The Hardens pitch had been frozen solid all week but a thaw in the 36 hours leading up to the match allowed the game to go ahead. The pitch was in remarkably good nick, considering that only two weeks previously it had been ground into a puree during the match against Lismore.

Duns kicked off down the slope and started the game like a house on fire. Three or four phases of play, good continuity and great handling first one way and then the other across the park eventually created a gap for scrum half Danny Lamb to cross for the opening try. Dale Robertson kicked the conversion.

This early setback seemed to shake Northern out of their early torpor and their defence tightened up very impressively.

Duns threw the kichen sink at their visitors, but they repelled all attacks until midway through the half. The home side once again retained possession through several phases of play, content to wait for a gap to appear in the defensive line. When it eventually appeared, Richard Burns was on hand to accept the scoring pass and he crossed for his second try of the season. Robertson kicked conversion number two.

Only three minutes later, Duns ran half the length of the park as the Northern tacklers were posted missing. Dale Robertson dummied to pass to the man outside him, but stepped inside his opposite number and ran in unopposed for try number three. His own conversion attempt failed, but he was successful with a penalty attempt on the stroke of half time which extended his side's advantage to 22 points.

The standard of play dropped alarmingly in the second half. Duns were able to absorb all that Edinburgh Northern threw at them and as the bench emptied and the changes were rung a lot of continuity seemed to go from the home team's play.

Scott McCraw made a welcome return from a long-term injury for the final 15 minutes or so and James Thorburn also deserves a mention for driving up from London on the morning of the match.

There was no addition to the score for either side in a largely forgettable second period and Duns progress safely to the last four of the East section of the competition.

There they will be joined by North Berwick, Hawick Harlequins and either Earlston or Dunbar, who play their delayed match on February 27.

The Duns team was: Dougal Affleck; David Hutchison, Dale Robertson, Kevin Aitchison and Jamie Renton (captain); Ged Lamb and Danny Lamb; Allen Whellans, Cammy Hill, Barry Hamilton, James Weir, Jacobus van Wyk, Richard Burns, Stuart Blyth and Stuart Davies. The replacements were Scott Lindsay, Chris Archer, James Murphy, James Thorburn, Scott McCraw, Darren Renton and Andrew Anderson.

There is no match for Duns this weekend, so most of the First XV are heading off to Cardiff to support Scotland against Wales in the Six Nations Championship.

The next First XV match is against Dunbar, at home, on February 20.
Dunbar played Lismore in a league and cup double-header on Saturday and their win lifts them above Duns in the table, so there is an added incentive to maintain the winning streak against the East Lothian men.