Callum Kerr

(Photo – George McMillan)

A jubilant Pat MacArthur wasted no time in addressing the red card – which was given to Robert Bratton for a headbutt – when chatting to press at full time: “It is a real shame because it was two good teams going hard at each other. The red card of course made a difference and credit to Watsons who stuck in… but by the end the set piece started to kick in and their boys tired”.

 

There was still half an hour to play before the interval when the red was shown with the game sitting at 7-7 when the incident occurred. Despite the advantage – and a bucket load of scoring between both sides – the gap at the half time was only 26-24. When asked about what the message was in the changing room, MacArthur chuckled: “It was a lot of expletives.

 

“When teams need to get back into games they either play frantic rugby or they concede lots of penalties. I told them to control the game pace. There’s no requirement to give away penalties when we’ve got the advantage so that was our focus.

 

“I told them to stick to the systems and good will come off the back of that and it did”.

 

The final venue is confirmed, as is the top seed, but Pat MacArthur and his men have a wait to find out who’ll be travelling to Burns country next Friday night. Watsonians sit in second for the time being with Stirling and Heriots going head-to-head tomorrow. Both sides trail Watsons by three points which means whoever wins will leapfrog to second. The Edinburgh men need to hope the sides cancel each other out if they’re to return for a second crack at the Bulls.

 

Speaking on the importance of that home final, MacArthur said: “It’s outstanding. Tonight, when Glasgow are in a European Final, we still have a bloomin’ good crowd… That support is massive for us”.

 

Be part of that support next Friday when the Bulls look to win their first Sprint title. The match kicks off at 19.35 and will also be televised on BBC Alba.

The Bulls started in glimmering fashion. On his first touch on the ball Frazier Climo rolled back the years with a trademark line break, slipping through two Heriot’s defenders to open the scoring after five minutes.

 

A scintillating solo effort from Luca Bardelli followed. The wiry winger danced his way around an attempted tackler and broke free. When the defenced closed in on him he hacked the ball on before winning the footrace to the line.

 

A close-range score soon after from Jamie Shedden – and three successful conversions in a row for Eli Caven – made it 21-0 after fifteen minutes.

 

Heriot’s heads didn’t drop. Two tries before the break, the first from Aiden Boyle and the second from former bull Cam Jones, made it a one-score game at the break.

 

Half-time: Ayrshire Bulls 21-14 Heriot’s Rugby.

 

After the interval the Bulls acted swiftly to regain their cushion. Caven broke down the wing and managed to find the supporting Rory Jackson with an offload when brought down short. The second rower didn’t need a second invitation to finish the job.

 

 

Heriot’s responded in the similar style of earlier and a converted try ten minutes later brought the gap down to five.

 

With the game marching towards its’ conclusion Heriot’s ran in another – this time through seasoned campaigner Ian Wilson. Ross Jones’ conversion would have put them ahead, but the ball sailed wide of the uprights.

 

The Bulls had a late spurt. Their best effort came through Jamie Shedden who was brought down short of the line when a heriot’s hand latched on to the back of his shirt. Despite the home sides best attempts Heriot’s held strong to secure the draw.

 

(IMAGE – George McMillan)

Full-time: Ayrshire Bulls 26-26 Heriot’s Rugby.

 

Rory Jackson was named FOSROC Player of the Match after an industrious eighty-minute performance which was capped off with the sides only try of the second half.

 

The draw results in a straight shoot-out on Friday night against Watsonians for a spot in the FOSROC Super Series Sprint Final. The action is back at Millbrae and kicks off at 19.35.

The hosts opened the scoring through Callum Grieve after eight minutes.  The lead was short-lived, with the Bulls leaping ahead two minutes later. An inside ball to Eli Caven put the full-back through the line before an audacious goose-step propelled him past the final defender to dot down.

 

A try minutes later extended the lead for Pat MacArthur’s men. Frazier Climo, in his return to the side, ghosted through an elusive tackle before freeing up Jamie Shedden to score. Caven’s conversion made it 3-12.

 

The Bulls third came soon after. This time opting for route one, Grant Stewart continued his fine scoring form by bundling over from the back of a maul.

 

The Southern Knights ended the half on a positive. A try from Ben McLean on the stroke of half time thrusted the borders side back into contention.

 

Half-time: Southern Knights 10-19 Ayrshire Bulls

 

The Bulls started the second half in the same form as the first. Within ten minutes they were in again. A collapsed maul on the Knight’s line resulted in a penalty try and yellow card, extending the lead to 10-26.

