It was far from pretty but the Reivers scrapped for their lives at Netherdale last night, leaving Edinburgh's coach to issue a clear warning to his men that such performances could prove career-threatening to them.

"Take nothing away from the Borders, they looked like a side fighting for their existence, but the disappointing thing for me was the quality of players we have out there who didn't produce a game," said Lynn Howells. "There's been a lot of talk about keeping players here, but maybe we should be looking the other way."

Yet Steve Bates, his Reivers counterpart, was entitled to be as proud as he was at having watched his side respond to the ongoing threat to their jobs in claiming only their second Magners League win of the season and he felt they had reinforced their case for survival.

"There's always great rivalry among the three teams. It brings out the best in players. That's why it's so important we have three teams," he said.

"It would be really sad if you only got four games like that a season in Scotland. We need players out there fighting for places in the national side."

While that has always been a powerful rugby argument, the business case is another story, particularly as regards the team's location. Bates said the decision-makers should be looking at what is unattractive about Scottish professional rugby across the board, and there is some merit in that. However, it remains the case that at no time since the Reivers were reintroduced has their supposedly rugby-mad public got behind the side.

With this match set against a background of a key SRU board meeting having taken place, this was their supporters' opportunity to make a statement about their feelings on whether their side should have a future.

It seemed they pretty much did so, the temporary stand opposite the Netherdale clubhouse containing only a smattering of supporters by kick-off and the main stand far from full, leaving the official attendance for this derby at only 1444. Indeed there seemed to be almost as many over the fence watching Gala Fairydean, admittedly including John Collins playing against Hibernian's Under-19s.

Duncan Hodge opened the scoring with his only kickable penalty chance, whereas the Reivers went unrewarded for having enough of the game to set up three opportunities for Garry Law, the winger pushing two wide and hitting a post with a third.

With the influential Ben MacDougall having had to go off just eight minutes into the game, while his replacement Brendon Daniel also went off with a hamstring injury before the break, that might have caused heads to go down.

However, Steve Jones, who replaced Daniel, took over the kicking duties to level before the interval with a simple chance from under the posts.

After that turgid first half the Reivers began the second as they had been expected to start the match and lifted proceedings with a delightful try.

Bruce Douglas initiated it, the prop first driving powerfully then producing a stylish behind-the-back flip to fellow front-row man Ross Ford as ground was made on the right, and when it was shifted left, Bryan Rennie showed strength and vision to offload brilliantly and put Law in on the left.

Jones converted from out wide, but the replacement's luck turned when he was rather unluckily to be sin-binned, apparently for being blatantly offside. Referee Neil Paterson had put himself under pressure with that decision and, with the crowd on his back, felt forced to show the yellow card to Matt Mustchin when he entered a ruck illegally soon after.

If his decision was intended to calm players down, with things admittedly having got a bit fractious, it certainly achieved its aim, taking much of the steam out of the match, although the Reivers still had the upper hand.

It looked as if Edinburgh were going to get back on terms late in the half when Marcus Di Rollo burst through deep inside the 22, but his attempt to wrongfoot the defence backfired and he ran directly into the arms of his international team-mate Chris Cusiter.

Their last chance then went abegging when Dougie Hall, who had endured a difficult night, threw the ball in squint at a lineout 10 metres out.