Super6 returns as Ayrshire Bulls kick off title defence against Boroughmuir Bears

The FOSROC Super6 Sprint Series gets underway this evening when the Ayrshire Bulls, who won the 2021 competition at the part-time professional level, take on the Boroughmuir Bears at Millbrae.

It is nearly six months since the Bulls defeated the Southern Knights in the final to lift the silverware.

And this is now the third tournament to be run at the level that sits between the professional and amateur games in the country, the 2019/20 campaign being cut short before the play-offs because the pandemic came along.

This event will run from tonight until June with the six teams playing each other once home or away until May 21 in the initial phase.

Pete Horne (right) holds the Super6 trophy with then Ayrshire Bulls head coach Pat McArthur after the victory over Southern Knights in last year's final. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

Then a play-off stage will take place between May 27 until June 11.

Pete Horne, the former Glasgow Warriors’ stand-off/centre, is now the head coach of the Bulls with Pat MacArthur stepping back to an assistant’s role.

Horne has used his connections in the pro game to get Jamie Bhatti, Rob Harley and his younger brother George to come on board and assist with various areas of coaching too.

As is the nature of rugby these days, all squads have had a reshuffle ahead of the new era and the Bulls are no different.

They hand a start to Scotland under-20 cap Thomas Glendinning at centre, the former Kirkcaldy and Glasgow Hawks youngster having impressed Horne in training.

Warriors’ front-row duo Grant Stewart and Thomas Lambert are released to get some game time and will look to make an impact from the bench.

Blair Macpherson is the skipper from No.8 and Horne said: “We are excited to be playing in the opening game at home.”

The Bears are coached by Graham Shiel and finished fifth overall last year.

They are captained by the experienced No.8 Craig Keddie while Warriors’ Academy player Gregor Brown is one to watch for them in the back-row.

“Millbrae is always a tough place to go, but we are looking forward to it,” Shiel said.

The match tonight kicks-off at 7.45pm and is live on FreeSports.

The four other clubs - the Knights, Heriot’s Rugby, Stirling County and Watsonians Rugby - enter the fray on Saturday.

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