Fightbacks at the double against Heriot’s enable Southern Knights to tighten grip on top of rugby’s Fosroc Super6 table

The Borderers looked to be on easy street at the Greenyards in Melrose after opening the scoring on two minutes last night, September 24, with a try by flanker Alan Ferrie from a rebound, with Jason Baggott converting.

Their visitors from Edinburgh had other ideas, however, and went on to score three tries in the following 20 minutes of play.

Alex Ball led the capital side’s fightback with a touchdown from the ruck, converted by Nathan Chamberlain, then James Couper added another try prior to stand-off Nathan Chamberlain chipping in with both a further try and the extras to follow.

The Knights got themselves back in the game just before half-time, though, as Baggott took a leaf out of Chamberlain’s book by both scoring a try and adding the conversion, that move having been made possible by a run by replacement Andrew Mitchell.

The second half was every bit as much of a ding-dong tussle, with Knights scoring first courtesy of Freddie Owsley and Baggott converting to level the scores.

That was countered by Callum Young scoring a bonus-point try for Heriot’s and replacement Bruce Houston converting and then adding a penalty goal to give the visitors an eight-point lead.

The hosts mustered up another fightback, however, just as they had done in the first half.

A Grant Shiels try, converted by Baggott, led the way and, right at the death, a penalty try from a maul tipped the scales in their favour before replacement centre Billy Wara added icing to the cake by collecting a loose ball to charge over the line for the Knights’ sixth try, extras again being supplied by Baggot’s boot.