Watsonians 19 - 34 Hawick : Hawick the happier as gloom deepens at Myreside

THE contrasting thoughts of the two head coaches summed up the very different outlooks these teams have already adopted, even though the season is only six matches old. Despite a bonus point win, there was a feeling of frustration in the Hawick camp.

Watsonians, meanwhile, were mightily encouraged by signs of progress in this performance, but still took nothing from the game.

"If you had asked me before the match about taking five league points home then I would have taken your hand off - but that was our poorest performance of the season so far," said Hawick coach Derek Armstrong.

"We probably got the bonus point too early, and then took our foot off the gas a bit. I suppose it goes to show how far we have come that we are now thinking this way."

Opposite number Marcus Di Rollo has the unenviable task of trying to maintain positivity in Watsonian ranks despite a wretched start to the season in which only two bonus points have been collected. The Myreside men are the only team in the league yet to register a win and are three points adrift from Selkirk at the foot of the table.

"We'll always score tries, that's not a problem - but we have to stop conceding soft scores. Every part of our game has been good at some point this season, but we need to put it all together in one match," he said.

Hawick had stretched into a 26-7 lead by the time the second half was two minutes old, with Bruce McTaggart, Rory Hutton and Stuart Hogg (twice) crossing the whitewash, but Watsonians dominated most of the second period, Andrew Skeen and Craig Owenson closing the gap.

However, the contest was definitively settled in Hawick's favour when Edinburgh pro Fraser McKenzie charged from inside his own half for a fine score with only three minutes to go. Fellow pro Lewis Niven had a less satisfying end to the game. He was shown a straight red card a few minutes later for punching.

Scorers: Watsonians: Tries: Porter, Skeen, Owenson. Cons: Ker 2. Hawick: Tries: McTaggart, Hutton, S Hogg 2, McKenzie. Cons: Hutton 3. Pen: Hutton.

Watsonians: A Nash; D Brown, A Skeen, J Blackwood, C Sorbie; J Forbes, M Ker; S Laird (capt.), T Wright, D Orr, E Hunter, D Gorman, A Porter, S Ursache, H Grant. Subs used: J Mokomoko, B Di Rollo, C Owenson, K Coertze, M Fedo.

Hawick: G Johnstone; C Robertson, S Hogg, G Hogg, S Anderson; R Hutton, C Cottrell; B McNeil (capt.), M Landels, S Linton, C Charters, F McKenzie, N McTaggart, D Lowrie, D Landels. Subs used: M Graham, H Scammell, L Niven, G Lowrie, R Gibson.

Referee: R McHenry (Dumfries)