Ayr's Dominance: Can They Maintain a Flawless Season?
Ayr's Dominance: Can They Maintain a Flawless Season?
Ayr's recent performance against Watsonians was nothing short of impressive, securing their top-of-the-table finish with a high-scoring win. But here's where it gets controversial: Can Ayr really produce a flawless season, a full set of five-point games? It's starting to look more and more as though they could. They've done it in 14 games to guarantee top spot in the league. Hawick, GHA, Kelso, and Selkirk will have something to say about that, but have any of them got the firepower to puncture Ayr's invincible veneer?
The game began with Ayr taking the lead within two minutes, showcasing their dominance from the start. Their forwards won a line-out, followed by a series of pick-and-goes, and eventually flanker Lewis McNamara made it over the line. Ten minutes later, they doubled their advantage, again from a line-out, and then spread it wide, where a huge miss-pass from Bobby Beattie gave wing Cameron van Wyk space to wriggle over in the corner.
In contrast, when Watsonians got their chance, they got nowhere driving up front and failed to get the ball to their dangerous runners in the back division. Instead, they were given a lesson in finishing when the home side launched an attack from their own half; Beattie collected a chip into space and put fellow centre Robbie Orr in for the third try.
The bonus point soon followed, van Wyk doing most of the damage after a Watsonians clearance failed to find touch and scrum-half Fergus Johnston was on hand to make the final inches. With full-back Scott Watson converting the second two, Ayr were cruising. That was obviously the cue for Watsonians to find their mojo.
The visitors engineered space for wing Lomond MacPherson to weave his way almost to the line and when they won a penalty, a tap put lock Luis Ball on a charge over the line, an all-too-brief example of what they are capable of. Instead, the game reverted to type, with the Ayr forwards winning a line-out five metres out and needing no help in driving it in for try number five, hooker Alex McGuire getting the touchdown on the stroke of half-time.
When the teams returned, Ayr got an early line-out and, in a move straight off the training ground, hit Beattie on the charge to go straight through, only for a series of blunders in their own 22 allowing Watsonians flanker Andrew Steven a run to the line to keep his side’s morale up. Not that it interrupted the flow the other way, with replacement Caleb Rae crossing from short range after another set-piece backs move had put replacement Chris Hyde away on the left, before fly-half Matthew Urwin engineered a break that van Wyk finished to take them to the 50-point mark.
Ayr hadn’t finished, with wing Jack Craig finishing another flowing backs move before the visitors showed their threat when they got a line-out drive right and No 8 Stu Allison powered over. The bonus-point soon followed as wing MacPherson ran back a loose kick and lock Andrew McInnes was up in support to cross. Then there was even better when fly-half Chris Bell slid through for a score he converted himself. It was enough to give Watsonians a sense of accomplishment without ever threatening to win the game.
Jamie McAughtrie‘s late try for Ayr brought the curtain down on this high-scoring encounter. The platform for Ayr's win came from the forwards, but it's hard to single any one out. Meanwhile, wing Cameron van Wyk was scoring a couple of tries and laying on another, winning turnovers and tackling like a demon to claim the award.
Controversy & Comment Hooks:
The real disappointment for Watsonians head coach Davey Wilson was that his players didn’t get into the game until the final quarter, but when they did, they showed some of their true capabilities. At half-time, they were staring down the barrel of a gun, but they came out in the second half and stuck to the task in a way that they’re used to seeing. Not many sides score 33 points at Millbrae, though they have to acknowledge that Ayr knew the game was won. That showed the secret of getting close to Ayr: if you can get parity with their power game and their set-piece, then you’re in with a shout.
Thought-Provoking Question:
Can Ayr really produce a flawless season, a full set of five-point games? It’s starting to look more and more as though they could. But will they be able to maintain this dominance throughout the season? The answer may lie in how well they can handle the pressure and maintain their form against stronger opponents. It's a question that will keep fans on the edge of their seats, and it's one that we'll have to wait and see how they answer.
