Callum Kerr

The original awards dinner which was scheduled last month at Ayr Racecourse was cancelled in-line with government guidance surrounding Coronavirus (Covid-19). This Thursday and Friday will allow the club to honour the efforts of all involved as well as close the curtain on another historic year in pink and black.

Alongside this, members and fans will also have the chance to support the club by casting a vote in the Ayr Rugby Try of the Season competition. Votes cost a £2 donation and will go directly to supporting the club's operations during the Covid-19 pandemic. You can vote as many times as you like to reflect the size of your donation.

All voters will be automatically entered into a prize draw with the winner bagging some signed merchandise!

The nominations for Try of the Season will be announced later this evening and include a try from Ayr Ladies, Ayr Club XV and the Ayrshire Bulls.

Thursday night will celebrate the upper echelons of the youth section with awards for the U16s and U18s Boys and Girls, as well as the Senior Academy.

Friday night the award winners of the club's senior sides - Ayr/Millbrae, Ayr Ladies, Ayr Club XV and the Ayrshire Bulls - will be announced.

Ayr Rugby would like to extend thanks to all for your continued support through unprecedented times.

We can't wait to welcome you back to Millbrae in the future! Stay home, stay safe.

Millbrae shut in March in-line with government guidance on Coronavirus (Covid-19) and Scottish Rugby’s suspension of all rugby activity. In addition, the pitches are now being prepared for next season, as we wait for more clarity on when rugby can return. We urge all members of the local community not to travel to the ground and to use a different location for their daily exercise.

We wish everyone good health during this time. Stay home, stay safe!

The match will be re-run on the Ayr Rugby YouTube and Facebook channels, with pre-match build-up and commentary on Twitter.

Going into the match it couldn’t have been closer. A few weeks prior a tit-for-tat Premiership final between Ayr and Heriots at Millbrae seen the home side squeak a 29-23 victory. It put them in pole position for the league and cup double, but they’d know Heriots would be hell-bent in seeking their revenge.

We couldn’t possibly call it!

Many thanks to Scottish Rugby TV for contributing the footage of the match. The match will be available to view here: youtube.com/user/ayrrugby

Ayr Rugby would also like to send out a special thank you to sponsors, partners, members and fans for their continued support during this time. We can’t wait to welcome you all back to Millbrae once this has passed.

Stay home, stay safe.

Instead of pondering what could and should happen to final standings Club XV skipper Zac Howard is using the down time to reflect and improve.

He inherited the team at a low point with only one win in the ten games prior. He also faced his own battles, having just returned from a spell on the side-lines: “I had just came back from missing three weeks through concussion, so it was a big responsibility to captain my first game back. The boys all knew what a win against Cartha would do for us and we knew we were capable of winning.

“Everyone showed heart and desire to get us back on track with a win. To get that on my first game was a great feeling”.

Although hovering just above relegation Ayr will take great positives from the youthful nature of the squad. Zac, at the ripe old age of 23, is now incredibly one of the senior heads in camp and is delighted to see the youngsters being bled into the team: “I remember the step up to senior rugby and it is a massive change in physicality and intensity. The boys from the U18s who have been asked to make the jump have adapted well in training – there’s a lot of talent!”

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what they have to offer next season”.

Zac believes the biggest downfall of the side this year was discipline but believes the experienced gained will stand them in good stead for seasons to come: “We have let a lot of teams back into games. We are perfectly capable and have a talented group that could beat a lot of teams in this league but we often let ourselves down with poor discipline.

“We are a young team and discipline will come so it’s something we can work on moving forward”.

Often being coached outside of training, Zac actually credits his relationship with Robbie as a reason for him kicking on this year: “He has actually helped me a lot so I owe thanks to him. During pre-season any dropped balls or missed tackles would often go unnoticed from the boys, but for me it was months of slagging in the family group chat and jokes at family dinners.

“It has made me improve my skills so he wouldn’t have anything to slag me for.

