Melrose will learn lessons from defeat in Tennent's National league Division 1 opener at Stirling County, vows head coach Bert Grigg

Ross McConnell got the Borderers’ only try of the game at Bridgehaugh Park, with Luke Townsend converting.

Ross Maiden, Gregor Smith and Rory Sangster touched down for County, with Jonathan Hope adding a conversion and a penalty.

Next up for Melrose as they look to pick up their first points of the new season is a visit to their Greenyards home ground from Edinburgh’s Stewart’s Melville, 27-21 winners hosting Glasgow High Kelvinside at the weekend, this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm.

Looking back at their opening-day defeat, head coach Bert Grigg told Borders Rugby TV: “It was a frustrating start to the season for us up at Stirling.

“I’m probably most frustrated about our own performance, but credit to County as well.

“In the first half, we really didn’t look after the ball well enough, especially at set-piece time, and indiscipline meant that County were able to just keep piling on the pressure.

“In the second half, we came out firing, so credit to the boys, and we scored an early try and had another couple chalked off for different reasons, but by that point it was too little too late.

“Credit to Stirling, they played the better of the rugby on the day, keeping us pegged back most of the time with some good tactical kicking.

“They’re lessons we’ll learn and move on from playing Stew Mel at home this week.”