The Herald reports

Currie 51 - 26 Glasgow HawksSTUART McALLISTER September 03 2007
CommentJust about the perfect season opener for the reigning champions. Currie saw off a side likely to be among their main title challengers, ran in nine tries thanks to a confidence-boosting finale and showed the forward power and devastating tackling that can be the foundation of a trophy defence.

But at the same time there was enough wrong to make sure there is no chance of anybody getting carried away.

"I know that Hawks had a tough week, with a lot of guys calling off," said Ally Donaldson, the victorious Currie coach afterwards. "They will still be in the hunt at the end of the season. For us it is a great start but a lot of other clubs probably had a great start as well, and we are determined to take it one step at a time."

The main glimmer of hope for Currie's title rivals was their woeful goalkicking, also leading to one of the post-match controversies with the match officials reporting three out of the nine tries had been converted, while the scoreboard and most people in the ground counted only two kicks going over. It was a good hour after the game before the winning score was confirmed.

If others believe that may be a weakness they can exploit, Donaldson has the answer in store with an unnamed utility back and kicker due to arrive next week from London.

Glasgow Hawks had hauled themselves back into the match with a penalty try after a swinging arm from Andy MacMahon, the Currie centre, cut down Stu Smith. They had taken a 14-point lead by capitalising on two first-quarter interceptions but then lost it to tries by Geoff Caldwell, Andy Muir, James Taggart - the first conversion - and Andy Reekie.

That left only a point separating the sides as they went into the final quarter, but any hint of a real contest were soon dashed when Scott Burnett was sent racing to the post for try No.5 and conversion No.2. Minutes later Muir went over after Caldwell had made the running and though the conversion seemed to hit the post and bounce wide, it appears to have been given.

With Rory Kerr, the Hawks full back, also being sin-binned for a late tackle on Caldwell, that ended the contest. Andy Adam extended the lead before Michael Fitzgerald, his 20-year-old lock partner, crossed twice and Hawks claimed a try bonus with Gavin Mories touching down in the game's last move.

"Their greater physicality, their urgency at the breakdown blew us away," said David Wilson, the Hawks coach. "I said to the guys afterwards, that is the reality of it. If we think that we have a God-given right to turn up and just because we have a couple of big guys in the side it will happen, then there is a lesson to be learned.

"I don't think Currie did anything new or mind-blowingly difficult, but what they did well was have the defence organised, they were focused and they were quick. They used their runners well and moved the targets around. The result was that we struggled to cope and when that happens you are going to give away tries."

This article was originally posted on 2-Sep-2007, 22:20 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 2-Sep-2007, 22:23.