And the home support were not disappointed as their team ran in seven tries to make it seven wins out of seven, including seven bonus points and put themselves even further ahead at the top of the league.

PL were first to apply pressure in the 22 following a good kick by Greg Leitch and were rewarded with a penalty in front of the posts. Unfortunately, Andrew Clark missed the opportunity but made amends just a few minutes later when he received a pass following a scrum five and cleverly stepped inside and strolled over for the opening try. He added the conversion himself and PL were 7-0 up after only 5 minutes. They were also playing with a great deal of confidence although, too often they were over keen to get the ball and conceded several penalties allowing their opponents the opportunity to keep their line clear. Duns took advantage and got three points on the board from a penalty inside the 22 but this was to be their only chance during the first half.
A mazy run by Dougie Thomson supported by Raymond Mackie gained 30 metres and created a scoring chance in the 22 but Duns ended the move by handling in the ruck and Clark made no mistake with the kick at goal to make the score 10-3. A yellow card for Duns flanker Williamson helped the PL forwards in their domination of the scrum but it wasn’t until Paul Voy injected some pace into a move before passing on to Thomas Logan who then found Darren Eales who crossed for the try.
A few minutes later, Duns were on the retreat again following a break by Leitch but they were powerless to stop the scrum half’s perfectly timed pass to Greg Kinross that sent the full back clear to the line. With scoreline at 22-3, PL were looking comfortable although the Duns back division looked pretty useful when they got their hands on the ball. They even got within yard of the line following a good move and winger Thomas Logan was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes when the referee judged that he had stopped his opponent illegally. PL always looked dangerous but still needed another try to secure the bonus point and that came following a Chris Dixon interception that allowed the centre to gain 50 metres and after the ball was recycled several times, Blair Cowan was aided over the line to finish off a fine move. Kinross took over the kicking duties and his conversion made the score 29-3 with five minutes of the half remaining.
There was still time for another try and it was probably the best of the half. Craig Quigley had made a good break into the 22 and two attacks followed that saw both Eales and Kinross crossing the line but on both occasions the referee adjudged that they had been held up. Then followed a series of good passes and an interchange between Mackie and Kinross created enough space, so that when Thomson finally got the ball in hand, he was able to squeeze over for an excellent try that made the half time score 34-3.

The second half was a far less torrid affair and Duns enjoyed much more possession and territory although they were finding it very difficult to threaten the try line as the PL defence held firm. There was no further scoring until the 63rd minute when two of the PL forwards, Aaron Welsh and Keith Duncan linked together to gain ground but it was Greg Leitch who had the pace to get past the defence to score PL’s sixth try.
Replacement Andrew Archer had come on to give some fresh legs to the PL pack and he was industrious in the loose, winning several balls and tackling well but Duns’ perseverance paid off in the 70th minute when PL lost the ball forward in the tackle and the gap in the defence made it easy for the visitors to cross for the try. The conversion made the score 39-10 but PL’s Paul Voy had the last word when his strength proved too much for the tiring defence and he barged his way through to score near the posts. Kinross added the conversion to make the final score 46-10.

This was one of the biggest tests PL have faced this season and they came through it with flying colours. They will hope to keep up the momentum when they travel to the capital to face bottom placed Lismore next Saturday.

Preston Lodge Team:
G Kinross, D Thomson, R Gray, C Dixon, T Logan, A Clark, G Leitch
K Duncan, R Mackie, S McLean, A Welsh, B Cowan, C Quigley, D Eales, P Voy

Replacements (All Used):
A Archer, C Guiney, C Wilson