Arnold Clark Men's Premiership Round 19 Dream Team

Yesterday at 08:15 AM

POOR old Archie Barbour has been a consistent top performer throughout the season but misses out on TOL’s Premiership Dream Team once again this week despite another fine display in both attack and defence as Kelso picked up a big win over Hawick at Poynder Park, because Freddie Owsley’s pace and finishing prowess when helping himself to a hat-trick for Watsonian against Musselburgh at Stoneyhill on Friday night means he is almost impossible to overlook.

Lomond Macpherson is selected on the right wing having helped himself to a hat-trick for Watsonians in the same game, while Tom Lanni (wearing 14  but lining up on the left wing) is entitled to feel hard done in missing out on selection after scoring three for Ayr in their big home win over Edinburgh Accies on Saturday afternoon, but the quality of Ben Pickles‘ two tries led to him being named man-0f-the-match by TOL reporter Alan Lorimer despite ending up on the losing Selkirk team after a hard-fought contest against Currie Chieftains at Philiphaugh. Dwain Patterson also registered another fine all-round performance on the right-wing for Kelso, with a flawless goal-kicking display which included penalties from near halfway and conversions from both touchlines

Glasgow Hawks made Heriot’s work for their five league points at Balgray and Finlay Callaghan was a handful with ball in hand, so he sneaks selection at outside-centre, just ahead of Ryan Southern of Currie Chieftains, while DJ Innes came off the bench as an early replacement and scored a brace to claim the inside-centre berth just ahead of Kelso powerhouse Frankie Robson and Ayr double-try scorer Robbie Orr.

Melrose Sevens unveil Howden as new headline sponsor

2024-25 Premiership Leaderboard – for weekending 2nd March

The Monday Bulletin (3rd March): Metcalfe reunited with 1999 Five Nations jersey and more Scots misery in Celtic Challenge

Jason Baggott was accomplished with ball in hand helping Watsonians to run in 13 tries (including one for himself) against Musselburgh and Aaron McColm was typically tidy for Selkirk, but they both miss out to Liam Herdman, who was an expert orchestrator of Kelso’s attack which buried Hawick by half-time. Gregor Christie of Currie Chieftains gets the nod at scrum-half, just ahead of Scott Steele of Glasgow Hawks and Adam McGowan of Ayr.

A typically solid and hard-working performance from a classic unsung hero in Graeme Carson helped lay the foundations for that important Currie Chieftains win at Philiphaugh so he is at loose-head this week, just ahead of Kelso’s Grant Shiells. Both Euan McLaren and Struan Cessford could easily have been selected for their efforts at tight-head as Heriots’ set-piece dominated Glasgow Hawks, and Dan Gamble had probably his best performance of the season for Kelso against Hawick, but Rhodri Tanner – who arrived at Millbrae as a hooker in 2021 – gets the nod after completing 80 minutes in the No 3 jersey for Ayr despite, apparently, suffering from a nasty blister!

Selecting the hooker was the toughest call of the week, with Michael Liness registering a man-of-the-match performance for Heriot’s at Balgray, James Malcolm a hat-trick scorer for Ayr at Millbrae and Corey Tait an all-action presence for Selkirk (starting at No 8 and then moving forward for the second half), but Jack Utterson – who has only just turned 18 – shifted forward from the back-row to wear the No 2 shirt for the first time in senior rugby and delivered a huge performance for Kelso which gave an indication as to why he is widely seen as a player with a big future.

Even without scoring two tries himself and playing the crucial role in the creation of two more with thunderous carries, Allan Ferrie would have been the standout player at The Greenyards as Melrose got the better of Marr, for his all-action performance in the loose and his commanding work in the line-out, so he links up with Jamie Campbell who was a driving force in Heriot’s win at Balgray. That means that Kelso duo Keith Melbourne and Cammy Thompson, Ayr’s Rory Jackson, Selkirk’s Jack Fisher and Courtney West of Currie Chieftains miss out.

Edinburgh Rugby youngster Liam McConnell was named man-of-the-match for Kelso in that win over Hawick so is selected at blindside flanker, with an honourable mention going to Selkirk Dylan Bronlund. Sam Wallace dominated the breakdown for Heriot’s against Glasgow Hawks so he is named at openside, just ahead of Murray Woodcock of Kelso and Sam Cardosi of Currie Chieftains. And Ryan Sweeney is at No 8 following a performance which combined soft-hands for link-up play with the blood and thunder we usually expect from him, ensuring the absence of talismanic skipper Blair Macpherson barely dented Ayr’s momentum. Stu Allison of Watsonians, James Campbell of Glasgow Hawks and, as ever, Bruce McNeil of Kelso also made strong cases for selection in the middle of the back-row.

15. Freddie Owsley (Watsonians)

14. Lomond Macpherson (Watsonians)

13. Finlay Callaghan (Glasgow Hawks)

12. DJ Innes (Currie Chieftains)

11. Ben Pickles (Selkirk)

10. Liam Herdman (Kelso)

9. Gregor Christie (Currie Chieftains)

1. Graeme Carson (Currie Chieftains)

2. Jack Utterson (Kelso)

3. Rhod Tanner (Ayr)

4. Allan Ferrie (Melrose)

5. Jamie Campbell (Heriot’s)

6. Liam McConnell (Kelso)

7. Sam Wallace (Heriot’s)

8. Ryan Sweeney (Ayr)