Hawick 12-40 Boroughmuir: Muir move up to fifth

Boroughmuir head coach Bruce Aitchison signed off his tenure in charge of the Meggetland side with a stylish win over Hawick which hoists Muir to fifth place in the BT Premiership, writes Alan Lorimer at Netherdale.

The change of venue from a sodden Mansfield Park to the drier Netherdale worked well for Boroughmuir, who took advantage of the inviting surface to play top-of-the-ground rugby resulting in a six-try tally, five of them converted by Chris Laidlaw, who was at the heart of this inspired performance.

There were eye-catching displays too from Sam Johnson, Grant McConnell and Ian Moody, but it was the confidence on the ball and a fast-engaging defence that gave Muir their substantial win.

Boroughmuir had the game won by half-time when they led 28-0 with tries from Ross Bradford, Cal Davies, Moody and Mark Hare, all converted by Laidlaw.

Hawick, who were fielding a makeshift backline, rallied in the second half to score tries by Rory Hutton and Bruce McNeil and a conversion by Neil Renwick before Boroughmuir reasserted themselves, finishing strongly with a brace of tries from Rob Cairns.