Biggar 8 Peebles 3
PREMIER GROUP C
KICKING OFF into a snowstorm, Biggar put Peebles under pressure from the outset in this closely-fought, low-scoring Premier C match at Hartreemill.
A nasty collision sent Peebles back row man Euan Jackson to the ground with apparent concussion but the referee appeared not to notice and waved play on.
Biggar took advantage and sailed in for a try through Suti Faamausili.
Pees spent the next 25 minutes defending their line in numbers and defending well with all the pressure coming from Biggar in the first half hour.
That is how long it took Peebles to enter the Biggar half and when the visitors finally made ground they won a penalty which Greg Raeburn converted to make it 5-3 at the break.
The second half saw the wind drop to almost nothing and the winter sun appear from the gloom.
Pees made better use of the conditions and for much of the game, the roles were reversed from the first half, with the visitors camped on the Biggar whitewash and the home side defending for their lives.
Jake Serex was sin-binned for going in at the side of a ruck and from the resulting penalty Hata Wilbore notched three points to stretch Biggar’s lead.
Peebles spent the last 10 minutes camped five yards from the try-line. Ruck after ruck was set up, they tried mauling up, they tried rucking up, but they just could not get through. The ref blew for time and the game ended with the visitors only collecting a losing bonus point for their efforts.
Peebles: Donald Anderson; N. Hogarth, T. Walsh, A. Smellie, C. Blyth; G. Raeburn, C. Clancy; A. Clark, M. Carryer, T. Mapuilesua, A. Brown, J. Serex, A. Warnock, E. Jackson, J. Forrester. Subs: David Anderson, D. Hall, K. Clyde, R. McConnell.