Biggar prove to be better than Gala after hosts give away early lead

Last season’s runners-up, only pipped to the post for promotion to the Tennent’s Premiership by a single point, hosting the side robbed of 2020’s champions’ trophy by a controversial Scottish Rugby Union ruling to declare that season null and void because of cancellations caused by the coronavirus pandemic had all the makings of a top-of-the-table tussle between two sides still in contention for pole position at least.

Neither team’s current campaign having gone the way they’d have wanted it to, however, and their meeting being postponed by two months due to the pitch at Netherdale in Galashiels being frozen for its original date in mid-January, leaving them with only two or three games to play afterwards, rendered it a dead rubber with only pride at stake.

That consolation prize went to the South Lanarkshire side after they ran out 14-7 winners, inflicting only a second home defeat of the season on Gala, reduced to 14 men by a late red card for scrum-half Lachlan Johnston for disputing refereeing decisions.

The hosts also had to make do without No 8 Angus Dun after he was left concussed by a tenth-minute challenge by Biggar second-rower Craig Borthwick and had to go off.

Gala’s sole try of the evening was scored by hooker Jack Easson 12 minutes in and converted by fly-half Craig Dods, giving them a 7-0 lead.

They didn’t trouble the scoresheet after that, though, allowing their visitors to draw level by half-time and go on to make amends for their 23-17 defeat in the reverse fixture at Hartree Mill back in early October, hooker Andrew Orr and prop Donald Voas touching down on 29 minutes and 45 respectively, with Euan Bogle converting both.

That result leaves both teams’ positions in the standings unchanged, Gala remaining fourth and Biggar sixth, the former now on 67 points from 20 fixtures and the latter on 49 from 19.

Gala player-coach Dods was disappointed to see his side beaten for the seventh time this campaign, telling Borders Rugby TV afterwards: “Simply put, Biggar wanted it a lot more than us.

“When it comes to these types of game, when neither team can get promoted or relegated, it’s who wants it more, and they definitely wanted it more than us. That was pretty easy to see.

“It was a real grinding-out-a-result performance and it didn’t suit us, but it was another case of us needing to put in a performance.

“A lot of people come down and pay good money to watch us, so we need to be a lot better.”

Gala have now got two chances left to put in better performances in the league this season – at home to second-placed Ayr on Saturday, April 1, and away to second-from-bottom Aberdeen Grammar on Saturday, April 15, both 3pm kick-offs – and, with up to ten points at stake, they’re still in with an outside chance of finishing third if Melrose, currently occupying that position, slip up and they could also do promotion-chasing Kelso a favour if they can get the better of Ayr.