“Him bringing in his experience from the pro game and sevens has helped all of the boy’s personal development so it’s been a big bonus for all of us. I just wish he knew that he’s allowed to wear other clothes than his Scotland training kit all the time.

“We all know you play for Scotland Robbie, we don’t need a reminder everyday”.

The news results in the cancellation of all Ayr Rugby and Ayrshire Bulls fixtures, including the inaugural Super6 Cross-Border tournament.

The Scottish Rugby Board first sanctioned an interim suspension of domestic rugby (effective from 6pm on Sunday 15 March) in recognition of Government and NHS advice on the developing Covid-19 virus outbreak.

Scottish Rugby’s preferred option to resume the season at an appropriate point is, regretfully, not a reasonable prospect in a safe and practical time frame, with further social restrictions on gatherings and travel an increasing possibility.

At the date of the interim suspension, there remained 295 domestic adult male league fixtures outstanding, with additional Cup, Shield and Bowl matches still to be completed (all being at the semi-final stage).

The Ayrshire Bulls were set to compete in the Cross-Border competition commencing on Saturday 25 April, alongside the five other FOSROC Super6 teams and six Indigo Group Premiership teams from Wales (Cardiff, Llandovery, Merthyr, Ebbw Vale, Aberavon and Pontypridd).

All twelve teams were to play three home fixtures and three away fixtures over a consecutive six-week period in what would have been the first edition of this new club competition.

Scottish Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union are committed to the competition moving forward, with discussions between both unions looking ahead to next season.

Ayrshire Bulls C.E.O Billy McHarg, said: “We are disappointed the tournament is not taking place as the club was very excited to be playing in it…

“However, every individuals welfare is of more importance and we wholeheartedly support the decision to postpone for this year”.

The club is continuing to follow both government and Scottish Rugby advice to prioritise the safety of all staff, players, sponsors and fans.

Thank you to Ayr Racecourse for working alongside Ayr Rugby in organising what was set to be a fantastic event in beautiful surroundings.

We will keep everyone informed of a rearranged date in due course.

This is uncharted territory for the club and we are working hard to ensure the safety of all players, staff, sponsors and fans. We appreciate everyone’s understanding during this time.

This will result in immediate cancellation of any on-field activity, closure of club bar and denied gym access.

Ayr Rugby are monitoring both government and Scottish Rugby advice daily. We will strive to keep you informed as and when new information becomes available to us. We will update you on reopening dates when we can.

If you have any queries please direct them to info@ayrrugbyclub.co.uk

Thank you all for your support during this time.

Photo - David Kerr Photography

Tonight's Tennent's National 1 fixture with Heriots Blues has also been postponed due to player welfare concerns.

This is uncharted territory for all parties involved and we are working together to ensure the safety of all players, coaches, volunteers, sponsors and fans. We appreciate everyone's understanding during this time.

This will impact rugby in all domestic league and cup fixtures, training, festivals and other rugby events as well as the FOSROC Super6 tournament, which come under Scottish Rugby's jurisdiction. During this suspension period Scottish Rugby will undertake further assessment and advise on any further action that may be required. The Ayrshire Bulls Play-Off Semi-Final against Heriots Rugby next Sunday will therefore be affected.

The Scottish Rugby Age-Grade Programme (male and female) will also be cancelled with immediate effect for the remainder of the season. This includes all training sessions that were planned for the age-grade teams as well as all other age-grade internationals for the rest of the season. However, the U20 Six Nations fixture tonight versus Wales will still go ahead in Colwyn Bay.

In November he agreed a partnership contract between the Bulls and Glasgow Warriors. He leaves both sides to head south of the border.

We wish Gordy all the best at Northampton and thank him for his services.

The winner of the semi-final will go on to play the winner of Watsonians v Southern Knights at Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday 28th of March. The final will kick-off at 19.20 and you can secure your tickets online now at scottishrugby.org.