The Ayrshire Bulls bowed out of the FOSROC Super Series era as the competition’s most decorated side, with a 33-19 win over Stirling Wolves on Friday night.

The win saw the Millbrae men take revenge for their defeat at the Wolves' hands in the Championship last October as Pat McArthur's men secured their third trophy - two Sprints and one Championship - of the Super Series' short life.

The Bulls looked to have victory all but tied up at the break after opening up a 21-0 interval advantage through tries by James Malcolm, Blair MacPherson and Calvin Henderson, all of them converted by fly-half Richie Simpson.

But the Wolves found new impetus in the second half and narrowed the gap with scores from Ruaridh Knott, Ross McKnight and Ryan Southern.

The Bulls, though, would not be denied, and two second half scores of their own made sure it would be the home side's champagne corks that would be popping on the final whistle.

 

Malcolm, who had run in four tries in the sides' previous encounter, opened the hosts' account from a rolling maul inside the first five minutes, with Macpherson crossing the line in similar circumstances to double the home team's advantage.

 

The Wolves got over that early double blow, and might have reduced the deficit had it not been for a Thomas Glendinning interception yards from the Bulls' line - and the hosts took full advantage of that narrow escape when tighthead prop Henderson bagged his first for the club on the stroke of half-time.

 

Stirling needed a lightning start after the break, and they got the score they needed in the first attack of the second half, with Knott breaking off from a rolling maul to slip through unscathed, Marcus Holden adding the extras.

But the hosts were determined not to waste all their hard work in the first half, and a turnover from Macpherson set up Mason Cullen for a 60-metre race to the line for the Bulls' fourth.

Towering winger Ross McKnight bagged the Wolves' second from a well-timed pass in the midfield by Holden, and an uncharacteristic calamity of errors from the Bulls gifted Stirling their third try of the night, Holden converting Southern's score to make it a one-score game for the first time since the opening minutes.

 

 

Macpherson saw what would have been his second score of the night disallowed for a double movement, and a knock-on dashed another big opportunity for the Bulls, but Stirling's hopes were dealt a hammer blow when replacement scrum half Eric Davey was shown a yellow card for a cynical infringement in the 68th minute.

And the one-man advantage left the door open for the home side to turn the screw in the closing stages, with a spell of heavy pressure inside the Wolves' 22 eventually allowing Simpson to offload for Shedden to put the result beyond doubt with the Bulls' fifth try, Simpson adding the extras to put the result beyond any doubt.

Grant Stewart, playing out of the position in the Bulls' back row, earned official FOSROC Player of the Match honours.

With the SRU issuing final confirmation the day before the match that the Super Series would indeed conclude at the end of the Sprint series, Ayr Rugby Club's first XV will fly the Millbrae flag in the Premiership in 2024-25, with their first match being at home to Currie Chieftains on Saturday, August 31.

They will join Ayrshire rivals Marr in the top flight, with the Troon side kicking off their campaign on the same day at home to Selkirk.