Snow melts to reveal new obstacle to clubs

THE snow may not quite have disappeared from around the countryside, but all Premier One sides are back in action this afternoon with a new obstacle looming to potentially make the championship race a bit more unexpected than it seems.

In one simple word, it is 'backlog'.

The backlog of fixtures means a clutch of clubs – notably title-holders and this season's chasers, Ayr – are going to have to face midweek games and the possibility of three matches in the space of eight days to fulfil their fixture list. On top of that the Millbrae men, as well as Heriot's, have three more British and Irish Cup matches to fit in and the Scottish Hydro Cup ties.

For the sake of the championship race most neutrals are willing Ayr on to keep a finger-hold of Currie's coat-tails and they are currently well poised sitting just five points behind with a game in hand, and the next clash between the two clubs not until 6 March at Malleny Park.

So, Ayr are understandably delighted to finally get the snow off Millbrae and have the game on, even if coach Kenny Murray may have his mind on other matters while he takes some paternity leave.

However, just how rusty the team might be after not playing a league match since 12 December is preying on the minds of supporters, especially as today's visitors, Stewart's Melville – arriving off the back of a 33-44 defeat to West of Scotland at Inverleith last weekend – were running them close before Ayr scored three tries late on in the Edinburgh encounter.

Sadly for Stew/Mel they still let a half-time lead slip last week and lost the game, but how crucial having that game under their belts and having dusted off their finishing skills will prove is hard to predict.

Currie have a potentially tricky trip to Raeburn Place to face Edinburgh Accies this afternoon, a game that was due to be played at Malleny but was switched to allow BBC radio coverage of the first meeting earlier in the season. It resulted in a hefty 48-21 win for Currie.

Accies have conceded 82 points in their last two games, losing to Ayr and Boroughmuir, so one imagines there will have been much brain-wracking by head coach Ian Barnes before today's pre-match team talk.

If the battle for the title may now hinge on how well Currie and Ayr deal with postponed fixtures and midweek games, the relegation fight may not last quite so long.

Stew/Mel seem beyond saving, 19 points off tenth place with just seven games to go, and another defeat for Watsonians could leave them with as much hope of avoiding the drop.

Selkirk, Heriot's, Accies, Boroughmuir and John Beattie's West of Scotland are all still in the melting point, more than two wins above Watsonians, but struggling to escape the battle if Bruce Aitchison's side can overcome Dundee HSFP at Myreside today.

Suddenly, the gap would be cut to six or seven points and, again, teams with a fixture backlog could find themselves trying to stave off a Watsonians' fightback with a succession of games thick and fast in the next three months.

So, for the neutral, wins for Ayr and Watsonians would help to keep Premier One bubbling along nicely as we begin to leave the some of the worst winter weather behind us, but Currie, Stewart's Melville and others clearly have a different agenda now that rugby is back in Saturday afternoon vogue for all.