Selkirk 3 - 11 Gala: Wind and rain puts dampener on Borders derby

The driving wind and rain at Philiphaugh put a stop to the flowing rugby normally played by two sides who just love to run the ball. And, add in the fact that this was a Border derby and RBS Cup game, and it was never going to be a high-scoring match with plenty of tries, writes Stuart Cameron.

In the end there was just the one try from George Graham, who took his opportunity well to dive in at the corner to put his team in front following a Michael McVie penalty with which the home side led early on.

Two Lee Millar penalties stretched Gala out to an eight point lead, and Miller’s injury time kick denied Selkirk a losing bonus point.

It wasn’t one for the purists but Gala will be delighted with the win. The victory for the Maroons means they stretch their lead in the RBS Cup table with a perfect record of three wins out of three.

With Melrose getting their Cup campaign off to a winning start yesterday afternoon at home to Kelso, it is now looking more and more like the match between Gala and Melrose on Boxing Day could decide which of the two clubs goes on to represent the Borders area in the semi-final of the National Cup.