Hawick lift Scottish Cup at BT Murrayfield

Marr had much of the opening territory.

And they were rewarded in the 10th minute with a penalty on the 22 just right of the posts.

Colin Sturgeon stepped up to take a shot at goal and slotted the kick for the first points of the evening.

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Sturgeon then took another shot at goal in the 17th minute, this time from in front of the posts just over 40 metres out.

Again the fly-half’s kick was good and Marr were six in front.

Marr were using the boot to good effect to gain territory, but Hawick were staying in the contest with strong carries up front.

However, handling at key moments and issues at the lineout were preventing them from getting on the scoreboard.

A scrum penalty in the 36th minute gave Hawick the chance for points.

Kirk Ford opted to go for goal, and, sticking it over from just inside the 22 on the right side of the posts.

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Hawick grabbed an opportunistic first try of the contest in the 44th minute.

A loose ball from a kick fell to Ronan McKean on the left, and he nudged the ball through and won the race to dive on the ball.

And Hawick had another try in the 48th minute.

Marr’s clearance kick was charged down by Jae Linton and Fraser Renwick pounced on the ball. The latter rounded the last defender before scoring under the posts.

The Borders side further extended their lead in the 55th minute through another Ford penalty.

The full back hoofed the ball through for three points from just outside the 22 in line with the left upright.

And the men in green had a third try in the 62nd minute.

The forwards got Hawick close to the line, and it was eventually finished off in the right corner by Ford.

But Marr were soon back in the contest through Conor Bickerstaff, who was put through a gap by Sturgeon and fought his way to the line.

A penalty to Hawick just three minutes later was converted by Ford from over 40 metres out on the right side.

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And the Greens took full control of the contest in the second half.

A penalty for offside around 30 metres out on the right side gave Kirk Ford the opportunity to further grow their lead, which he took.

Ford missed a penalty attempt with the final kick of the game, but it didn’t matter as the Premiership champions sealed the double.

That result means that Hawick have completed 24 games unbeaten this season and retained the Bill McLaren Shield for the duration.

After the final whistle a delighted prop Shawn Muir told Borders Rugby TV: “Second half we were absolutely outstanding. The first 20 minutes the boys were sublime. It’s unbelievable to win and do the double undefeated. It’s the stuff of dreams.

“Now we’ll have a few beers and take it in and enjoy each other’s company. It’s now time to reflect on what we have done.”

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Coach Matty Douglas added: “What a second half and what an occasion for the club. I’m immensely proud of the players. We had to dig deep but we just stuck to our structure and brought a bit of energy.

“It’s probably still not sunk in. The support we had today was second to none and they have supported us all season. And we’ve finally got a bit of backing from the town and it was great to see so many people here today.

“People still talk about the team in 2002. We might never be in this position again and that was the big chat at half time. Everything was on the line, we might never be back at Murrayfield so just give it your all for that jersey and they certainly answered that question.

“What an amazing season with this bunch of players and I’m in such a lucky position being able to coach them. I have a great coaching team with Lewis (Bertram) and Graham (Hogg) and everybody in the backroom staff.

“And where do we go from here? It’s about planning for next season.”