DJ puts Hawick in a spin as Watsonians batter Borderers

Watsonians celebrate one of their eight tries

Innes wreaked havoc on the Hawick defence, particularly in the first half when the Capital side bounced back from conceding a first-minute try to score four tries.

They added a further four tries in the second period, leaving Lawrie satisfied with a win that has moved Sonians up to third place.

“DJ has played well the whole season – he is strong, he is quick and he is getting better,” said Lawrie. “Having (former Edinburgh professional) Mike Allen beside him with a lot of experience is helping. He was my man of the match.”

Of the team’s performance, he added: “We lost our shape a bit at the end and we weren’t as ruthless as we might have been. But I was pleased with that. It’s an important result for us.”

Edinburgh Rugby pro Jason Harries claimed two touchdowns and there was one apiece for Allen, Rory Drummond, Craig Borthwick, Michael Fedo, Mark Bertram, Willie Thomson and Darren Miller, with Ali Harris and Andrew Chalmers sharing the kicking duties to add seven conversions as Sonians showed their all-round firepower and illustrated why they are the league’s second-highest try scorers behind Melrose.

The performance sets Sonians up nicely for upcoming BT Cup and league clashes with city rivals Boroughmuir, who finally clicked into gear with the type of performance they have threatened to produce on several occasions this season without managing to deliver as they defeated Stirling County 47-5.

The clash with County was switched to Hawthornden, but the players quickly made themselves at home. Tries by Aubrey Mncube and Jordan Edmunds, plus a 13-point kicking contribution from Chris Laidlaw, gave them a 23-0 interval lead and they raised the pace in the second-half with touchdowns by Jonny Matthews, Rob Ure, Grant McConnell and Michael Brown.

Currie Chieftains edged closer to clinching a home play-off when they returned from the trip to face Glasgow Hawks with a 25-12 win to their credit. Trailing 7-6 at half-time, with the points coming courtesy of two Jamie Forbes penalties, Chieftains clicked through the gears and maintained their winning run with tries from Mike Vernel, Archie MacLean and Angus Paton, while Charlie Shiel kicked two conversions.