HAWKS 16 HERIOTS 13


Scotland on Sunday
Sun 27 Mar 2005

Heriot's can't halt Hawks

IAIN MORRISON
AT GOLDENACRE

HERIOT’S 13
GLASGOW HAWKS 16

HAWKS couldn’t secure the title here yesterday but their win means they require only three points from their last four matches to guarantee their second championship in as many years. They will want to secure them next week against Hawick at Mansfield Park.

When these two teams last met early this season in Glasgow, Heriot’s ran in five tries to one to boost their title aspirations and dent Hawks hopes. This re-match sadly failed to live up those expectations as both sides tried, but largely failed, to come to terms with a wet ball and cold hands in the miserable conditions.

Hawks won but they won ugly, and they did so with little to spare because in normal circumstances Heriot’s would have kicked a late penalty for the draw they richly deserved.

A healthy crowd braved the damp murk that enveloped Goldenacre and saw the home team race into a 6-0 lead with two early penalties from stand-off Greg Rutherford. The bite in their tackles rattled the visitors, especially when they came from skipper Jamie Syme. Hawks, in turn, chose to test each other’s handling skills by throwing some absurd passes into thin air.

There was a fascinating duel of contrasting styles at outside centre where the power of Ally MacLay was up against the more subtle arts of Scotland U21 midfielder Nick De Luca. The Hawks man loosened his opponent’s fillings early on in proceedings and, for this reason or some other, De Luca was uncharacteristically quiet.

Hawks’ experiment of playing Mike Adamson at fullback was not an unqualified success, although he did pick one line in the second half that left the home defence clutching at shadows. The little man, more accustomed to donning the No.10 shirt, tried to play too much rugby too early on in the proceedings and it almost proved fatal.

He had missed one high ball, found touch on the full and thrown possession away, when he lost another ball, forcing a pass that was never on. Heriot’s won the turnover on the opposition twenty-two and when the ball went to the blindside five attackers were met by just two defenders and centre Andrew Olsen waltzed through the gap without breaking sweat. Rutherford slotted the tricky conversion and Hawks were staring at a 13-0 deficit.

It might have been even greater had Marc Teague not dropped the ball twice, once on each side of the pitch, with an overlap begging. The Heriot’s winger did get the ball across the line a little later, only to be pulled back for a previous foul by his wing colleague Andrew Wilson.

But the visitors were slowly waking up and, if not smelling the coffee, then at least sensing a weakness of Wilson under the high ball. The Heriot’s winger threw one high ball into touch and when he spilled a second Garry Owen he was substituted, but not before the visitors had scored two tries.

Hawks skipper Eric Milligan was brave enough to ignore an easy three points and kicked to the corner. This time the old catch-and-drive paid dividends with Steve Begley barging over in the corner. Not long later, Iain Monaghan took a quick tap penalty that resulted in prop Peter Dalton barging over from short range for a well-deserved try. Hawks had narrowed the gap to just three points before the break and, more importantly, they finished the half much the stronger.

There was a break in proceedings while Hawks winger Stevie Gordon was carted off on a stretcher, although thankfully this injury is not as serious as was originally feared.

When play resumed, Murray Strang made a neat break and with only the fullback to beat he kicked ahead and chased. Heriot’s Ian Wilson went shoulder to shoulder with him, but as the Hawks man inched ahead the little scrumhalf couldn’t resist hauling him back by the shoulder. Hawks levelled from the penalty and the home side was reduced to 14 as Wilson rightly took a trip to the sin bin.

Heriot’s did well to hold out with 14 men, only to concede a penalty under the posts not 30 seconds after being restored to full strength, with Syme the guilty man.

Strang duly kicked his side into the lead for the first time early in the final quarter with what proved to be the last points of the match, whereupon they turned the screw.

Another rolling maul was held up over the line and, had Teague not come out of the defensive line to poleaxe Adamson, Hawks would have surely extended their lead.

Heriot’s had their chances, largely through the same winger. Teague dropped an interception that had opened up the entire field and when the same man picked a clever angle to round Wes Henry, he only had the fullback to beat to grab what would surely have been the winning score. But the diminutive Adamson tackles above his weight and he held firm until the cavalry arrived.

"That tackle personifies the sort of spirit that this team has," declared Hawks’ coach Peter Wright after the final whistle. "We have tried to give our guys a good, simple game plan, because if you don’t know what you are doing after third or fourth phase how can the opposition? We have given the players a much bigger say in things that we do last, and they have responded really well."

As the clock wound down Heriot’s threw everything at the league champions, even eschewing the draw in favour of an attacking lineout, in an attempt to prolong the inevitable, but every effort proved fruitless.

No one at Hawks is celebrating yet, but the title is headed west for the second year in succession as sure as Peter Wright is headed out the door to coach Scotland U18s on a full-time basis. He will prove a difficult act to follow.

Heriot’s: A Wilson (R Ebdy, 38); M Teague, N De Luca, A Olsen, C Keenan; G Rutherford, I Wilson; M Welch, N Meikle (S Mustard, 75), G Talac, A McIntosh (I Nimmo, 65), J Osbourne, J Syme, P Eccles, C Harrison.

Glasgow Hawks: M Adamson; S Gordon (S Low, 45), A MacLay, S Duffy, W Henry; M Strang, I Monaghan (R McKnight, 60); E Milligan, F Thomson, P Dalton, S Begley (S Forrest 60), R Maxton, G Francis, N McKenzie, M Sitch.

Referee: David Changleng (Gala)

Scorers: Heriot’s - Try: Olsen. Conv: Rutherford. Pen: Rutherford (2). Hawks - Try: Begley, Dalton. Pen: Strang (2).

This article was originally posted on 26-Mar-2005, 19:14 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 27-Mar-2005, 08:43.