Gala to ring changes for derby away-day at Melrose after 45-19 defeat in Ayr

Gala hooker Jack Easson, seen here in action against Biggar in October, was red-carded at Ayr on Saturday (Pic: Nigel Pacey)

Gala are losing ground in their challenge for rugby’s Tennent’s National League Division 1 title after being hit by their third defeat of the season away at Ayr on Saturday.

That 45-19 loss leaves the Galashiels side in fourth place in the table, with 36 points.

Ten matches into the current campaign, they’re eight points adrift of league leaders Kelso and seven behind second-placed Ayr and they’ve also been leapfrogged by Melrose, now up to third with 40 points after beating Stewart’s Melville 45-13 on Friday.

A chance to swap places with Melrose again is in the offing, however, as they visit them at the Greenyards this Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm.

The reverse fixture follows at Netherdale on Saturday, March 11, next year.

Gala beat Melrose in both their derbies last season, by 13-10 at home in February and 26-5 on the road last October.

Gala head coach Stuart Johnson was disappointed by his side’s showing at Millbrae at the weekend, telling Borders Rugby TV: “It was tough afternoon through at Ayr.

“In the first half, we didn’t get off the bus. We did not play well at all, there being some individuals posted missing unfortunately.”

“We conceded four tries, along with a yellow card for Jack Easson, and then we ended up with a second yellow, obviously resulting in a red, so we played 30 minutes of the second half with 14 men and Ayr capitalised on that.”

He’s now planning to ring the changes in an effort to get Gala’s faltering promotion campaign back on track, saying: “It doesn’t get any easier, with a trip to the Greenyards on Saturday, and there are going to be some changes in the side.

“There’ll be some disappointed boys, but we need to look at that game on Saturday and we need to get better if we want to keep track of Ayr and Kelso at the top of the league.”

Gala’s tries, all in the second half, were scored by James Glendinning, hooker Easson and Callum Pate, with Harris Rutherford adding two conversions.

Their hosts’ try-scorers, helped out by a penalty try, were Harry Lynch, Stuart Collier with a hat-trick in the space of 12 minutes early on and another in the second half and Ross McCorkindale, with Jamie Bova adding four conversions.