Rugby: Ayr crush Stewart’s-Melville to reach cup last eight

Mar 19 2010 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

NONE of the usual cup tie cliches apply – potential banana skin, dramatic upset, romance of the cup.

Romance? Try telling that to Stewart’s-Melville who were at the wrong end of a ruthless 77-15 tanking by Ayr. It would be more romantic on a wet Tuesday in Cleethorps.

The Edinburgh side had already been demolished 66-15 by Ayr in their Scottish Hydro Premier Division One clash and there was nothing to indicate that Saturday’s brunch meeting would be any different. It wasn't.

Stew-Mel showed a heap of guts, tried to the end, got the tries they deserved and were a real credit to the club but they lacked the pace, physicality and firepower to match the Scottish champions. But they did exit the Scottish Hydro Premier Cup with dignity.

A couple of tries by Steven Manning and one each for Jamie Hunter and Blair McPherson, of whom more in a moment, saw Ayr 22-8 ahead at the break.

Stew-Mel grabbed a nifty score from hooker Sam Blackwood as he supported lock Angus Lean's impressive surge and although Richard Borthwick missed a simple conversion, Alex Godsmark slotted a penalty to keep the score respectable.

Tries by Mark Stewart, Gibson Siwo, Hunter again and Gordon Reid in a ten minute spell after half-time with Andy Wilson converting three, Frazier Climo having taken a leg knock and removed from the fray as a precaution, settled the tie.

That was it at 48-8 with still almost half an hour to go and Reid went on to claim his second, Cammy Taylor ran in a beauty, Wilson converted his own try, McPherson made a double on his starting debut and Hunter completed his hat-trick.

Stew-Mel scrum half Rob Primrose grabbed a well deserved try after a useful spell by the visitors when they showed that they may well be going back whence they came but they can play a quality of rugby which could well see them as promotion contenders again next season.

Two new names appear on the try scoring list – Blair McPherson and Gibson Siwo, McPherson making his first start at flanker after having impressed when he came on against Cardiff last week and Siwo coming off the bench in dynamic style.

Nineteen year old McPherson ran in two beauties, both with a lot to do before touching down and the second in particular of real quality as he ghosted through the defence.

Simo's try came in 44 minutes with almost his first touch ball, finishing off an Andy Dunlop break with a blistering 40 yard burst. He would have had a second from even further out had he not let the ball slip with the line at his mercy.

Both these players will be great assets to the Ayr squad particularly in the run-in which becomes even more congested by the week. Ayr have now reached the cup quarter-finals and the next round falls on March 27, the day they were down to play their re-scheduled fixture against Dundee HSFP.

Unless Dundee win against Heriot’s in the cup this weekend and are drawn away to Ayr which could then be designated a league and cup double header, then then Millbrae men will have to cope with their remaining league and cup matches in an increasingly shortening period of time.

Saturday's man of the match goes not to a player but to the match official. The referee for Saturday’s tie called off on Thursday due to injury and there was such a shortage of officials that Ayr and Stew-Mel had to supply touch judges.

A phone call came from the RFU on Friday night to whistler Revis Phillips resulted in him making the trip on Saturday morning from Hartlepool for the noon kick-off and he made a pretty good fist of it. Both sides should be thankful.