EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS

Muir coach: Ref was not up to it

BILL LOTHIAN
AT ANNIESLAND


Glasgow Hawks 27
Boroughmuir 20

BOROUGHMUIR coach Bruce Reekie today launched a scathing attack on referee Ian Heard, claiming a controversial penalty try cost his side a key morale-boosting victory at champions Glasgow Hawks.

Just a fortnight before a showpiece Scottish Cup Final appearance ’Muir suffered a 27-20 BT Premiership defeat which wrecked hopes of a fillip.

Reekie was in no doubt it could have been so different had the official not proved whistle-happy in the 61st minute. At that point, ’Muir had clawed their way back from 3-20 to trail by only eight points.

Referring to the scrum incident when ’Muir were accused of deliberately going offside, Reekie said: "How could the referee award an automatic penalty try without first ordering the scrum to be re-set?

It all hinged on a very quick decision which had a massive bearing. As the scrum disintegrated our players expected it to be re-set but the referee then gave the penalty try and didn’t even show anybody a yellow card which was inconsistent.

"That award had a massive bearing since the score was against the run of play. A penalty try was a cheap way to win a game and I am sure we would have gone on to win instead."

Reekie’s condemnation did not end there - he also attacked the match official for failing to deal sternly enough with Hawks’ ball-killing to the extent of putting them in the sin-bin.

This criticism came despite ’Muir full back James Reilly landing five penalties out of five to punish home offences before his only miss came with a late conversion attempt.

"I was amazed more action wasn’t taken by the referee. How many penalties were we to get before a card could be shown? I think his decisions were incredible," said Reekie.

Undoubtedly there will be sympathy with Reekie, notably the indecent haste with which referee Heard acted in awarding that penalty try which separated the sides and which arose at a time when the visitors had real momentum.

Here, supporters of the match official will claim with a degree of justification, he showed strength by acting decisively. On the other hand, what is impossible to ignore is the way traditional clubs are also suffering through SRU policies in terms of building a super-team tier above what should be the bread-and-butter level, as it means top refs are too often elsewhere in places like Limerick, Llanelli and Leinster.

Not only are top players withdrawn but also leading referees are moved upwards to inter-Celtic level.

Inevitably, long-suffering domestic standards have to take it on the chin and this tussle offered another example. Top versus third in the Scottish League should merit the most decorated whistlers.

A patch-up refereeing job was possibly the case at Anniesland where the words of a former super-team official a few hours before kick-off continued to reverberate in terms of the continuing treading water of the whole Scottish rugby scene until further necessary steps are taken.

Jim McKenzie, one-time chief executive of Edinburgh Rugby, said that good times would not roll again until the pyramid structure was established so that clubs had ownership of the professional tier.

Before this happens, things have to change at the Scottish Rugby Union.

A policy of giving clubs licence to run the pro-game with their investors, he claimed, would create more of a sense of belonging in the sense that everyone was contributing from grassroots upwards rather than feeling dumped upon which is the root of much discontent.

What could be added is that the SRU would be freed to act in a manner more befitting a governing body in organising the entire game (and from a more cash rich position through no longer shunning outside investment lest it harms blazers’ obsessive desire for control inappropriate in a pro sport) rather than effectively using their centrally-run outfits to compete against constituent parts, i.e. the clubs.

If a solution to long-running problems is beginning to emerge then for ’Muir to be top dogs in any Promised Land will require them to pull socks up compared to the Anniesland woe.

Sure, coach Reekie was correct to point to cameo performances such as from winger Robert Cairns - "considering he is a year out of school his defensive display was tremendous with a late try fitting reward for him," said Reekie - as worthy contributors, but overall ’Muir lacked sharpness and consistency.

Here Stuart Waddell showed glowing touches that would enable him to be a match winner on Cup Final day as a stepping stone to who knows what loftier honours - but only when the second row wasn’t drifting out of play for elephantine periods.

Similarly posted missing, crucially, were back-rowers starting when home No.8 Mark Sitch was permitted acres of space as when he picked up at the scrum base to put defenders on the back foot for Kenny Sinclair to cruise through for the first of three home tries.

Added to Murray Strang’s first leg of a penalty double - he also converted a further try from centre Ally Maclay - that left ’Muir looking up a significant incline.

In the event there was no way back for a side inclined to weave plenty of patterns on the drying pitch without ever showing sufficient cutting edge until Cairns’ touchdown proved too little, too late. Of course, had they been able to avoid the penalty-try decision as ought to have been the case in trigger happy refereeing circumstances ’Muir might have done more than finish as only the third team in 11 visits to the champions this season to extract at least a bonus point for finishing within a single score.

And that increment is at least comfort for it leaves them knowing that even a draw in Saturday’s concluding league match at home to Melrose will enable them to thwart these Borderers for third place.

That is some achievement in a season dominated by building work at their Meggetland ground and all the upheaval that entails.

But the overall message is that as the clock runs down to ’Muir’s fourth Scottish Cup Final appearance adding to their two previous wins will only be achieved through an elimination of the turn-over possession costing them dear when giant-killers, Dundee High FPs, have to be overcome.

Glasgow Hawks: M Adamson; S Gordon, A Maclay, S Duffy, C Shaw,(captain); M Strang, K Sinclair; J Malakoty, E Milligan, P Dalton, S Begley, R Maxton, G Francis, M Sitch, N McKenzie. Subs: M Smith, A Warnock, S Forrest, S Low (all used).

Boroughmuir: J Reilly; R Cairns, S Ruddick, G Kiddie, D Brown; A Hadden, C Cusiter; R Mathieson, D Cunningham, F Lait, S Waddell, G McCallum, C Capaldi, B Fisher, A Martyn (captain). Subs: J Cox, R Muir, K Brown (all used), M Brown (not used).

Referee: Mr I Heard (Gala).

Scorers: Glasgow Hawks: Tries - Sinclair, Maclay, penalty try. Conversions - Strang (3). Penalties - Strang (2). Boroughmuir: Try - Cairns. Penalties - Reilly (5).

This article was posted on 18-Apr-2005, 11:48 by Hugh Barrow.