David Attenborough and Johnny Morris could not be seen in person at this must-win game played in freezing conditions on the horridly hard and unforgiving surface at Melrose tonight. However, had these zoologists travelled here from the jungle they would have been very impressed by the array of wildlife that took the field wearing camouflaged green in this excellent victory. The sign on the door opposite the visitors’ changing rooms read ‘Melrose Wasps’ but the only wasp on show tonight was the Force’s brilliant number 11 Finn Douglas who ran the first half of this excellent game with his darting probing runs buzzing through the opposition players as they tried unsuccessfully to swat him down. Douglas’ stinging performance in the first 40 minutes of this Border Junior Cup was a match-winning one and left him sharing man (and insect) of the match accolades with Kieran Dunbar. This Finn was the best one on show at the weekend and he flew past the opponents for the opening try from inside his own half with delighted grandparents watching on. It is too easy to forget what a historic rugby clan these Douglas and Welsh players come from (cousin Charlie was adventurous as the Force’s standoff tonight) but after the match the hosts presented the Hawick club with a set of ancient 7s programmes that regularly contained the name of grandfather Rob though it is clear that the dynasty begins and ends with Queen Bee Joyce. Dunbar himself was like the swordfish that swim near his namesake’s harbour far too slippery for the home side to catch as he fought through most of the tackles thrown at him and even when swimming against the tide of locals he burst through their strongest nets. He is a player with a great future ahead of him wherever he plays and was constantly assisted by thoroughbred prop Ru MacLeod who braved the firm conditions that neither he nor his beloved Shoeshine Boy would relish. Make no mistake this was no walk over for the strong Hawick side, who were bolstered with excellent additions from both the Linden and Quins but as play raged on from end to end, it was the soldier ants of the Hawick side that proved stronger more adept and skilful than the plastic yards hosts. There was also time for sheer brute force to have its say and the cumbersome large winged moth that is Aiden Fairbairn created havoc lumbering around with ball in hand bumping into opponents seemingly without direction but generally aiming for the bright light of the tryline. Deep into the first half he was drawn to the beacon that is the posts and crashed into them but was adjudged to have spilled the ball as he fell to earth to so nearly score a deserved try. Everyone’s favourite electrician young Deaglan Lightfoot squirmed and shone all match long and he was justly rewarded with a clever solo try near the end of the first period as he shocked the home defence by bursting round the side of the ruck and diving over like an electric eel for a try that his all-round brilliance deserved. Welsh converted this one but was unable to add the extras a few minutes later when on the stroke of half-time young Eli Hamilton raced and chased the ball to score in the corner as he fizzed over like a firefly. Earlier in the season he was being likened to a young Stuart Hogg and again tonight he played with both calm assurance but importantly with the sparkling ability to tear a hole in the opponents’ defence at will.
The Force went in to half time with a 17 point lead but they knew that their less able hosts still held a potent threat with ball in hand out wide, and so the second half began with a little complacency having taken hold of the visitors who failed to tackle well enough and over a ten minute spell the home side scored two quick tries. Thankfully the praying mantis of the lineout Murray Renwick all arms and stretches everywhere, brought some control to affairs and his connection with hooker (Beluga Whale lookalike) Liam Graham, meant that the boys in green never lost a lineout on their own throw as Graham shot nine darter after nine darter like an old Luke Littler.
A tactical dust up off the ball created a return of the gurn that the Force lads needed and had the match officials scurrying for cover. Shortly after that the large crowd witnessed a giant Canadian Elk charging for the line fed by Lightfoot, young Naylor, making a run from near the Arctic Circle, plunged over for a try that was greeted with a cheer that could be heard by proud dad Dave 2000 miles away. There was time left to introduce the redwing that is Lewis Crowford into the fray and he looked right at home here flying up and down the wing, whilst father Kevin looked on counting with an abacus the amount of passes his son received. With the final scoreline disclosing a 4 tries to 2 victory for the Force, nobody could but help to be impressed by the veritable Matt’s Ark of creatures that the Greens’ coach has assembled here. A huge amount of credit must go to Landels who has singlehandedly, trained, coached, nurtured and collected this group of lads and turned them into a team who have been ahead in every game except for the last 30 seconds of their initial match this season. He has marched them one by one, two by two and pod by pod into the best team this side of Babylon. The Force head now to one more match on Friday 1st March at Mansfield 7.30pm v Selkirk, before a cup final beckons and if there is any justice in this country then a league and cup double awaits this troop of likeable baboons dressed in green.