The Scotsman

DAVID KELSO

PETER Wright signed off as Glasgow Hawks head coach by asking officials to speed up the return of cross-border competition at club level.

Wright spoke out after his side finished their triumphant BT Premiership campaign with a clinical 22-10 win away to Aberdeen GSFP.

The national under-19 coach stressed that meaningful matches against teams from other countries is crucial in the development of young players. Talks are currently under way in an effort to launch a pre-season tournament featuring the champion clubs from Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Wright said: "This sort of thing can’t come quickly enough. Rugby is all about evolution and there is no doubt that cross-border games are the next stage."

Hawks produced one of their most slick displays of the season in Aberdeen, setting up tries for Steve Duffy, Mark Sitch and Matt Smith. Murray Strang completed the triumph with two conversions and a drop-goal. Dan Teague went over for Aberdeen’s consolation try, with skipper Rod Seib adding a conversion and penalty.

This article was posted on 9-May-2005, 06:32 by Hugh Barrow.