Ayr

Scotland’s Super Six franchise clubs will face the top six in the Welsh Principality Premiership as part of a new cross-border competition.

Response to this week’s news about the SRU’s “Super 6” must surely be “we’ll have to wait and see”. No doubt the members of the panel, chaired by Sir Bill Gammell, who had the task of assessing the twelve bidding clubs, and selecting the Six that will set sail on the uncharted ocean of officially approved semi-pro rugby, will have adhered scrupulously to the criteria they were handed. Nevertheless, it seems wrong – even ridiculous – that three of the “chosen six” are Edinburgh clubs, that there is no Glasgow one, and that Stirling County is the most northerly club selected. For years we have bewailed the narrow base of Scottish rugby. Now Ayr is to be the only Super 6 club more than a drive and a chip from Murrayfield. This is a weird way to grow the game.

The Scottish Rugby Union ignored its own compliance guidelines when it awarded three of its Super 6 franchises to clubs in Edinburgh, The Scotsman has learned.

The winning bids may now be known but lots of questions remain over what impact, positive or negative, the watershed creation of the Super 6 will have on the landscape of Scottish rugby.

Melrose were crowned BT Premiership champions after a hard-earned but well-crafted victory in the play-off final that keeps them on track for the league and cup double.

Melrose finished off a near-perfect Premiership season with a scrappy, hard-earned victory over defending champions Ayr in the play-off final.

The SRU has received 12 applications from clubs to form franchises in the new part-time professional Super 6 league which is due to launch in the 2019/20 season.

Any notion that the BT Premiership title is Melrose’s for the asking was surely dispelled by Ayr’s victory in this ferocious contest on Saturday.

Ayr will not give up their title easily. There were times earlier in the season when even a place in the play-offs was in jeopardy, and times in this Premiership semi-final when they were just clinging on. But they got there in the end, and travel to the Greenyards for the final in two weeks with their morale as high as it has been since the memorable day last spring when they were crowned champions at that very venue.

Ayr defeated Watsonians 27-17 to clinch third place in the BT Premiership and a play-off semi-final away to Currie. Sonians finish fourth in the table and will be on the road to Melrose in their last four clash.

A cracking first half performance from Marr earned them this win over Currie Chieftains and kept their slim chances of avoiding relegation alive.

Ayr made amends for last week’s BT Cup quarter-final loss at Mansfield Park with this bonus-point BT Premiership win in the glaur of Millbrae – the victory taking them closer to a place in the play-off semi-finals next month.

County president John Wright flagged up in his match programme notes that this was likely to be a nail-biter in the battle for BT Premiership survival.

Melrose put any residual effects of their January jitters behind them by defeating Heriot’s to guarantee a home final in the play-offs if the Greenyards men win their semi.

Heriot’s kept their composure for once to negotiate a wind-spoiled game better than Ayr and keep alive their hopes of a Premiership play-off place.

Heriot’s needed a late penalty try to stay in contention for a Premiership play-off place but ultimately they were deserving winners over stubborn Ayr.

Ayr, without hitting their straps, won this strange Ayrshire derby by five tries to four, to climb above the idle Currie into second place in the BT Premiership. But, the victory was by no means clearcut in a helter-skelter, and at times scrappy, battle.

These are curious times at Stirling, with an improved side apparently incapable of seeing out matches from winning positions.

Melrose were given a stark reminder that past performances do not in themselves guarantee future returns after the runaway championship leaders’ 12-match 
winning streak was brought to an end by the title holders, 
Ayr.