Ayr Rugby Club set for big test
Ayr Rugby Club
Ayr 26 Watsonians 5
THE biggest worry for Ayr coach Kenny Murray was how to keep the momentum going between the crucial Currie game and the adventure into the British and Irish Cup this Sunday with the Premier One clash against struggling Watsonians sandwiched in between.
There may be a consensus that Ayr are a big game team, raising their game to suit the occasion as they did in the top of the table clash with Currie. What someone should point out is that to the opposition, facing Ayr is a big test, particularly if they are in the relegation zone like Watsonians, and they are going to raise their game accordingly.
That approach was apparent after 14 minutes when Ayr took a 12-0 lead and looked as if they were going to coast it. Scott Sutherland opened the account in two minutes with a try which epitomised what a dangerous ball carrier he can be. Then Frazier Climo fielded a Watsonians clearance and showed how the phrase 'there is nothingon' simply doesn't apply when he is on the ball. From 40 yards out, he ghosted to the left touchline, left several tacklers for dead then slipped a gem of an offload inside for full-back Grant Anderson to apply the finishing touch.
Climo converted, Ayr relaxed and disaster almost struck after they lost a sloppy lineout five metres from the Watsonian line. A loose kick downfield was gathered all too casually by Anderson, his kick was even more casual and was charged down and it was fortunate that Doug Brown didn't get a touch for a try.
It came a few minutes later, however, as Watsonians piled on the pressure and wing Grant Somerville squeezed over at the corner. At 12-5 ahead at half time, it was anybody's game and Watsonians looked less and less likely to roll over until a familiar face took a hand.
Having returned a couple of weeks ago from a lengthy Antipodean trip, AJ MacFarlane had come off the bench for a cameo against Currie but five minutes into the second half he came on and soon was celebrating after working a tried and trusted move off the back row with Glen Tippett to go over. Climo added the points but it was a long while coming for the bonus point. Certainly the MacFarlane try killed off any hope Watsonians had of saving the game and when, ten minutes from time Sutherland claimed his second try, it finished off what by then was a workmanlike performance by a side who had an eye on the next big one. Murray admitted: “It was always going to be difficult to raise the game after Currie. We had a couple of players who had been down with flu and although Andy Dunlop seemed to have recovered, Damien Kelly was a doubt until late on and they are two of our big go forward guys.
"Credit to Watsonians, they defended really well and looked good in the lineout where we were a bit disappointing in the first half but it was the scrum which gave us the platform.”
So what of this weekend when Ayr travel to Yorkshire to face Doncaster Knights on Sunday in the opening round of the British and Irish Cup?
Firstly, they will come up against some weel kent faces including Scotland ‘A’ prop Stuart Corsar and stand-off Ali Warnock, ex-Biggar, Currie, Nottingham, Edinburgh and according to his old Biggar team mate, Ayr flanker Andy Dunlop, 'a player who should have been capped by Scotland- one of the outstanding No10s of recent years.' The Ayr coach agreed that excitement was building among the players who had been looking forward for weeks to the two matches, Doncaster away then Rotherham at Millbrae on Friday, November 27.
"We know this will be a massive challenge because they have claimed scalps like Bristol. They are a big, strong physical side but we hope to compete with them since we have our fair share of physical players in our squad.
"We have been described as a big game side and as we have shown in the past we can rise to the occasion and this is the biggest for Ayr since we won the title last season.
“Although it is unknown territory and on paper it is professionals against amateurs, on the field we intend to give a very good account of ourselves and not let Scottish rugby down.
"We are under no real pressure since we seem to go into this one as underdogs so we will go out to enjoy the game and learn from the experience then bring that back for our home game against Rotherham and our league campaign.
"Since we are only allowed to play two of our three overseas players we have elected to go with centre Mark Stewart and flanker Jon Crossan, resting Frazier Climo who should be fit and raring to go against Rotherham.
“From Saturday’s team that probably means that we will bring Dougie Steele into full-back, Grant Anderson will move into centre and Ross Curle will wear the No10 shirt while we have three pro players in Ed Kalman, Hamish Mitchell and, back in an Ayr strip, Pat MacArthur."
Sunday’s quad: Dougie Steele, Grant Anderson, Andy Wilson, Ross Curle, Mark Stewart, Cammy Taylor, Steven Manning, Jamie Hunter, AJ MacFarlane, Gordon Reid, Stewart Fenwick, Gordon Sykes, Ed Kalman, Pat MacArthur, Hamish Mitchell, Scott Nimmo, Scott Sutherland, Jon Crossan, Andy Dunlop, Paul Burke, Glen Tippett. Ayr set off on Saturday morning for a 2pm kick-off on Sunday. Doncaster come off an 11-7 defeat at the hands of Ayr's next opponents, Rotherham, dropping them to eighth spot in the Championship table, two places above but only two points ahead of Rotherham. There is no reason why Ayr cannot travel with confidence as Scottish ch a m p i o n s.
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