Ayr Rugby Club relentless in title hunt

Dec 3 2008

THIS was sad. To see a side from a proud club whose history will be forever intertwined with that of Scottish rugby itself take this approach to a match was profoundly dispiriting.

Survival is that most basic of instincts and it was in search of self preservation Hawick took on a vastly superior Ayr side.

Compare this. Friday night. Firhill. Glasgow against Cardiff. Callum Forrester, who has played some great stuff for Ayr this season, starting for the first time in a Warriors home match. In ten minutes, he enjoyed the flanker’s equivalent of a hole in one – a perfect roaster of a tackle on Nicky Robinson, so often the scourge of Glasgow. Robinson went down, got up, went down again then took no further part in the game which Glasgow won. No foul, just a part of the hard, physical sport that is rugby.

Contrast to the Hawick side who came prepared to fight tooth and nail and spent the afternoon indulging in petty assaults and looking to put Ayr's Frazier Climo out ofthe game by fair means or foul. They didn't succeed and the Ayr No.10 took his revenge in style, scoring 19 of Ayr's 29 points.

Despite the aggressive approach of the visitors, they were unable to stifle the class of the Millbrae men who, had things gone their way, could have been out of sight after half an hour.

As it was, they led 10-0 after the first quarter, Climo landing his second penalty attempt then new dad Damien Kelly finishing off a scything Richard McCallum break for the opening try.

Kelly returned the compliment seven minutes before the break with a rollicking run into midfield before handing on to McCallum who finished with the try and later, the man of the match award.

Climo converted the second to take Ayr in at the break 17-0 ahead but a rash of yellow cards, a full scale brawl and some unsavoury moments took a lot of momentum out of the game.

Ayr found it difficult to stay in top gear, dropping to third being enough to keep Hawick well clear of the danger zone and a sustained spell of pressure saw Climo nip over for try number three but it looked as though the bonus point would elude the league leaders.

That try coincided with a red card for Hawick wing Colin Murray for abusing one of the match officials, something which summed up both the attitude and misery of their camp.

There were only a couple of minutes to go when Climo exacted the full penalty for the afternoon of tousy handling as he glided imperiously over with hardly a hand getting close to him for his second try and Ayr snaffled what in the final countdown could be a crucial bonus point.

Some of the Ayr play was superb, a flighted kick from Climo across field to Marin opening the proceedings with the wing adjudged, harshly many thought, offside as he plucked the ball from the air to cross the line and in the final spell, a scintillating passing move the length of the field to yards from the Hawick line.

In between, the Ayr pack took nary a step backwards in the face of some nasty intimidation, the team spirit which has been a big factor in them leading the Premier One table evident as they showed that they would stand no nonsense.

Kelly led from the front, scattering like chaff, the front row of Gordon Reid, Pat MacArthur, Gordon Sykes and Stewart Fenwick were rock solid, Scott Sutherland, Jeff Wilson and Andy Dunlop ruled the line out and with Glen Tippett locked up the fringes.

Andy Wilson probably had the hardest job of all, having moved to full-back from wing but, as he showed against Melrose last week, panic tends to reign in the opposition ranks when he runs the ball back from deep.

How Ryan Holland didn't get the try he deserved is a mystery, McCallum and Julian Montoro had the midfield sewn up and again it has to be said that in Climo and AJ McFarlane, Ayr have the best half back pairing in the league by a mile. McFarlane, in particular, had a frustrating afternoon, subjected as he was to almost as much abuse as Climo and when he was pulled back each time having taken three tapped penalties which would surely have led to tries, it was remarkable that he kept his cool, his service solid and his defence outstanding.

Coach Kenny Murray nailed it when he said: "I was disappointed with the way Hawick approached the game. We tried to play rugby, they were only interested in disrupting. To get the bonus and keep another clean sheet was great particularly since we had to get back on track after the Melrose game and that sets us up now for the run-in where we still have five home games out of nine to come."

What a run in that promises to be. Watsonians at Myreside on Saturday then the game that could have a huge bearing on the destiny of the title - Heriot’s at Millbrae on Saturday December 13.

Ayr are eight points ahead of Heriot’s in second place and, in the worst case scenario, would go into the game in a fortnight three points ahead. It is simply the biggest match in the club's history. Two final points – the match against Hawick would not have gone ahead but for the work of the 'ground staff' at Millbrae who ensured that the areas when the sun doesn't strike were kept frost free. Also congratulations to skipper Damien Kelly and wife Beth on the birth of baby Isabelle last week. The baby’s head is scheduled to be wetted after the Heriot’s game. Be warned!

Team: Ayr: A. Wilson, F. Marin, J. Montoro, R. McCallum, R. Holland; F. Climo, A. McFarlane; G. Reid, MacArthur, G. Sykes, D. Kelly, S. Nimmo, J. Wilson, A.Dunlop, G. Tippett. Subs: S. Fenwick, S. Sutherland, P. Burke, S. Magorian, D. Steele.