Marr went into the tie very much as underdogs and their cause wasn’t helped with added injuries and unavailability. The starting line-up included a recall for Stuart Howie on the wing and Callum Craig at second row. Matthew Skeoch and Danny Clark were amongst the replacements.

For significant periods of the match Hawick played with great pace and precision and Marr had to live off scraps as their defensive tackle count soared as they worked to stem a green torrent.

In the opening exchanges penalties were traded before Hawick took their first try after eight minutes of play. A Marr clearance kick didn’t find touch and Hawick punished the mistake with a well worked move delivered at electric pace which sliced through Marr’s defence and saw winger Neil McColm touch down for a converted try.

Shortly after this score Marr suffered a further blow when Fraser Ferguson, who had been showing some real threat in broken play, retired injured after taking a heavy hit as he won turnover ball at a breakdown. Ollie Rossi came on as replacement and Phil Siave switched from hooker to prop.

For the following fifteen minutes Hawick turned on the screw and pounded Marr with repeated attacks but the defence held firm. In a short respite and on rare occasions they won turnover ball Marr showed a willingness to take Hawick on with some strong running that saw several line breaks made. Colin Sturgeon led the way with a cut through from midfield that was only stopped after Hawick managed to scramble back. Similarly, Stuart Howie showed very good pace and clever running lines that caused some problems for Hawick’s defence. However, despite Marr making decent inroads into Hawick territory they continually found the final defence quickly regrouped, solid and secure

Just before the half hour mark Hawick’s pressure finally paid off with a second try and in a three minute frenzy added a third and a second penalty.

As half time approached a penalty for Marr allowed Rory McGee to kick to touch just inside Hawick’s 22m area. From the lineout Marr’s pack kept play tight and aggressive work through several phases was rewarded with a converted try as William Farquhar bulldozed his way through from close range. The score though came at a heavy price as Phil Siave was injured and had to retire. Matthew Skeoch (sponsored by EMPS/Money Advice Team) came on as replacement to make his 1st XV debut. Hawick showed no sign of easing up and immediately struck back with another converted try. Marr suffered a further blow as Fraser Grant was sin-binned after an illegal challenge as he competed to recover the restart kick.

The second half started as the first ended with further Hawick pressure that led to another try. Playing a man down Marr managed to limit the potential damage to the single score. When they returned to full strength they enjoyed a period of play where they managed to match Hawick’s pace and intensity of attack as well as defence. Several line breaks were made and from one involving Ben Johnston and Fraser Grant an offload to Colin Sturgeon allowed him to slice through to score a converted try. Marr continued to have more time in Hawick’s half but lost possession at a scrum provided a telling counter-attack that led to another Hawick try. In the final quarter the Hawick got back on top with possession and territory. Marr’s defence was tested to the extreme but held firm up until the final play when the visitors scored a pushover try from a close range scrum.

The final whistle ended an impressive display from the Green Machine. Marr’s players were left to nurse their bruises happy in the knowledge that they competed for the full eighty minutes, put in a huge work-rate and tackle count and had several time made good line breaks to test and beat Hawick’s generally solid defence.

Marr’s man of the match: Colin Sturgeon (sponsored by Bricktrain Ltd)

Marr scorers

Tries: William Farquhar (1) and Colin Sturgeon (1)

Conversions: Rory McGee (2)

Penalty: Rory McGee (1)