​Hawick get back to winning ways in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership with half-century v Marr

Tighthead prop Nicky Little on the ball during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)Tighthead prop Nicky Little on the ball during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)
Tighthead prop Nicky Little on the ball during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)
​Marr were the only team to beat Hawick last season in rugby’s Scottish Premiership prior to May’s play-off final but they never looked likely to pull off a re-run of that shock result at the Greens’ Mansfield Park home ground on Saturday.

​The Borderers bounced back from their 24-5 loss away to the South Ayrshire side last September by going on a winning streak only brought to a halt seven months later, and they’ll be hoping their season-opening 28-22 defeat away to Edinburgh Academical at the end of August sparks as long-lasting a reaction now they’ve got their latest campaign back on track.

Last term’s unbeaten run included a 21-15 home victory against Marr last November, and the Greens managed to run up a winning margin more than six times more emphatic this time round, recording a scoreline of 51-13 on Saturday against the Troon outfit, 2022’s premiership champions.

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Replacement scrum-half Hector Patterson, making a guest appearance from United Rugby Championship side Edinburgh’s academy, scored a hat-trick for his old club and left-winger Ronan McKean was only one try behind him, with starting No 9 Logan Henry and inside-centre Lee Armstrong also touching down and fly-half Kirk Ford kicking two penalties and five conversions.

Replacement scrum-half Hector Patterson on the attack during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)Replacement scrum-half Hector Patterson on the attack during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)
Replacement scrum-half Hector Patterson on the attack during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)

Seventh-placed Marr’s only try was scored by right-winger Scott Bickerstaff and converted by Colin Sturgeon, with the visiting inside-centre also kicking two penalties.

Denholm’s Patterson, 19, was delighted to mark his return to Mansfield by adding 15 points to their score, with the Scotland under-20 telling Borders Rugby TV afterwards: “It was really good.

“We spoke at the start of the week about upping it from last week as that was quite poor from us.

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“We knew Marr are a tough side – they always have been, and Hawick have got a bit of history with them – so we knew it’d be a tough one and we’d have to stick in, but we got there.

Captain and loosehead prop Shawn Muir fending off a tackle during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)Captain and loosehead prop Shawn Muir fending off a tackle during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)
Captain and loosehead prop Shawn Muir fending off a tackle during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)

“Marr stuggled a bit, I think, physically and fitness-wise, so we could see holes and we could just fly up the line and take them on.

“I was pretty happy with my hat-trick. I didn’t have to do a lot of running to get my tries.

“I’m pretty lucky that I’ve got such good players around me, so I can just walk them in at the end.

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“I just do the easy part – it’s the big boys that do the hard part, and I just get to finish them off.”

Jae Linton on the ball during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)Jae Linton on the ball during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)
Jae Linton on the ball during Hawick’s 51-13 win at home to Marr in rugby’s Arnold Clark Premiership on Saturday (Photo: Malcolm Grant)

Patterson’s hoping to get more game-time with his first senior side now he’s no longer being farmed out to Southern Knights or playing for Edinburgh A in the now-defunct Fosroc Super Series competitions, saying: “I hope so. It’s a lot different now because there’s no Super6.

“I’ll just be trying to pull the shirt on as many times as I can.

“It’s good to be back. All the boys have been welcoming so it’s good. I’m enjoying it.”

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Next up for Hawick is a second home game on the trot this coming Saturday, against Edinburgh’s Heriot’s, with kick-off at 3pm.

They go into that game sitting third in the table, with six points from two fixtures, two places and four points worse off than their league-leading visitors.

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