Forwards battle will be the key as clubs face off in National Cup
DAVID FERGUSON
GLASGOW Hawks are far from running scared of underdogs Edinburgh Accies ahead of this afternoon's National Cup final, but they are acutely aware that they need to display a great work-rate and run into every blade of Murrayfield grass if they are to halt Ian Barnes' men driving to a stunning double.

Accies have bulldozed their way to promotion from the Second Division and now find themselves on the verge of becoming the first club in Scotland to win the Scottish Cup, Shield and Bowl, having lifted the other titles in 2001 and 1996 respectively.

Coach Barnes was close before, but left Hawick after leading them to the Division One title in 2001 and they went on to record the double the following year with Greig Oliver at the helm.

Barnes' desire for a hard-grafting pack fits this Accies side, but it would be inaccurate to suggest they are all forwards and nothing else. The team has some talent in the back division, notably Kiwi Luke McCann, Paul Loudon, the Scotland Under-18 captain, and stand-off Gavin Douglas.

But, Barnes has drilled this side the way he did Hawick to realise the importance of a dominant forward platform, hard rucking and take-no-prisoners work at the breakdown.

Dan Teague, the Accies skipper, returned to Raeburn Place two years ago from Aberdeen Grammar School FP, where he enjoyed the side's rise among the big clubs under Damien Reidy, a straight-talking former front row from Australia. But Teague, a former Edinburgh Academy pupil, admitted: "The secret here is pure hard work. The training you put in here is a lot harder than anything I've experienced anywhere else.

"We never had such hard rucking drills with Damien as we do with Barney [Barnes]. We're constantly hitting pads and bags and I don't think any other team will hit more than we do. There is a lot of focus on the scrum, with long scrummaging sessions. Joe Edwards played New Zealand Maori standard and his coaching is amazing.

"Hawks are a class side so we can't give them any space; we have to close them down.We won't change our style - we'll do the hard work up front and get the go-forward, and, when the space is there, we will use it.

"If you look at successful teams, like Munster and Leicester, or Currie and Ayr in Division One, they put a lot of emphasis on playing it hard up front and we're showing that if you do that you can dominate."

That first scrum will be worth the admittance money alone today and the scrums and lineouts thereafter should be mouth-watering. However, it is not simply about the set-piece, but more who can tie in the most defenders and create space, and Accies' work-rate at the breakdown will need to be matched if Hawks are to flex their muscle and claim a third cup victory.

But the Glasgow side have their share of talent and Accies are unlikely to have met a team as formidable as this yet. Nick Cox, John Maclay and Gavin Mories relish front-row battles, Sandy Warnock is a skilful lock and the back row can run and fight.

In Kenny Sinclair and Mickey Adamson, Hawks have one of the best half-back pairings in the club game and more backs outside with professional experience.

David Wilson, the Hawks coach, admitted: "If we can get some sort of parity up front with these guys, then I'm hoping we will be able to play the style of rugby we enjoy.

"We have to make sure that, when we have our lineouts and scrummages, we're effective and, when they have the ball, we can get it off them PDQ so we can get into playing a bit more away from the tight areas they enjoy."

Tickets are available from a booth behind the West Stand, priced just £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.

Glasgow Hawks: M Strang; S Gordon, R Munday, S Duffy (capt), R Kerr; M Adamson, K Sinclair; N Cox, J Maclay, G Mories, A Dale, S Warnock, N Caddell, A Maclay, J Fitzpatrick. Subs: S Low, S Smith, R McKnight, G Francis, S Kidd, M Smith, G Macfadyen.

Edinburgh Accies: R Browne; J Howieson, I McCann, P Loudon, D Rattray; G Douglas, M Campbell; P Burns, J Edwards, A Marsh, N Pike, E Stuart, D Teague, G Campbell, J Parker. Subs: S Walker, D McLeod, E Stott, S Paterson, C Kilnoch, R Bonnar, L Niven.

This article was posted on 5-May-2007, 07:02 by Hugh Barrow.