Edinburgh University started this game sitting third in the league but were completely blown away in an astonishing first 15 minutes during which time East Kilbride registered two converted tries and two penalties to establish a 20 point lead.

With the injury situation improving weekly, East Kilbride were able to select from a position of strength. Grant Frogley made his first start in almost two years following a period building golf courses in Sweden and Ireland, while Gareth Jones was promoted from the bench to improve the line-out options.

Grant Seymour was brought into midfield following a lengthy recuperation from knee surgery and freed from his SRU suspension Callum Simpson resumed at full-back.

A Scott Dalgleish penalty put EK ahead in the first minute before Sandy Bruce picked up the opening try shortly after. Dalgleish put over another penalty on eight minutes before Raikiwasa and Bruce combined to open the field for Simpson to score, leaving EK 20-0 ahead and their visitors shell-shocked.

Further scores in the half from Dennis Aitken and Chris McLellan saw EK 37-3 up at the break, and Simpson, Fraser Stott and Nathan Ross closed out proceedings in the second period.

The key to the win was the complete domination of the home side at the scrummage, where they shunted the students all over the park. Make no mistake though, this advantage was not down to a physical mismatch for, if anything, the Irish and English medical students were larger. Rather, it was the technique of the home front row, testament to hours spent on the beastly scrum machine, which made the difference.

Behind them, number eight Sandy Bruce was sensational, with his work rate belying his appearing straight from an 18-hour nightshift. The backs were slick with ball in hand, and the midfield pairing of Raikiwasa and Gilmour ran all the right lines in attack.

Critical, though, was the performance of Scott Dalgleish at stand-off.
In addition to the superb hands one would expect of a former Scotland under-19 cricket captain, the Auldhouse boy also kicks the leather off the ball and when in doubt on Saturday he put it high and the students could not cope.

This Saturday, EK travel to Berwick, a ground where they have not won in over 15 years, but if they are able to carry over this week’s performance then the hoodoo may be about to end.

TEAM: McLellan, Anderson, Frogley, A Dalgleish, Jones, Aitken, F Ferguson, Bruce, Stott, S Dalgleish, MacDonald, Raikiwasa, Seymour, Ross, Simpson. Replacements: D Rosie, Timmons, B Blackwood.