COLIN GREGOR'S 20-POINT HAUL
Posted: 06/Oct/06

Glasgow Warriors had an unusual experience this evening in beating Border Reivers 25-0 at Hughenden. It was their first shut-out in any competition since the 35-0 win against Connacht at the same ground nearly two years ago.

In another way, too, it was a strange contest. Glasgow had good reason to wonder at why they could score no more than one try in such a substantial haul of points. Conversely, though, the Borders have every right to be disappointed at having a zero against their name on the scoreboard.

As Sean Lineen, Glasgow’s coach, remarked after the game, the one real positive to take from the match was that it was a win. The contest was a “must win” for both teams, resting as they were at the foot of the Magners League table. “It will give the guys a lot of confidence,” the coach commented.

Colin Gregor scored all but five of Warriors’ points. The stand-off, the official man of the match, had a 100% strike-rate in kicking six penalty goals and converting a Thom Evans try from tight on the left touchline. Evans might have had another when, right at the end of the contest, a long pass from Dan Parks seemed to have put the wing clear on the left, but the referee ruled it was forward.

Before this evening Glasgow had had only one league win in five games. That was against Munster at Hughenden three weeks ago, and victory tonight edged them up over of the European champions, who lost away to Leinster in Dublin.

Borders had the early pressure at Hughenden, but when Glasgow raised that brief siege they provided Gregor with the position for his first penalty goal, with Reivers offside just outwith their 22 and 15 metres in from the left touchline after four minutes. It was from only slightly farther out that the stand-off kicked his second goal eight minutes later.

To lead 6-0 so soon settled Glasgow, and they were provided with a further advantage when Andy Miller was sin-binned for apparently stamping at a ruck. But they gained from that was another offside penalty goal after Gregor and Graeme Morrison had played the prelude to percussion hammering on the Border goal-line.

Even when under pressure themselves, Glasgow kept their composure and plugged the gaps, conceding only one penalty within kickable range. Chris Cusiter took a quick tap there, but the threat was snuffed out.

Just as the first half was drawing to a close Evans intruded a pace off the blind side to spark a thrust that Morrison and Hefin O’Hare continued into the Border 22. From quick recycling and Gregor’s long pass to the left John Barclay chipped through to the corner. Flankers are not known for such footwork, but his was so precise that Evans could scoop the ball up at full tilt and dive over in the corner.

It was to be the stand-off’s most difficult kick of the evening. But he converted, and Glasgow took a 16-point lead into the interval.

Gregor added two more penalty goals in the five minutes after the interval. O’Hare set up the position for the first of those; Andy Newman, Barclay, and Evans were the key figures in the lead-up to the second.

When Stephen Jones was sin-binned for apparently killing the ball Gregor kicked his seventh goal, and Glasgow led by 25 points with more than quarter of the game still to play. But Warriors made nothing of that numerical advantage.

For a spell, too, Glasgow were again under the cosh as Borders, enthusiastically prompted by the lively Chris Cusiter, tried to break their duck. But, as in the opening phase of the contest, everyone on the Glasgow team, scenting a shut-out, had a voracious hunger in hunting the tackle. In addition, Borders’ finishing was poor, with at least five key passes going awry.

Glasgow eventually broke out of that pressure, and a second try for Evans would have been a sweetener to finish the meal. But it was not to be. That forward pass perhaps summed up how the game had been for Warriors.

Glasgow Warriors – Rory Lamont; Hefin O’Hare, Graeme Morrison, Andy Henderson, Thom Evans; Colin Gregor, Graeme Beveridge; Justin Va’a, Fergus Thomson, Euan Murray, Andy Newman, Al Kellock (captain), Andrew Wilson, John Beattie, John Barclay. Substitutes – Donnie Macfadyen for Wilson (48 minutes), Sam Pinder for Beveridge (53), Scott Lawson for Thomson (53), Dan Parks for Lamont (61), Scott Barrow for Henderson (64), Kevin Tkachuk for Va’a (67), Dan Turner for Newman (77).
Try, Evans; conversion, Gregor; penalty goals, Gregor (6).

Border Reivers – Calum MacRae; Simon Danielli, Nick De Luca, Garry Law, Mark Robertson; Steve Jones, Chris Cusiter (captain); Gavin Kerr, Ross Ford, Bruce Douglas, Craig Hamilton, Opeta Palepoi, Ross Beattie, Kelly Brown, Andy Miller. Substitutes – John Dalziel for Palepoi (38-40), Scott Gray for Miller (51), Ed Kalman for Douglas (67), Scott Newlands for Beattie (67). Not used – Steve Scott, Brendan McKerchar, Gregor Townsend.

Referee – Peter Allan (Watsonians).

Man of the match – Colin Gregor.

Official attendance – 1967.

This article was posted on 6-Oct-2006, 22:10 by Hugh Barrow.