Selkirk 34 - 14 Watsonians: Premier strugglers show that the desire for points needn't stifle good rugby

IT will be a shame if one of these teams has to play second division rugby next season since they both put on quite a show. Selkirk won by four tries to two with centre David Cassidy adding 14 points with the boot, but the Edinburgh team played their part. Never mind the quality, sit back and enjoy the boundless ambition of two teams facing relegation and determined to go down playing.

There were two main reasons behind Selkirk's success. The first is that they mixed up their game, running straight, hard lines when they weren't throwing the ball wide, while Watsonians were just a little too predictable. The visitors moved the ball to the wings at every opportunity without anyone preventing the defence from drifting across the field to snuff out the move.

The Edinburgh team also failed to score when they dominated the third quarter of the match, swarming all over their opponents who were reduced to 14 men with Gordon Patterson in the sin bin. They had their chances but they failed to nail any of them and Selkirk made them pay with two tries in the final ten minutes after scoring two in the first half hour.

Fly-half Gavin Craig played a starring role, grabbing the first five points after just three minutes of play and creating the second try for Lee Jones later in the first half. After the break the same highly- rated winger struck again for the bonus-point try with the last move of the match and flanker Callum Johnston claimed the third.

Watsonians' points came from Michael Ker, who danced through some sloppy tackles at the end of the first 40, and replacement centre Grant Somerville, who contributed the best try in the first half which deserved more than it earned his team on the day, which was precisely nothing.

With Watsonians deep in the relegation mire it could be important that the Border team denied them so much as a consolation bonus point. "They're a good rugby team Watsonians," was the verdict from Selkirk coach Kevin Barrie. "They play a wide game and cause a lot of havoc going through Doug Brown, who they play through at 13.

"We have three games left at home – Stewart's Melville, Currie and Ayr – and the only away game we have is against Glasgow Hawks. That win gives us a bit of breathing space."

Selkirk are where they are largely because they were still on the beach when the season started. The club lost their five opening fixtures on the bounce although Barrie has his own explanation as to why that happened.

"The problem in the Borders is that we are in every competition. We've got the Border League, we've got cup games, we've got leagues games and we compete in ten sevens tournaments where the club has to field teams to support other clubs. Glasgow clubs can usually finish the league in March and they go into an off-season and enjoy a good pre-season. We were playing the Border League final in the middle of May last year and we started pre-season in the middle of June and that's hard work.

"We had a host of injuries to key players at the beginning of the season and I just felt that it came a month too soon for us. Once we got that first win we got our confidence back and I think we'll survive now. I think 43 points is what we'll need to stay up so we've got to win another game."

The same cannot be said of Watsonians who will have to win several more matches to stay up and they only have three left. The Edinburgh club is sitting uncomfortably second off the bottom of the table although Accies are just five points, one bonus point win, above them. Six teams from the Edinburgh area always looked unsustainable and, with Hawick on course for promotion, it looks like the Borders may boast four Premier One clubs next season.

They will deserve it, if it happens, if only for the way the community rallies to support their own with the sort of backing that Edinburgh clubs can only dream about.

Scorers: Selkirk: Tries: Craig, Jones (2), Johnston. Con: Cassidy (4). Pen: Cassidy (2). Watsonians: Tries: Ker, Somerville. Con: Ker, Forbes.

Selkirk: Harkness, Hendrie, Cassidy, Nixon, Jones; Craig, McVie; Patterson, Grieve, Taylor, Aglen, Willet, Darling, Johnston, Renwick. Subs from: Clappeton, Forrest, Smyth, Murray, Tomlinson.

Watsonians: Forbes, Rowe, Brown, McKee, Learmonth; Ker, Blackwood; Scott, Turnbull, Coertze, Grant, Weizman, Callander, Fedo, Dennis. Subs from: Hart, Main, Masson, Trotter, Somerville.

Referee: Iain Heard (Gala).