OUT there in cynic land, there are those who question the value of putting all the BT Cup, Shield and Bowl competitions for both men and women at the same stadium on the same day.
Here's the answer: "It's absolutely brilliant. I was walking up the steps, I could see my Gran crying and I thought I would start. Then I actually lifted that cup, let out a cheer, the tears went away and pure excitement took over."
For Ryan Hogg, the captain of St Boswells, who had a stonking first half in their BT Shield-winning performance, there never has been a feeling quite like it. "Everybody wants to play at Murrayfield, win at Murrayfield and lift trophies at Murrayfield. That is what we have done. If I never get to Murrayfield again, I have been here, I have done it and will remember this day for the rest of my life."
Put like that, who would deny these guys the chance to live the dream, at least once? Though one thing that made it all the sweeter for Hogg and his team-mates was that they had been denied the chance to get to the national stadium last year after being disqualified for a complicated and arcane breach of competition rules.
As David Cassidy, the player coach, observed, it had prompted a few of the old stagers to hang on and give it another go, just to try to give themselves the whole Murrayfield experience. Unbeaten last season, they had every reason to be confident and so it proved with their 27-19 win over GHK completing their second unbeaten campaign.
It had been a strange game with St Boswells racing to a 24-0 lead with tries from Gary Douglas, Andrew Haigh, Dean McCracken and Graham Lothian with Dean McCracken providing the other points with the boot. With the wind more against them in the second half, GHK should have feared the worst, but instead they produced a stirring fightback sparked by Mike Martin, the centre, showing real vision in picking out Marc Taylor on the wing.
Further scores followed from Haydn Parkes, the wing, and Hugh Parker, the flanker, but with McCracken having given his side extra breathing space, St Boswells held on and the Borders celebrations could start.
It hadn't been that much fun in the morning with Alloa thrashing Cumnock 71-19 in the Bowl final, but the women did their bit to keep the entertainment going. Watsonians defeated Morgan Academy 34-5 in the Bowl with sisters Sarah and Emma Jones both on the scoresheet for the winners. In the Shield Stewartry Sirens beat Ayr Ladies 36-17 with Scotland wing Hannah Sloan collecting a hat-trick.
The Cup then produced a real thriller with Murrayfield Wanderers, a side packed full of Scotland internationalists, racing into a 17-0 lead with two tries from wing Rhona Lloyd and one from Sarah Law, the scrum-half. Hillhead Jordanhill smashed their way back into the game to level the scores through two from hooker Lindsey Smith and one from Jade Konkel, the No 8.
By now the tension was building as Lisa Martin, the Wanderers fly-half, edged her side back into the lead with a penalty, only for a mazy run from Megan Gaffney to give the Hillhead the lead for the first time. But in a final twist Lisa Robertson, smashed through the defence for the winning try for Wanderers.
A magnificent game, a great advert for women's rugby and, like the men, all made special by the experience of taking to the international pitch.
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