Glasgow Accies 46 Stewartry 3
New Anniesland
9th September 2006

Was it Harold Wilson who said a week is a long time in politics? It is also a long time in rugby as Accies proved with a sparkling performance that matched the glorious weather and the new paintwork on the clubhouse. After the stumbling and chaotic performance at Caithness last Saturday Accies were transformed into a cohesive and confident side prepared to run the ball into the wide spaces and create chances that their speedy backs were only too happy to take.
A week of hard work driven on by coach Chas Afuakwah and a belief that they could not afford to play as badly as they had in the previous two weeks were the main ingredients in the transformation.
The injury list is still as long as ever but the return of Stuart Smith on loan from Hawks, Andy Jackson, Scott Thorburn, Todd Cairns and several players returning to their normal playing positions made a huge difference.
How badly has Andy Jackson been missed in the past three years while he has been away in Bristol? He is a genuine No.7 who is totally in your face, first to every 50:50 ball and his tackle count is fantastic. He was voted Accies man of the match.
Stuart Smith playing his first game of the season got Accies off to a great start with a crunching tackle in the first minute that set the standard for the rest of the match.
Scott Thorburn proved his versatility as he started as a flanker and had to do duty as a prop when Fraser Cameron was yellow carded in the third quarter.
Todd Cairns had limited game time off the bench but the ex Murrayfield Wanderer will be a useful additional asset to the squad.
Accies, who are normally slow starters, got off to a flyer and shortly after the end of the first quarter the four tries bonus point was already in the bag. In the 12th minute Colin Tenant became the first scorer when he got the touchdown from a 15-metre drive. The second try was the result of dropped pass by Stewartry at midway that was picked up by Gareth Williams who put Stuart Smith away on a surging run to the corner. It was Stuart Smith, again, who scored the third try from a clever miss move that gave the big centre a chance to use his power and speed to break the defence for a try under the posts that Graeme Simpson converted to give Accies a 17-3 lead.
In the 23rd minute Andy Pogrel, back at No.8 after an experimental week propping, surged out of his own 22 into the opposite half before putting Craig Wright away. He got caught near the corner but good handling from the resulting ruck allowed prop forward Fraser Cameron to touch down almost unopposed. Graeme Simpson converted from near the touchline to make the scoreline 24-3 for Accies.
On a superb playing surface and on a beautiful Indian summer day it was inevitable that Mike Hermes would get in on the act. He did and his blistering pace and power contributed to him scoring the next three tries. The first from a clever dummy by Gareth Williams and a well-timed pass to the winger put him in from 30 metres.
Again Simpson converted. The next from his own 22 the result of a clever long pass from Stuart Smith was the last score in first half that ended with Accies leading 36-3.
Accies had dominated the half from start to finish and all Stewartry had to show for their endeavour was a solitary penalty goal.
The second half was a different matter as Stewartry came right back into the game and territorially certainly had the advantage. However they were unable to break down a stuffy Accies defence but they have to be congratulated on not getting their heads down.
Accies only scored two tries in the half, the first in the 65th minute when Ali McLaren, on for the injured Stuart Smith, collected a long ball deep in his own half and ran it wide from left to right to link up with Mike Hermes. He simply turned on the after burners and ran in from 40 metres for an unconverted try close to the posts.
The final score came direct from a 5-metre scrum when No. 8 Andy Pogrel picked up and passed to scrum half Alan Wilson who nipped over for a simple score to close the match at 46-3 to Accies.
Accies can be well pleased with this result but there should be no room for complacency. They lost the initiative in the second half because of the resurgence of the opposition, the yellow card and three injury changes that left players out of position. Perhaps, also, because they thought that the game was won and why spoils a nice day with too much effort. Other sides may not give them this chance.
However that is for another day and they have to be congratulated on giving the crowd a good game to watch and a highly encouraging performance.
On a final note referee Neil Wood also has to be thanked for a very competent demonstration on how to keep a game of rugby good to watch.

This article was posted on 10-Sep-2006, 07:52 by Hugh Barrow.