WATSONIANS captain Torrie Callander has warned that teams are only going to find it tougher to dislodge them after establishing an early lead at the top of the Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership with a 35-28 home win over Heriot's.
It is now four
games since Heriot's enjoyed the spoils at Myreside, including a Super-Cup tie, and while Watsonians lived extremely dangerously at times, the message from second row Callander is that they are now starting to gel.
"This latest performance was better than on the opening weekend, so I feel we are starting to improve," said Callander, and went on to insist there could be no resting on laurels.
"As soon as the full-time whistle blew I found myself thinking ahead to next Saturday's trip to Ayr, where we will have to step it up massively," he added.
"In particular, we have to learn how to tighten games up.
"On occasions we played unbelievably good rugby, but you can't always keep trying to throw the ball around.
"I'd have been quite happy if we'd played up the touchline a bit more, but it all comes down to enthusiasm and you can't knock that, even if I'd have preferred that we didn't get ahead of ourselves by conceding so many penalties."
On another day, Watsonians' generosity could have been costly, but they held on to become the only team to collect maximum points from the first two weekends.
"I keep hearing that winning while still having a lot to do is a good habit, but I'd rather the habit was playing well throughout and winning," smiled Callander, acknowledging it had still been "job done".
As for Heriot's, it was a tale of what might have been had they been able to retain possession better, although they did seem hard done by near the end when recalled to be given a penalty while advantage was being played in the home 22.
Coach Bob McKillop would not be drawn into commenting on that situation, but he admitted consistency was a shortcoming they needed to address.
"We played the bulk of the rugby, especially in the first half hour when we were particularly good, but credit to Watsonians who scored from the couple of opportunities we gave them.
"We need to make it more difficult for teams to score against us. When it came to the crunch we were just not clinical enough, including from a couple of line-outs five metres out. It was disappointing that we didn't take advantage of situations we'd practised."
The consolation for McKillop however lay in some notable individual displays. He added: "For a player making his competitive debut for us David McCall did especially well on the wing.
"David's enthusiasm and work-rate were great and he did a lot of unglamorous stuff such as putting in tackles. Also, Alan Dymock looked very solid at prop."
With Watsonians shading the try count 4:3 through Richard Minto, Johnny Pelter, Jeff Nicolson and Jamie Blackwood to touchdowns from McCall, Finlay Gillies and Tam McVie, it was goal-kicking that ensured Heriot's collected a losing bonus point for getting within seven points of their conquerors.
Here, McKillop paid tribute to his marksman, saying: "Graham Wilson's goal-kicking is international class."
Overall, the impression was that Heriot's have assembled such a gargantuan pack that, come the heavier grounds, they are going to prove a handful for all-comers.
Newcomers include former Scotland under-20 second row Ian Nimmo, whose early driving up play was a feature and alongside him was Kiwi newcomer Josh Stevens.
Stevens – who, like substitute stand-off Mark Sherwood, is an Aussie – has arrived in Edinburgh on a working holiday. He and Sherwood should lend a hard edge to Heriot's.
Elsewhere, Jamie Parker was never far from the breakdown while Graham Thomson and the under-rated Richard Mill looked a robust centre combination.
Watsonians, too, had influential individuals, according to their coach Bruce Aitchison.
He appeared particularly pleased with the versatility of Jamie Blackwood, who switched seamlessly from scrum half to centre when Dougie Brown was forced to retire hurt after just nine minutes.
Aitchison said: "It was a case of needs must when Jamie vacated his preferred position and his performance was fantastic.
"Likewise new winger Richard Minto again showed a great attitude.
"Richard stands strong in offering himself as a (rucking] target and supports well.
"He's set me a selection headache with Ally Rowe having to come off the bench to again show his skills, but it is the right type of problem to have.
"We got the benefits of (fitness coach] Donnie Macfadyen's training in the gym, and while it could have been us playing catch-up if Heriot's had been more clinical, overall it was a cracking advert for Premiership rugby."
Heriot's would be entitled to feel less enthusiastic about any spectacle for a crowd of around 600, but have probably only themselves to blame for failing to cash in on gains, both in terms of territory and their possession.
Doubtless it will be a lesson well learned, and they did show character in battling back from 14-6 down to lead 18-17 at the interval.
In a first half that was bigger on excitement than pure quality, Graham Wilson landed a penalty in three minutes for the visitors before Richard Minto ended a slick counter instigated by Ben Di Rollo and Mike Ker with an overlap try. Ker converted.
It was from Nimmo's powerful thrust that the platform was set for a Greg Rutherford drop goal after 23 minutes, before Johnny Pelter and Tam McVie exchanged converted tries.
When Ker then added a penalty it seemed 'Sonians were destined to retire in front, but they would have reckoned without the neat inter-passing at the front of the line-out that sent Finlay Gillies through.
Watsonians re-started with a ten point salvo through a penalty by Ker, who also converted Nicolson's stroll-over try.
At 18-27 Heriot's desperately needed the next score and it came through the boot of Wilson.
Lesser sides might have crumbled when Blackwood then went over from Nicolson's thrust – especially with Heriot's centre Richard Mill sin-binned for a technical offence yielding three points to Ker.
Instead, Heriot's showed character through a McCall try that was converted by Wilson to set up a storming finish with 'Sonian prop Andrew Fisher in the bin for preventing release of the ball in a ruck.
Ultimately, 14-man Watsonians held out, much to the relief of coach Aitchison, who summed up when he said: "We became frantic when we needed to be urgent, but we've proved wrong a few who said that we don't know how to win."
While Watsonians head for Ayr, next up for Heriot's comes a trip to the bottom club, Stirling County.
Scorers: Watsonians: Tries: Minto, Pelter, Blackwood, Nicolson. Cons: Ker (3). Pens: Ker (3). Heriot's: Tries: McVie, Gillies, McCall. Cons: Wilson (2). Pens: Wilson (2). Drop goal: Rutherford.
Watsonians: Nash, Saena, Brown, Di Rollo, Minto, Ker, Blackwood, Fisher, Wood, Coertze, Callander (captain), Nicolson, Pelter, Tweed, Hills.
Subs: Rowe, Howe, McInally, Tunnah, Scott.
Heriot's: Goudie, Short, Thomson, Mill, McCall, Goudie, Rutherford, Wilson, Dymock, Gillies, Blacklock, Stevens, Nimmo, McVie (captain), Syme, Parker.
Subs: Burnett, Ward, Dewar, Anderson, Sherwood.
The full article contains 1229 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
