Rain And Mud could Not Marr The Quality Of This Win

WHEN Marr won National League 1 last season, many people presumed, they would come-up to the BT Premiership to be one-season wonders, out of their depth and destined to make an immediate return to the National League.

Craig Redpath - has put terrific defensive structures in place

I will hold my hand up; while I fancied they would struggle, I never saw them as “cannon fodder”, more-so after I watched Coach Craig Redpath putting his squad through some intense defensive sets in pre-season. To date, they have, as expected, struggled to get out of the bottom half of the table, although, early-on, they were briefly, as Ayr failed to find their feet, the top team in Ayrshire.

Kaleem Berreto on the way to scoring his first try on Saturday

I was at Fullarton Park yesterday, and, I have to say, they really have grown into this league. They have now added offensive class to their previous defensive excellence, and, after the Man-of-the-Match display from young Academy scrum-half Kaleem Barreto, we now have a bit of a log-jam developing in Scottish rugby. The young Marr 9 was outstanding, scoring two tries and being a constant headache to Paddy Boyer – who is no mug when it comes to the one-on-one battle of the number 9s.

Hawks did not help themselves. I have seldom seen their line-out malfunction as it did yesterday, they were often bullied at the breakdown, but, for all that, the class of young Kyle Rowe and Ross Thomson stood out for the losers.

To quote Eddie Waring: "Aye, e's a big lad. "Sammy" Vunisa on the charge

I had a laugh pre-match when checking the team sheet, to be informed: “'Sammy' – Warriors' Fijian-born, Italian international pro Samuela Vunisa – will be wearing number five, rather than eight.” Apparently, Sammy could not get into the number 8 shirt he was supposed to wear, so Ross Miller had to wear it. Sammy, by the way,enjoyed his run-out in the Fullarton mud.

By the way – SRU Refereeing Department please note – Lloyd Linton and his touch judges, Dunc McClement and Brian McGuff, were EXCELLENT.

Another thing which I enjoy about covering Marr is, this is old-fashioned club rugby; no stand, no cover, supporters who, even when enjoying the pre-match “corporate” lunch, are in it for the love of the club and the game. And, the guys at the top appreciate while they might not always agree with the opinions of the press, we don't have issues, and they treat us very well. The pies were great Kevin!!

Then, there is the sight of Will Farquhar and Fraser Watts, the Marr props, trundling onto the park. These are a pair of old-fashioned “fat boys”, but, by God they get about the park.

Fraser Watts - back from career-threatening injury

Club XV cap Watts has come-back from an injury which threatened to end his career, and has been in sparkling form since moving up the coast from Millbrae to Fullarton – he was immense yesterday.

Marr threequarter Gregor Paxton is currently reduced to spectating, following his removal from the field with concussion in the recent Ayrshire Derby against Ayr.

He will, he hopes, be back when the league resumes after the Autumn International break, however, as an indication of how badly his brains were scrambled in the Ayr game, he woke-up the next morning and asked what he had been doing playing against Ayr – as he thought he was still playing for West District League side Kilmarnock.

NAE LUCK prize of the weekend surely goes to Mrs Sayce, mother of prop Ruaridh Sayce, who came off the bench to make his Ayr first team debut.

 

The things some mums will do to support their son - even let Auchlin cuddle them

After the match, the proud Mum had to endure having her picture taken alongsid her happy son, and Auld Auchlin, aka former Ayr Director of Rugby Jock Craig.

Credit to Ayr club photographer George McMillan, who also took what is surely the picture of the day, below. Tommy Spinks, you are a very-naughty boy. Perhaps someone from Boroughuir can identify the cheeky chappie!!

 Who's a cheeky chap then?

AND, before I am accused of an Ayrshire bias – guilty m'lud – elsewhere, Currie held on to second place, surviving a typical Hawick second-half fightback, with a 32-24 home win.

The Chieftains wer imperious in taking a 27-5 half-time lead, but, as Currie emptied their bench, back came the Teris, to win the second-half 19-7, but, the gap was too-wide to bridge.

On paper, the Bridgehaugh clash between Stirling County and Heriot's

always looked like being the hardest to call. Sadly for County, it didn't play-out thus, as the Nails wrapped-up the bonus point in the first half, on their way to a five-try, 33-5 win which saw them leap frog County back into the top four.

Result of the Day, however, has to be Jed-forest's 65-5 thrashing of Gala at Riverside. Now, I don't know for sure, but, this may well be a record Jed win in the long history of matches between these sides. This result pushes the Braw Lads down to fifth place and almost certainly ends their hopes of a one-season bounce back into the top flight.

EDINBURGH made it five wins on the spin with an excellent four-try, 37-10 win over Ospreys, at Myreside.

This was a cross-conference match, but the win sees Edinburgh in fourth spot in Conference B, which is shaping-up to be the tighter of the two PRO14 conferences. As I expected, the reprieved Magnus Bradbury made the most of getting off the bench, to score their crucial fourth try, just as the clock went into the red.

If they keep this up, the Christmas 1872 Cup clash with Warriors will be a belter.

FINALLY, although the online Guardian – don't know about the hard paper one – seems to regard Scotland in typically inside the M25 bubble fashion: as a small, far-away country of which we know nothing and about which we care even less; there are occasional diamonds in the dross.

Phaidra Knight - inspiring

Right now, they have up, crediting it as an Observer story, a piece about Phaidra Knight, the USA female flanker, who will this week be inducted into World Rugby's Hall of Fame. It is a story, which I commend to the house. I must admit, I had never heard of Ms Knight until her induction was announced – she is an inspiring character.