Rugby: Deans ups ante after narrow win

Heriot's assistant coach Roddy Deans has warned his players they must step up a gear if they are to sustain their challenge for a top three premiership finish and a place in next season's British & Irish Cup.

Deans saw his men deliver a 22-17 win over Hawick in a match that was switched to Raeburn Place because Goldenacre was being used for school sport. The decision to surrender home advantage was perhaps a contributor, while the noon kick off time and difficult conditions may also have been factors in a less than convincing performance.

There is no doubt that the shunting of fixtures to an unfamiliar kick off slot to suit international commitments is doing a disservice to the most exciting league campaign for many seasons and, on this occasion, left the encounter devoid of atmosphere.

Hawick, who had been hammered by Currie the previous week, produced a spirited performance and kept the Capital outfit at bay as they pressed throughout the second half for the bonus point try. And it was that inability to secure a fourth try that had Deans uttering his words of warning.

"It's another win for us", he said. "We'll take it, but we know we are going to have to play a lot better than that.

"Our game management could have been a bit better. The weather was difficult and we made a few wrong decisions - when it was on to kick, we didn't, and when it was on to pass we didn't."

The Borderers were first on the score sheet, with Greg Anderson racing in and Neil Renwick adding the conversion. The Heriot's response came almost immediately in the form of a touchdown by Max Learmonth, converted by Graham Wilson.

Both sides attempted to play open rugby but the poor conditions, which deteriorated as the game progressed, made handling tricky and led to a mounting error count.

Rory Sutherland showed a fine turn of pace to nudge Hawick back into the lead with an impressive try but Heriot's again responded with a Wilson touchdown that came after a strong run by Max Nimmo that had taken him past several defenders and through an attempted tackle before offloading to the skipper, who added the extra two points.

A second try for Learmonth after slick build up work by Richard Mill and Gregor Hunter saw Heriot's into the break with a 19-12 advantage and looking for the bonus point try.

However, Hawick restarted well and Michael Robertson barged over after a close range lineout for a try that narrowed the gap to two points. Wilson responded with a penalty after 46 minutes that proved to be the final score of the match.

Despite having several scoring opportunities, Heriot's suffered from poor decision making within sight of the line, combined with a solid defensive effort by the Borderers.

Heriot's introduced strong running Canadian centre Jordan Kohn to the fray for his debut and also called Cammy Ferguson off the bench. The fresh legs brought renewed urgency, but the elusive fourth try failed to materialise.

Wilson twice spurned kickable penalties and that decision almost backfired when former Heriot's man Bruce McNeil was held up over the line as the visitors caused several anxious moments in the home camp with a strong finish. However, neither side was able to add to their tally and the Capital side had to settle for four league points.

The result leaves them in fifth spot, but results elsewhere mean that they are now back in the title race and looking to enhance their challenge when they line up against Boroughmuir at Meggetland on Friday night.

"We are there or thereabouts", added Deans. "But we've got to take a wee look at ourselves. As coaches, we demand a lot better performance than that. Hopefully they understand that and hopefully we can raise it against Boroughmuir."

Scorers:

Heriot's: Tries: Learmonth (2), Wilson. Con: Wilson. Pen: Wilson.

Hawick: Tries: G Anderson, Sutherland, Robertson. Con: Renwick.

Heriot's: C Goudie, G Bryce, M Learmonth, G Hunter, M Nimmo, R Mill, G Wilson, A Dymock, S Burnett, G Cameron, J Hill, C Osazuwa, P Eccles, S Dewar, J Syme. Subs: K Bryce, JP Ward, A Spence, J Kohn, C Ferguson

Hawick: N Renwick, G Anderson, G Johnstone, G Hogg, S Anderson, L Armstrong, G Cottrell, R Sutherland, L Gibson, S Linton, C Charters, M Robertson, D Lowrie, D Landels, B McNeil. Subs: K Davies, N McTaggart, A Marsh, H Scammel

Referee: G Knox (Greenock)