 

Two tries within minutes of each other took the match away from the Knights. The first, from Rory Jackson, was a lunge from inches out. The second, by Luca Bardelli, was a length of the field breakaway from the restart.

 

Jamie Campbell clawed a score back for the Knights but instant retaliation from Blair Macpherson chalked off the difference.

 

The Knights didn’t let the score line dampen their spirits. Playing hard till the bitter end, they secured a late score with a minute left on the clock. After ten minutes of control Clark Skeldon breezed under the posts to narrow the final margin.

 

Full-time: Southern Knights 24-45 Ayrshire Bulls

 

A handful of Bulls put their hand up for FOSROC Player of the Match honours but as so often is the case, Blair Macpherson’s raised the highest.

 

The skipper put in an industrious eighty minutes. Setting up a try and adding his own were just glimpses of his meteoric efforts around the park.

The Bears drew first blood within five minutes. A break from Trystan Andrews put them in touching distance before feeding Scott McGinley to canter over. The conversion fell short.

 

The lead was short-lived with Grant Stewart chalking it all up with a rolling maul try less than ten minutes later. Antony Fitch’s conversion put the Bulls ahead.

 

An Andrew McLean penalty for the Bears inched them back in front momentarily before Jamie Shedden responded with a try. The towering winger had men on his outside but opted for route one, muscling his way through a handful of tacklers to dot down. Fitch’s conversion made it 8-14.

 

The Bulls stretched their lead after half an hour. It looked like Stewart was in for a second rolling maul try, but Kerr Yule was on-hand to finish the job with Stewart brought down short.

 

The Bears closed out the half with three more points from McLean to keep them in contention at the break.

 

Half-time: Boroughmuir Bears 15 – 21 Ayrshire Bulls.

 

It was an uphill battle for the Bulls in the second half. A succession of soft penalties mixed with a Bears resurgence made grim viewing for the travelling support. Pinned in their own 22, the Bulls began to lose hold of the fixture.

 

The Bears first score of the half came through Corey Tait. On his return from a ten-minute sin binning the hooker fought his way to the line with McLean’s conversion putting them a point ahead.

 

 

Ten minutes later Tait was in again and this time Mclean’s conversion took the lead out with a score.

 

The Bulls rallied late in an attempt to salvage something from the fixture. In amongst the frantic late efforts Ayr Youth Academy product Scott Watson took to the field to make his Ayrshire Bulls debut.

 

Pat MacArthur’s men threw everything at it but the Bears weathered an almighty onslaught to deny them any consolation.

Full-time: Boroughmuir Bears 29-21 Ayrshire Bulls.

 

Boroughmuir’s Jack Fisher was named FOSROC Player of the Match.

(Photo – George McMilan: Luca Bardelli diving clear for his second score)

The Ayrshire Bulls shot out of the traps with a score less than two minutes into the match. A poor exit kick from Stirling Wolves gifted the hosts valuable territory that Luca Bardelli turned into a score. Richie Simpson split the uprights to make it full points.

 

Before the crowd could get their breath back the Wolves responded with three points from the kicking tee – Marcus Holden narrowing the advantage to four.

 

The frantic nature of the contest continued and the Bulls found themselves making yards again. With a man overlap, Richie Simpson’s pass wide was knocked forward by Glenn Bryce resulting in a yellow card for the former Scotland 7s man. From the resulting maul, Grant Stewart broke off to score alone.

 

Ayrshire’s purple patch continued and soon enough Luca Bardelli had his brace. From the opposite side-line the wiry winger darted clear, leaping into the corner to evade the attempted tacklers. Simpson’s conversion to make it 19-3.

 

Stirling needed to turn the tide and after the score things started to go their way. A strong finish in the corner from Holden brought them back into contention and a yellow card to Lewis McNamara gave them a newfound swagger. They started to enjoy larger periods of possession but couldn’t close out the half with anymore points.

 

Half-time: Ayrshire Bulls 19-8 Stirling Wolves

 

The second half started in stark contrast from the first. A free-flowing affair started to tighten and a hardened niggle began to creep in. All of a sudden the game became an arm wrestle with neither side getting it their own way.

 

The Bulls broke through first after 15 minutes of back-and-forth. Stewart latched onto a rolling maul after his pin-point throw and let the pack drag him over the line.

 

Despite a flattering score Stirling weren’t going away and a cluster of Bulls’ mishaps kept them knocking on the door. They got their reward, with Kori Winters scoring with just over ten left to play.

