After their massive win over Selkirk at Bridgehaugh seven days earlier, Stirling – facing Borders opposition on a second successive weekend – found Hawick less malleable and at the end of a match of oscillating fortunes County were perhaps relieved to salvage a losing bonus point, writes Alan Lorimer.

Relieved, because after only twenty minutes Stirling trailed 19-3 to a Hawick side that looked far more comfortable with ball in hand and which took advantage of Stirling’s proclivity to leave defensive doors open and to turn over ball.

“We were confident after last week but we made a few unforced errors in certain areas of the park. We rallied well in the second half and the losing bonus point was better than nothing.” stated the Stirling coach, David Adamson.

Stirling’s rally was aided by more confident running by their backs, spearheaded by full back Jonny Hope and inside centre Nick Grigg, who is attached to Glasgow Warriors. But it was the forwards who provided the first try, a rolling maul allowing prop Colin Hutton to be driven over.

Then after the break Stirling produced their best move of the match that ended with Matt Lamb coming off his right wing to score in the left corner, Hope providing the goal-kicking points to bring the scoreline to 19-18.

Yet if Stirling had shown how to use the ball early in the second half, it was Hawick who were the masters in the opening phase of the match. Rory Hutton can always be expected to produce defence breaking running and at Mansfield Park, the inside centre did not disappoint.

Hutton’s clever footwork created an opening try for Lee Armstrong, before another mazy by the centre led to a dazzling try from the impressively quick teenage wing Darcy Graham. Then a delicate chip by Hutton gave fellow centre John Coutts Hawick’s third try for a 19-3 lead.

After Stirling had narrowed Hawick’s lead to just one point, it was again Hutton who did the damage, this time the centre extending his repertoire to a grubber kick that allowed Armstrong to score his second , and Hawick’s fourth, try.

Armstrong’s conversion and a penalty goal widened Hawick’s lead to 29-18 but again Stirling hit back with strong forward play producing an injury-time converted try by their beefy number 8, Vaka Manu, to earn a losing bonus point, too late, however, to prevent the Greens from achieving their first Premiership win of the season.