FOSROC Super Series Championship 2023 Guide to the Game | Round 5

Friday 25 August: Stirling Wolves v Watsonians

Round 5 begins at Bridgehaugh where Watsonians, coming fresh from their bye week and hoping to maintain their winning streak make the journey to face off against the Stirling Wolves, kick-off 7.35pm.

How to watch

This game will be streamed live on the Scottish Rugby website.

Be There

Don’t miss out on seeing the teams in action this Friday evening at Bridgehaugh. Get your tickets here.

Match Officials

Ref: Ruairidh Campbell
AR 1: Michael Todd
AR 2: David Changleng

Comments from the Coaches:

Eddie Pollock (Stirling Wolves) said:

“We welcome Watsonians, the only unbeaten team so far to Bridgehaugh and everyone is well aware of the huge challenge they will bring in terms of physicality and rugby nuance. They have experience in key positions and have had a great start to the season.

“Our coaching staff are delighted with how the players are training and the squad is very much looking forward to another exciting game in front of a vociferous home crowd.”

Nikki Walker (Watsonians) said:

“Going to Bridgehaugh is always a tough challenge and we have had some very good matches together in the short history of Super Series rugby. Stirling Wolves are a very well coached team that have a good balance of youth and experience.

“Our players have had a weekend off and the opportunity to recover, meaning they are very excited to get back up and running. We have used our off week to get some quality training in as well as rest to recover physically and mentally.

“This week players have shown that this was the right thing to do with a real lift in training intensity and accuracy from where we were in week 1 to 3. There is a full understanding by all that this progress will have to be taken into Friday night to get anything out of this game.”

Team Selections

Friday 25 August: Boroughmuir Bears v Ayrshire Bulls

The second of the Friday evening fixtures takes place at Meggetland where Boroughmuir Bears will welcome the Ayrshire Bulls, kick-off 7.35pm.

Highlights of this match will be available on the Scottish Rugby website on Monday evening.

Be There

Begin your weekend of rugby early – there’s still time to get your tickets to the match in person here.

Match Officials

Ref: Rob McDowell
AR 1: Finlay Brown
AR 2: Bob Nevins

Comments from the Coaches:

Graham Shiel (Boroughmuir Bears) said:

“Last week’s game versus the Southern Knights was in the balance at half time with Southern Knights ahead on the scoreboard. However, the Bears stuck to their task last week and where we had fallen away in Round 3, we managed to maintain our composure and build on the first half performance and take control of the scoreboard. It was a pleasing performance for the group and a reward for their hard work to date.

“Round 5 sees the Bears welcome competition leaders Ayrshire Bulls to Meggetland. A team that always causes the Bears problems, so a big challenge lies ahead for us this week. Bulls are a formidable outfit with quality throughout their squad which causes teams problems in Super Series.”

Pat McArthur (Ayrshire Bulls) said:

“We’re on the road again this week facing a Boroughmuir side that knows how to find the try line with the 2nd highest number of tries in the Series which means we’ll have to be at our best defensively.

“We have trained well after what was a very physical encounter against Heriot’s as we look to continue to build on the momentum of the last 3 weeks.”

Team Selections

Saturday 26 August: Heriot’s Rugby v FOSROC Future XV

Concluding the weekend of fixtures we will see Heriots Rugby welcome the FOSROC Future XV to Goldenacre for the first time, kick-off 3pm.

Highlights of this match will be available on the Scottish Rugby website on Monday evening.

Be There

Secure your spot at Goldenacre this weekend – get your tickets here.

Match Officials

Ref: Jonny Perriam
AR 1: Samuel O’Neil
AR 2: Bob Nevins

Comments from the Coaches:

Ben Cairns (Heriot’s Rugby) said:

“Saturday provides a great opportunity for us to bounce back after an under-par performance last Friday. We have had a good week of training including a joint session with Edinburgh Rugby on Tuesday evening.

“We were delighted to host Edinburgh at Goldenacre, and it proved to be an invaluable experience for our players. The guys will have learned a lot from the session, and we will look to put some of those learnings into Saturday’s performance.

“The Future XV will be looking to bounce back after a tough afternoon at Bridgehaugh. We are preparing for a much tighter contest and have concentrated on ensuring we get our performance levels right back home at Goldie.”

Scott Forrest (FOSROC Future XV) said:

“Last week was a tough experience for everyone involved but this young group of players have responded really well and taken a lot of learning that they will look to put into their performance on Saturday. As tough as last week was, the players have trained well this week and have worked hard to build on some key positives we took from the game.

“The task doesn’t get any easier as we go up against a quality Heriot’s team but everyone is looking forward to the next opportunity to go and perform at this level. Ultimately this is part of preparing these players to go on and play for Scotland U20 later in the season against high quality opposition like France and Ireland.”

Team Selections