Callum Kerr at Millbrae:
The Ayrshire Bulls thrust themselves back into the win column this afternoon with a heroic victory over Heriots at Millbrae. The squad ran in six tries and never fell behind from first to last whistle, concluding scoring at 41-7.
Three of the six scores came through skipper Blair MacPherson, who proved too much for Heriots to handle from short range. Robbie Nairn, Eli Caven and Jordan Lenac bagged one a-piece.
Despite MacPherson’s hattrick, it was his back-row comrade Ryan Sweeney who was named FOSROC Player of the Match after a busy eighty minutes in the trenches.
(Ryan Sweeney receiving his award from skipper Blair Macpherson)
Ayrshire Bulls head coach Pat MacArthur was jubilant at the final whistle, unrecognisable from the man at full-time last Friday following injury-time defeat to Stirling County. The Bulls came into the match with three losses and one win, so desperately needed to show their worth. Not many would have expected a 41-7 victory, but it was the Bulls afternoon and they cruised to victory in front of a delighted home crowd.
Speaking of his men’s efforts, MacArthur said: “There’s been a lot of tough times the past few weeks because we know what potential we have in this squad and the belief within it… We’ve just not been clicking with that final pass.
“Credit to the boys. It wasn’t a nice place to be Monday, Tuesday. They kept the confidence; we believe in what we are doing… That’s the first step for us is the best way to put it. It’s not a finished article but it is a first step in the right direction”.
MacArthur also believes the hurt of a few narrow defeats played a part in today’s victory: “It’s been a steep learning curve for a lot of the young boys here. If you look at the spine of our team there’s a lot of new boys here and they learn, everyone takes it to heart. (Today was) A reaction from last week, a reaction from the start of the season to where we want to be. It is a building block that we then come back, pick it apart, and go again.
Ending on a light note, when pressed about now having a week off when they’ve found form, MacArthur joked: “I think the boys will be glad to get away from me for a week!”
The Bulls next action is in two weeks’ time (Sat 11 September) when they welcome Stirling County to Millbrae. With the hurt of last week’s defeat still fresh in the mind and newfound confidence instilled in them, the anticipation is bubbling away nicely. The action kicks off at 15.00, with highlights shown later in the evening courtesy of @Super6Rugby.