Watsonians got their Super Series Championship defence off to a winning start with a gritty 11-3 win over Ayrshire Bulls at Millbrae.
The Myreside-men led 3-0 at half-time through a Jason Baggott penalty but Bulls struck back through Brad Roderick-Evans early in the second half.
Kody McGovern scored the game’s only try 15 minutes from time which secured the away win, and a second Baggott penalty just before the end completed the scoring.
That meant that the Bulls – who started this Championship campaign as favourites having won the Sprint Series just before the summer – were deprived the consolation of a losing bonus-point.
The two other games in round one were played on Friday night, with Heriot’s steamrollering Boroughmuir Bears and Southern Knights riding their luck to edge out the Future XV.
“There are bits we can do better, but we played some really good stuff,” said Heriot’s head coach Ben Cairns after his team’s 51-14 victory.
“I thought the foundations of our game were really good. We kicked pretty well, our set-piece went well. That set us up and I thought there were some really nice, classy moments.”
It was heartbreak at the Greenyards for the Future XV – a new side which has been introduced to the league this year to give the country’s brightest teenage players exposure to Super Series level.
A makeshift side missing 13 players who are currently in Kenya on Junior World Trophy duty lost 39-38.
They had a chance to win it in the final minute, but 17-year-old Isaac Coates missed a penalty attempt from in the posts.
“The energy on both sides of the ball in attack and defence from us was outstanding,” said Future XV head coach Scott Lawson. “The number of opportunities they took and the amount they created and capitalised on was impressive.”
