CURRIE 22
HERIOT’S 24
IT IS a sign of a good side when they make full use of whatever good fortune comes their way, and for the second week running Heriot’s did exactly that. In their BT Cup semi-final at Glasgow Hawks a week earlier, the Edinburgh club ran the clock down having learned that an obscure clause in the rules would put them through as the away team when the match ended 10-10 after extra-time. In Saturday’s Premiership play-off semi-final at Malleny Park, by contrast, they exploited Currie’s failure to play out time in possession, and seized a dramatic victory.
The home team were in the lead and in control within their own 22 as an exciting match entered its final minute, and they went through a series of slow recycling rucks as the referee, Mike Adamson, counted down to full-time. But then they kicked to touch too soon, and that allowed Heriot’s time for one last play, from which they calmly set up the ideal position for Gregor McNeish to win the game with a drop goal.
“I’ve spoken to Mike and he said he’s counted down from 30 to 20,” Currie assistant coach Mark Cairns said. “Then our scrum-half [Richard Snedden] has asked and he said ‘ten’ and he thought he had said ‘time’ - and as he’s went to kick it Mike has then screamed ‘ten seconds’ to stop him, but it was too late.
“I did feel we were the better team. But they're champions, and like good champions they stuck in and stuck in and they’ve taken it to the last play of the match. Fair play to them: they’ve got the possession and they managed to execute.”
Heriot’s are now unbeaten in their last ten games against Currie, but that record looked like it would go at several points towards the end of a match in which the lead changed hands five times. They were 10-0 down before they really got going, and Phil Smith, their head coach, admitted he might have got their preparation wrong.
“We trained much longer than we should have during the week, because last Saturday wasn’t great,” he said. “In the first 50 minutes it looked like we were really heavy, and poor actually, and then we got going. You’ve got to take your chances, and we probably took most of ours.”
Heriot’s will be away to Ayr in the Premiership final on 23 April, a week after they meet Melrose in the BT Cup final at Murrayfield. Having already won the Charity Shield at the start of the season, they remain on course for the treble.
“We’re unbeaten in 2016,” Smith added. “We could end up with nothing, but we’re in the mix. It’s finals: it’s exciting. Hopefully we can relax now we’re in two finals - relax and enjoy it.”
CURRIE: Tries: Weston 2, Logan. Cons: Semple 2. Pen: Semple.
HERIOT’S: Tries: Liness, Nimmo. Con: Wilson. Pens: Semple, Fraser. Drop goals: McNeish 2.
Referee: M Adamson.
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