Perthshire’s second half comeback triumph against Royal High on Saturday earned praise from coach Alan Clark.
The Eagles found themselves 19-0 down at the North Inch in the first half before Matt Stevens managed to pull a try back before the break.
Shire then upped the intensity in the second half and ran out clear 27-19 winners to spark passionate celebratory scenes at full-time.
Clark, reflecting on the poor opening to the game, said: “We gave away successive penalties and they ended up scoring a few tries, which was a shock to the system.
“I think we maybe did not give them the respect they deserved to start the game.
“Over the past few weeks there have been games that have got away from us.
“But on Saturday the boys rallied and got themselves together. It helped that we had a couple guys coming back into the squad.
“We got a try just before half-time which steadied the ship and allowed us to build. Then we were really pleased with what we managed to do in the second half.
“You come away not only happy with the win, but also that the performance was there.”
Shire now head for Cupar to face Howe of Fife on Friday night. Kick-off is 7.30pm.
Clark said: “We’re pleased Howe of Fife were happy to accommodate this with Scotland playing on the Saturday.
“It’s nice to be able to flip fixtures to a Friday and it does add something - playing at night and the build-up that it creates.
“A lot of guys will be coming from work and there might be a different challenge for us as coaches to get them up for the game. But we’re all looking forward to it.”
