THE Border Reivers travelled to Yorkshire at the weekend to complete their representative schedule with two fixtures in the cross-border programme against Yorkshire at Huddersfield on Saturday and Scottish Exiles at Leeds Met University on Sunday.
Saturday's match was played in blustery conditions with the Reivers facing the elements in the opening half.
Reivers were under pressure from the start, struggling for any possession against a physically superior and more dynamic side, with the v
isitors finding themselves trailing 22-0 at the interval.
Reivers rallied at the start of the second half, securing some possession and raising the tempo of the match, and were rewarded with a try from the supporting Robin Hislop after an impressive midfield break from Stuart Hogg took the Hawick Albion stand-off to the Yorkshire line.
The try boosted the Reivers who continued to press the home side.
However, as they tired, Yorkshire scored two runaway tries in the final five minutes to stretch away to a 32-5 win.
Looking to bounce back at a very wet University ground in Leeds on Sunday the Reivers started strongly.
However, both teams suffered from the weather conditions, a series of basic errors and some interesting referee interpretations, as the match never really got going.
The Exiles recovered from a slow start to land a penalty for a 3-0 half-time lead.
Craig Dods levelled the scores with a penalty midway through the second half, but with neither side able to gain any superiority, the match petered out to a tame draw.
These matches, especially Saturday's match against Yorkshire, signified a huge step up and a steep learning curve for all concerned.
The players all took a lot out of the experience, but will need to use it in a positive manner for their future development.
