Edinburgh Accies 13

Hawick 20

Atholl Innes

at South Queensferry

HAWICK kept the flag flying for Borders rugby as they bagged a Premiership play-off spot with a win, if not a try bonus, at the South Queensferry all-weather pitch.

Rugby fans had to endure a journey to a ground under the shadow of the Forth Bridge and an extremely bitterly cold afternoon.

And there was no shelter for the brave spectators who huddled around the boundary for the 80 minutes or so.

All in all not the ideal setting for a game of such importance.

The Greens did not make it easy for themselves with second-half yellow cards to Gareth Welsh and Chris Bachurzewski.

Although at one time they were down to 13 men, they should have still had the points wrapped up early in the second half.

In Richard Mill Accies had the goal-kicking exponent, who tested Hawick in the first half and with the wind advantage delivered plenty high aerial kicks.

The wind played a major force and Hawick failed to capitalise on their second-half pressure with the gale.

But two scores from Wiann Griebenow, whose power and strength were decisive, snatched a crucial victory.

“It was a hard earned win,” said Hawick Rugby Director, Garry Douglas.

“I am not sure we played the conditions the best, but at the end of the day we got the win, confirmed our place in the play-offs, and am pleased with the result. And Wiann made all the difference to us.”

Accies crashed over for the opening try as Callum Ramm took advantage of hesitancy to touch down in the left-hand corner and Mill converted.

Mill stretched the lead with a penalty before Ali Weir kicked a penalty to narrow the deficit and Jae Linton burst over and Weir converted to level it at 10-10 at the break.

Bachurzewski was the first to incur the wrath of the referee, who also dispatched Angus Inwood to the sin-bin after the same incident. And when Welsh was also yellow-carded, Hawick dug deep and Griebenow used all his strength to break the Accies barrier with two scores.

Mill banged over his second penalty and, in an anxious final few minutes, Hawick held out.

Hawick: K. Ford; R. McKean, W. Griebenow, A. Mitchell, L. Gordon-Wooley; A. Weir, G. Welsh; S. Muir, M. Carryer, C. Bachurzewski, A. Piotrowski, S. Fairbairn, J. Linton, B. McNeill, S. Graham. Replacements: C. Renwick, D. Johnstone, J. Rowley, B. Donaldson, M. Bannerman.