguard as Howe of Fife take title

HOWE of Fife’s young team managed to secure the overall Legacy Sevens Series title after a day of high drama at the final event on Saturday. The Fifers did not win the Glasgow City Sevens at Dumbreck but their victory in the Shield section meant that they accumulated enough points over the five events to beat Boroughmuir to the main prize.

Howe deserved to win the overall title for the way their talented squad, including a couple of Strathallan schoolboys, committed to the five tournaments. They won two of them – at Stirling County and their own event – and made the finals at Boroughmuir and Hamilton.

GHA won on Saturday, however, seeing off the select side Samurai Scottish 29-24 after a great final. Tries for the victors came courtesy of Andrew Gillman, Alan Auld, Rangi Jericevich, Niall Cassie and Hefin O’Hare.

In the last four, GHA had caused an upset by beating defeating Glasgow Warriors, while Samurai Scottish had got the better of Munster. In the Shield final, Howe of Fife saw off Dundee HSFP.

Also on Saturday, Heriot’s added the Jed-Forest Sevens Cup, their second win in six years, to add to their immediate return to Premiership 1 and seal a successful first season for coach Graham Marshall.

“There is a lot of potential in the side and, if we can get everyone playing like that, we can win some tournaments next year,” he said.

The final game, too, was the last for former-internationalist and Melrose centre, Cammy Murray. “It was disappointing not to win, but that is it, I am definitely hanging up my boots now,” he said. “To end the season with medals, including the championship, is a great way to finish.”

Heriot’s, runners-up to Jed-Forest at Gala, came good in the end as they thumped a young Melrose side in the final. Jed collected the Kings of the Seven prize, which they had secured a week earlier at Selkirk.

Jed finished ahead of Melrose, the previous winners, Watsonians and Hawick.

In the final, the scores were level at the interval after Melrose powered into a 12-0 lead with tries by Andrew Skeen and Scott McCormick, with Cammy Ferguson and Colin Goudie replying for Heriot’s.

The Edinburgh side seized the initiative after the break with a second score from Ferguson and further tries from Goudie and Joe Hickman. Graham Wilson added the goal points.

Jed went out to Gala in an exciting quarter-final. In the semi-final, lost to Heriot’s, while Melrose were taken to extra time by Watsonians, who had won three of the four previous tournaments.