Wins for Jed-Forest and Gala in rugby’s Arnold Clark National League Division 1 but Peebles lose out at GHA

​Jed-Forest were the biggest winners, seeing off basement side Dundee by 42-28 at home, and Gala edged out fifth-placed Biggar by 13-10, also on home turf, with only the Pees losing out, by 24-20.

Those seventh-round results leave Gala as they were, in fourth place, but now on 23 points.

They also see Jed and Peebles heading in opposite directions in the table – the former moving up two places to sixth, on 17 points, and the latter dropping one spot to seventh, on 14 – ahead of a derby at the Pees’ Gytes home ground this coming Saturday.

That game kicks off at 3pm, as does an away fixture for Gala at second-from-bottom Boroughmuir.

Touching down for the hosts at Jedburgh’s Riverside Park on Saturday were left-winger Logan Kerr, full-back Lewis Young, hooker Ryan Briggs, fly-half Aaron Weatherhead and replacement Owen Cranston, with openside flanker Finn Scott adding three penalties and four conversions.

Outside-centre Murray Wilson scored the hosts’ only try at Netherdale in Galashiels against their visitors from South Lanarkshire, with substitute Russell Kerr adding a conversion and two penalties.

Replacement Rohan MacIver scored a try for Peebles at Braidholm in Glasgow and they were also awarded a penalty try, with full-back Rory McHaffie adding two penalties and a conversion.

Jed head coach Stuart Johnson was chuffed to bits to see his team notch up their third win of the season, telling Borders Rugby TV: “It was a brilliant five-point win for us.

“We’d said during the week that that was a must-win game, with Dundee bottom and us sitting third from bottom at the time.

“We went out and we started really well and we physically dominated that Dundee side and we came away with a really good five points.

“There are always going to be bits we can work on – indiscipline at times just let them into it – but we’re really happy with five points at home and a win.

“The main thing is that it was a win after the last two weeks and we now move on to Peebles and another big game.”

Gala head coach Ewen Swinton was also a happy man come Saturday tea-time after watching his team claim their fifth victory of this term, saying: “It was a really hard game, really difficult for both sides but the boys fought through and came up with that final penalty to win the game.

“It's a brilliant result for Gala and we are delighted with that outcome.”

Peebles hooker Matt Carryer was less happy with his side’s result but gratified by the account they gave of themselves, adding: “It was a tough day away at GHA, like we thought it would be, but I’m very chuffed with our performance.

“I think we held our own defensively in the first half very well. We probably didn’t believe we could do that against them, and if we’d had a bit more belief in the first half, then we’d have come out on the right end of the result in the second half.

“In the second half, we stayed in the battle and realised that they’re not an unbeatable team.

“It was a good performance at Braidholm.”