Niko Matawalu and Chris Fusaro inspire Stirling's rout of Hawick

Christ Fusaro scores Stirling County's fifth try against Hawick. Picture: SNS.

The win owed much to the prodigious talents of Niko Matawalu, augmented by his Glasgow Warriors colleague Chris Fusaro.

Stirling full-back Jonny Hope kicked his side into an early lead with a penalty in front of the posts.

A good move on 15 minutes – started by Hope, and involving Matawalu – was finished by Peter Jericevich and Hope converted.

Hawick hit back five minutes later when Greg Cottrell went over, Lee Armstrong adding the extras. But Matawalu then stretched County’s lead after 31 minutes when he finished off a drive by the forwards by diving over, and he got his second shortly afterwards with Hope converting for a comfortable 22-7 half-time lead.

Stirling continued to impress after the break, with Reyner Kennedy barging over. Gary Munro reduced the deficit with a score out wide for the men in green but any hopes of a fightback were quashed when Fusaro sprinted in for a touchdown that Hope goalled.

Kerr Gossman scored two tries in quick succession as County put the visitors to the sword, Hope converting the first, with Fusaro also getting his second touchdown two minutes later. Callum McClelland notched a consolation score for Hawick that Armstrong converted but this was Stirling’s day.