Rugby: Stew-Mel savour league break with cup success

Two divisions currently separate the sides but, with the Inverleith men apparently destined for relegation and their opponents setting the pace in Division Three, Stew-Mel coach Graeme Moffat was conscious that a tricky game was in prospect.

That appeared to be the case at the break with the outcome still in the balance and Stew-Mel only 17-11 ahead, but a dominant second-half effort saw them ease into the next round of the competition with a win that will give them a much-needed confidence boost after recent travails on league duty.

Jed Gordon touched down for two of the Capital side's seven tries and he was joined on the scoresheet by Phil Hendry, Liam Steele, Richard Borthwick, Hayden Lingard and Scott Brewster while Stuart Ker kicked the rest of the points.

Near neighbours Edinburgh Accies were also desperate to halt a run of indifferent form when they welcomed Hamilton from Division Three to Raeburn Place. The Lanarkshire side struck with an early try before Accies took control and they stepped on the gas in the second half when tries from Dave Rattray and Stuart Moffat eased the home side into the next round with a 32-17 score line.

Accies coach Ian Barnes is keen to see his side progress further in the competition, saying: "We are hoping for a decent cup run to compensate for what has so far been a pretty indifferent league campaign."

Any hopes that Haddington might have had of repeating the cup heroics that took them to within 80 minutes of a Murrayfield final last season were cruelly dashed at Neilson Park. The Scarlets were tied 6-6 at half time against Falkirk, with Nick Bell slotting two penalties for the home side, but Rory Couper's men were unable to add to their tally in a tense second half and were eventually ousted when David Adamson landed his third kick of the afternoon to snatch a 9-6 win for Falkirk.

Musselburgh faced a daunting task against league champions Ayr at Stoneyhill. Donald MacDonald's side set aside their battle to remain in the Premiership and acquitted themselves well against the visitors. However, an upset was never really likely against a powerful Ayr side that posted a 31-9 win.