 

For the closing stages of the match the Wolves upped the tempo in an attempt to rush in a score which seemed to startle the Bulls – who had a mismatched back line due to a handful of forced changes. When the Bulls needed crucial yards the 17-year-old centre replacement, Kerr Yule, delivered. A handful of trucking carries dragged his side out of danger in a number of occasions, preventing any late upset. The hosts didn’t leave their half in the final ten minutes but Stirling didn’t cross for a score. In the end it was full-points at home in pulsating fashion.

 

Full-time: Ayrshire Bulls 24-13 Stirling Wolves.

 

For long periods of time the game lacked creation but Luca Bardelli’s two moments of spark brought crucial points and earned him FOSROC Player of the Match honours.

 

The Bulls will look to go three-from-three next Friday when they face their first game on the road to Boroughmuir Bears.

 

The match kicks off at 19.35.

(Photo – Alan Graham)

The Warriors started bright with some early threats but a counter from the Bulls brought the opening score. From a turnover in the Bulls 22’ they hacked the ball up the park. Eli Caven blitzed past the tracking Warriors players to win the footrace and eventually regain possession over the line. Richie Simpson added the conversion before a penalty minutes later. After ten minutes of action they led by as many points.

 

It didn’t take long for the Warriors to turn their early threats into points. In their first attacking line-out Angus Fraser latched onto the back of a rolling maul and bulldozed his way over. Duncan Weir’s conversion slid wide.

 

The Bulls ended the half on the Warriors line but didn’t manage to convert it into a score.

 

Half-time: Ayrshire Bulls 10-5 Glasgow Warriors A

 

The Bulls extended their lead shortly after the interval. From a line-out, Bobby Beattie cut through the defence with an inward run. The Warriors’ scrambling defence managed to pull him back but a well-timed offload caught the charging Jamie Shedden in full flight. Simpson converted to make it 19-5.

 

The Warriors clawed back a score ten minutes later through Ben Salmon, and a touchline conversion from Duncan Weir thrusted them back into contention – the Bulls lead now cut to a single score.

 

Two tries within two minutes of each other – the first from Grant Stewart and the second Shedden’s brace – was the cushion the Bulls needed to see out the contest.

 

Stewart’s effort came from the silky hands of Chris Elliot. The centre gathered a pass in midfield whilst running at break-neck speed, before shipping it across his body to Stewart who split two defenders. A side-step followed by a photo finish at the line completed the move.

 

Shedden’s score was different. From inside their half the Bulls put the ball through the hands to catch him in open space. From then on nobody was catching him scorch down the line.

 

Full-time: Ayrshire Bulls 29-12 Glasgow Warriors A

 

Ryan Sweeney was unanimous FOSROC Player of the Match. It was the back-row’s return to the side after a year out due to injury and he rewarded Pat MacArthur’s faith with a trademark combative display across the field.

(Photo – SNS//Scottish Rugby)

Simpson was at the heart of that coming-of-age side. Fast forward twelve months and the 20-year old has shot through the ranks. A part-time professional contract for the Ayrshire Bulls came for him the summer and he rewarded Pat MacArthur’s faith with a glimmering debutant campaign – securing the starting fly-half role and finishing the season 19-from-19 on the tee. For Richie, it capped off a rise through the Ayr rugby development ranks – from starting with Ayr in primary 4 to earning his place at the top of the ladder.

 

Opportunity knocked once more and at the turn of the year he was named in the Scotland U20s squad for the Six Nations. He played in four of the five fixtures, being a key influence in running England close and, finally, securing a win for Scotland after a two-year drought.

 

“I don’t think I felt relief – it was mainly happiness” he remarks, reflecting on ending Scotland U-20s losing run with a win over Wales: “For the older boys who faced the losses last year it would have been a relief but for us coming in we knew what we we’re capable of and earned the right to enjoy it”.

 

Much of the belief came from the previous week. Despite falling short, Scotland opened their campaign running close an England side smattered with Gallagher Premiership professionals. Even more encouraging was the nature in which the game was played. A free-flowing match at millennium falcon pace – an environment that suited the fleet of foot Simpson to a tee: “You couldn’t have asked for better conditions; great pitch, no wind, lovely night to chuck a ball about. We played freely in the second half and scored more than 20 unanswered points… Just a shame not to get over the line but we showed we weren’t there to make up the numbers”.

