Friday 11 March 2016

Hawick v Ayr preview

Ayr will finally wrap up their regular BT Premiership campaign on Saturday as they take on Hawick at Mansfield Park.

The Millbrae men have an unassailable lead in the league and will face Melrose at home in the play-off semi-finals on Saturday 2nd April (a week after they play the Greenyards team in the BT Cup semi-finals), and are looking to continue their good form of late with a last hurrah in the BT Premiership.

The match has twice been postponed after Hawick's ground flooded this winter and due to several players being on Scotland Club XV duty, and with the pitch still soggy, Hawick's last two matches were played at Netherdale. But the weather has been kind this week and the men in green will be glad to sign off their season at home.

Ayr head coach Calum Forrester knows there are never any easy matches in the Borders.

'We will face a tough test this weekend against a Hawick side looking to finish their season on a high. We have been playing some good rugby recently and hope to build on that form as we approach the cup and league semi-finals.'

In the squad, last week's man of the match Steven Longwell is absent through illness and is replaced at prop by George Hunter.

Danny McCluskey starts at stand-off in place of the unavailable Frazier Climo, whilst Richard Dalgleish is also missing, with Archie Russell slotting in at centre next to captain Ross Curle.

Andrew Dunlop moves to the second row to partner Rob McAlpine and Pete McCallum returns to number eight.

It's a very youthful bench, with two rising stars from Glasgow Warriors, D'arcy Rae and Ali Price, released for the weekend. Young front rower Ben Paterson could make his first appearance of the season.

Ayr:
15. Grant Anderson; 14. Haddon McPherson, 13. Archie Russell, 12. Ross Curle (c), 11. Craig Gossman; 10. Danny McCluskey, 9. David Armstrong; 1. George Hunter, 2. David Young, 3. Javan Sebastian; 4. Rob McAlpine, 5. Andrew Dunlop; 6. Blair Macpherson, 7. Will Bordill, 8. Pete McCallum.

Replacements:
16. Ben Paterson, 17. D'arcy Rae, 18. Craig Stevenson, 19. Lee Scott, 20. Ali Price.

Kick-off 3pm! Follow the scores live on Twitter.

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