With Clark on paternity leave, Wood required elsewhere and Turnbull back on the sick list, a few call-ups and some positional changes were needed but without notable weakening of the line-up. The Cougars team showed ten changes including a new smattering of francais in the back line.

Contrary to expectations based on the previous two days, the only adverse physical condition was a slight if chilly wind at Lasswade’s back as they kicked off in bright sunshine on a pleasantly firm pitch towards the Bonnyrigg end.

The hosts immediately set up camp in the bottom right corner but needed four minutes of probing and driving before Elliot, at scrum half this week, found a way over from the back of a ruck on the line.

Lasswade stayed on top but, with things not quite clicking every time in the backs, it took to the end of the first quarter before Hennessey could barge through near the posts making for a fairly easy two points from Brown.

It was all Lasswade for the next 10 minutes but it needed Hennessey again to spot a gap and all but stroll into the line but too far out for Brown to conquer the breeze.

Lasswade’s reputation for scoring from catch and drives is probably too widely known now and is often well defended but it was to this method that they owed their fourth try as the interval approached with Borthwick in possession at the touch down and Brown slotting the extras to take the title holders into a 24-0 half time score.

With what advantage the elements offered it looked like a transformed Cougars side that kicked off the second period, sending Lasswade reeling back to their goal-line and after five minutes of graft their burly prop claimed a well earned five points.

This only served to sting Lasswade into action and just three minutes later Robertson cancelled out their score taking the ball from a tap penalty at his favourite distance of the visitors’ five-metre line. Brown was on target to make it 31-5.

With honours slightly more even this half the hour passed before Lasswade again earned a five-metre line out and a surprise low throw to the front set up a brief maul from which Robertson again emerged to drive into the corner.

Not long after his second try Robertson was red-carded for evicting a Cougar from the bottom of a ruck with his feet, which may present no small headaches for Lasswade in the next two or more quite significant fixtures that he will have to sit out.

Now one man down, with uncontested scrums and the game clearly won, Lasswade defended their territory less effectively and in the final moves of the game the Cougars grabbed a consolation second try when their full back chased and grounded a chip though in the corner.
The next Shield action is not until 8 January when the current clear leaders of National 3, Marr, come east to Lasswade.

This Saturday Hawthornden is the venue for the opener of second half of the League against bottom-of-the-table Irvine. Kick off 12.noon.

This is only the curtain raiser for an unarguably decisive three weeks thereafter, when Lasswade travel north to currently fourth-placed Ellon follow that with a visit by third-placed Garnock and then go west to second-placed Greenock.

Richard Payne.