 

It was Richie’s maverick playing style that coined the nickname ‘Rocketman’ in the FOSROC Super6 campaign last year. After a spontaneous turn of pace and line-break at Millbrae, the Scottish Rugby digital team tweeted the clip with the caption ‘Rocketman Richie‘, igniting a new identity – not even a month into his Bulls’ career and he’d earned a reputation for scuttling through gaps invisible to the Millbrae faithful in the stands: “The nickname stuck and followed me into Scotland camp. It could be worse I suppose!”

 

It’s back to the day job now and when he isn’t at Glasgow Caledonian studying for his finance degree he has the small matter of the FOSROC Super Series Sprint which kicks off this Friday night against Glasgow Warriors A. Richie has been rested following U20s camp so didn’t feature in the two pre-season games but is itching to get back out there: “The boys ran Newcastle Falcons close and got a good win against Stirling. We’re confident. It’s a similar group to the Super6 last year with some new additions so we will carry our form into the sprint and be challenging to win it. I’m looking forward to getting involved and playing my part”.

 

When asked what the goal for the Bulls is this year it’s clear what Pat McArthur’s message is to his men. Without hesitation or indecision, the answer was: “win it”.

 

 

Friday night’s FOSROC Super Series Sprint opener against Glasgow Warriors A is at Millbrae and starts at 19.35.

(Photo – George McMillan)

Eleven new players join the side, headlined by Scotland International Grant Stewart. Stewart featured in last year’s sprint series for the Bulls through the Glasgow Warriors pro draft and joins permanently following a stint with Connacht.

 

Former Scotland Sevens cap Reiss Cullen is also incoming. The scrum half previously turned out for FOSROC Super6 champions Watsonians.

 

Ayr Rugby academy product Scott Watson moves on from the 1^st XV to join the Bulls after an impressive Tennent’s National 1 campaign with Stuart Fenwick’s men. The trio of Scott Clelland, Craig Miller and Blair Jardine return to Millbrae following a year in the Tennent’s Premiership with Marr. They’ll be joined by their Troon teammate Grant Baird.

 

Wingers Luca Bardelli and Amena Caqusau both join from GHA, with Kerr Yule of West of Scotland also heading south on the M77.

 

Completing the incoming crop is Anthony Fitch, who departs Bournemouth Rugby to link up with Pat MacArthur’s men.

 

For those who still have rugby commitments with their current club they will link up with the Bulls on completion of their season.

 

The following players have departed the squad:

 

James Malcolm – has returned to the states to resume his MLS career.

 

Michael Scott – Has moved to Australia.

 

Ali Rogers – Long-term injury.

 

Gavin Wilson – Retired due to work commitments.

 

Jordan Lenac – Currently playing in Portugal.

 

Cam Jones – Announced in Heriots squad.

 

Will Hunt – Returned home and is currently playing in England.

 

Aaron Tait – Has moved away from Ayrshire.

 

Liam McNamara – Currently playing for Ireland 7s.

 

The club thanks them for all of their efforts during their time at Millbrae.

 

 

Full Squad:

 

Alex McGuire

Amena Caqusau

Andrew Nimmo

Andy Stirrat *

Antony Fitch

Archie Smeaton *

Ben Afshar *

Blair Jardine

Blair Macpherson

Bobby Beattie

Calvin Henderson

Chris Elliot

Christian Townsend *

Craig Miller

Edward Bloodworth

Eli Caven

Ewan Bulger

Frazier Climo

Grant Baird

Grant Stewart

Jamie Drummond *

Jamie Shedden

Kerr Yule

Lewis McNamara

Luca Bardelli

Reiss Cullen

Richie Simpson

Rory Jackson

Ryan Sweeney

Scott Clelland

Scott Watson

Thomas Glendinning

Tim Brown

William Farquhar

 

*FOSROC Scottish Rugby Contracted Academy Players. These players will also be available for selection to Glasgow Warriors A in the first three rounds of competition.

 

 

The FOSROC Super Series Sprint kicks-off next Friday when the Bulls host Glasgow Warriors A at Millbrae. The match kicks off at 19.35.

These additions provide more high-performance focused environments for players and increases high-level performance game time opportunities for the current cohorts of professional players, and next generation of aspirant professional players and coaches, in Scotland.

The first competition of the year will be the FOSROC Super Series Sprint starting next month, followed by the FOSROC Super Series Championship starting in late summer.

The FOSROC Super Series Sprint will start on the weekend of Friday 7 April where all six teams will play each other once in a traditional league format, as well as playing either Glasgow Warriors A or Edinburgh Rugby A.

Having teams from both of Scotland’s professional sides involved in the FOSROC Super Series Sprint will provide an opportunity for the current six licence teams to test themselves against full-time professionals, supported by their respective FOSROC Scottish Rugby Contracted Academy players.

It will also provide a closer alignment for the FOSROC Super Series teams with their respective professional team and an opportunity for Super Series players to perform in front of pro-team coaches.

The professional A sides will play three fixtures at the start of the FOSROC Super Series Sprint. Edinburgh Rugby A will play against Heriot’s Rugby, Southern Knights and Watsonians whilst Glasgow Warriors A will play against Ayrshire Bulls, Boroughmuir Bears and Stirling Wolves.

After playing in the first three rounds of the competition the professional A teams step down to allow the pro-teams to continue to prioritise the business end of their season and provide opportunity to their players who have had high-level game time and are match-ready if required.

Following a reset period in June, the FOSROC Super Series Championship will kick-off in the last weekend of July following a consistent playing window that has proved successful for the last two years. The championship will be contested by seven teams; the six Super Series licence teams plus a development team side which will be built upon the current and future Scotland U20 side.

The development teamside has been added to the FOSROC Super Series Championship to better prepare Scotland’s young players for the challenges of U20 rugby and to help ensure our players can better compete, and improve performances, against higher quality opposition in the Under-20 Six Nations and World Rugby U20 competitions.

Jim Mallinder, Scottish Rugby’s Performance Director, said: “It’s a hugely exciting time for those involved in FOSROC Super Series rugby. With its expansion to include more teams and a different structure comes a time to reflect on how that gap between amateur and professional has been bridged in the last four years.

“Since 2019, 34 players who were registered with FOSROC Super6 teams have gone on to play professionally with either Glasgow Warriors or Edinburgh Rugby. In addition, 21 of those players have signed contracts with one of the two sides, with six earning full international caps for Scotland.

“Six former FOSROC Super6 Head Coaches; Pete Murchie, Pete Horne, Stevie Lawrie, Ciaran Beattie, Rob Chrystie and Fergus Pringle and two Assistant Coaches, Scott Lawson and Chris Laidlaw, have moved into full-time professional performance coaching environments.

“We’re committed to providing more high-performance opportunities for those players striving to become regulars in Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors match-day squads.

“Another commitment we’re making is to provide a higher-level competition and increased time in high-performance environments for our U20 players to ensure that we are best preparing them for the ever-increasing demands of international rugby.”

Whilst there is not an opportunity to progress with a cross border competition in this calendar year, Scottish Rugby remain in positive discussions with other Unions and have ambitions to add this element into future seasonal structures of the FOSROC Super Series.

Constructive solutions company FOSROC have continued their support for the part-time professional league as title sponsor for the Super Series as a whole, the FOSROC Super Series Sprint and FOSROC Super Series Championship. They will also provide additional support to the development side in the FOSROC Super Series Championship later this year.

The partnership deepens an already strong relationship with FOSROC who have supported Super6 rugby since its inaugural season in 2019 and have supported the FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy since 2018.

FOSROC’s Chief Executive Officer Ian Watt said: “FOSROC is excited to be continuing its support of the expanded Super Series competition.

“It is great to see how the competition has grown over the last four years, and now with the addition of Edinburgh Rugby A and Glasgow Warriors A sides in the FOSROC Super Series Sprint, and a development side in the FOSROC Super Series Championship, it complements our desire to support more young players in getting further opportunities to develop their skills, helping springboard them into professional rugby.

“Since 2019 it’s been fantastic to see six FOSROC Super6 players through come through Scottish Rugby’s pathways to earn full international honours.

“Jamie Hodgson, Marshall Sykes, Ross Thomson, Rory Darge, Ollie Smith and Murphy Walker have all graduated from the FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy. Their rise to the international stage is testament to the success of the Academy, FOSROC Super6 and Scottish Rugby’s player pathway. We are thrilled to be continuing our support to the FOSORC Super Series.”

Fixtures for the for the FOSROC Super Series Sprint will be announced in the coming days and broadcasting details will be confirmed in due course.

(Image – Newcastle Falcons)

The match will kick-off at 7.45pm, falling on a weekend when the Falcons have no league game scheduled.

It is the second time the two sides have met, with Falcons running out victors in a 2020 pre-season friendly.

Falcons season ticket holders for either this season or next season can watch this game free of charge.

Season parking passes will also be valid.

Non-season ticket holders can gain entry for just £5 for adults, or £1 for under-16s.

This will be the Falcons’ second game against Scottish opposition this season, having beaten Southern Knights 68-19 on February 11.

Click here to buy tickets.

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