MacEwan Curries favour to win
BILL LOTHIAN ([email protected])
Currie 51 - 26 Glasgow Hawks
STEVE MacEWAN is again putting his best foot forward for a Currie rugby club who launched their defence of the Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership with a thumping 51-26 win over Glasgow Hawks at Malleny Park.

But just a few months ago the 6ft 3in and 21st 10lb prop forward feared his career might be over - and that would have been the least of his worries.

While some in Scottish rugby yearn to turn back the clock to the purely amateur era MacEwan is delighted to be living in the present day otherwise he could have suffered a leg amputation as a consequence of an injury sustained during Currie's glory march to the title.

Explained MacEwan, as he savoured a nine tries to four victory: "Just before we won the title I sustained a blood clot on my leg which then became infected.

"After a week of watching the wound become more aggravated, slowly realising that antibiotics weren't working, I returned to the doctor who booked me in for immediate surgery.

"The doc's diagnosis was that I was in imminent risk of a heart attack or stroke and, as for playing rugby again, I was told that a few years beforehand I'd have had my leg taken off below the knee."

For MacEwan it is a question of making up for lost time as he pursues his dream of bringing further honour to one of Scotland's most distinguished rugby families. Best known member is Uncle Nairn who both captained and coached Scotland while dad, Gus, was another of three rugby playing brothers who was a one-time stalwart at Glenrothes.

As he closes in on his 30th birthday next month Steve knows his chances of making the professional ranks have gone but Scotland amateur team status perhaps might have been already attained but for an injury jinx he now hopes has moved on.

"All I really ask for is an injury-free run having been included in the Scottish amateur squad for the past two seasons only for knocks to rule me out. It seems the jinx has followed me from the time I was at Kirkcaldy and played for six weeks on a broken ankle before suspecting something might be seriously wrong! If Currie maintain the form showed against Hawks, though, then everybody can benefit including when it comes to selecting the amateur international squad.

"Hopefully we have sent out a message with this opening win and I know my target over the next few weeks is to lose at least a stone so that I'm feeling as good as I was just before picking up the leg infection last season."

What was particularly heartening for full back Andy Muir when claiming two of the nine Currie tries was that a win was achieved against a side expected to be among the Malleny Park side's closest challengers, while still leaving scope for improvement. Said Muir, whose brace was his first since an 88-17 thrashing of Boroughmuir last season: "We had to pick ourselves off the floor at 0-14 but even as we re-grouped behind the posts there was plenty of talk about refusing to panic and just believing in ourselves.

"That was what we did with a good example being set by hooker Scott Burnett and his string of effective tackles."

If there is one area that Currie urgently need to address it is goal-kicking. Only three of their tries were converted - the scoreboard showed 49-26 but this was corrected by ref John Steele afterwards - and on another day that could have been costly.

Coach Ally Donaldson, while praising his side's commitment not just on the field but throughout the build-up, revealed that a solution was in the pipeline while refusing to name names until a registration document is completed. "Thanks to our former Kiwi centre Gary Millington we have lined-up an overseas player currently living in England who could be with us by the time we visit Dundee High next week," said Donaldson. Where Currie have also been active is in recruiting a muscular stand off in Andrew Binikos from South Africa while utility forward Michael Fitzgerald slotted in so well on his arrival from Wanganui, where he represents the province in New Zealand domestic competition, that he claimed the last two tries from off the bench.

Donaldson added: "What really encourages me is that Fitzgerald is only 20 and when it is noted that guys like Steve Burton is 19, James Taggart is 21 as is Scott Burnett, and Ross Weston something of an old head at 23, there is a lot of talent still to be fully developed."

Indeed, Hawks coach David Wilson acknowledged that Currie will again be the team to beat, saying: "Credit Currie for having more intensity in the tackle and urgency to the breakdown." If Hawks were below par due partly to a welter of withdrawals then Wilson insisted they had still been given a wake up call by opponents whose summer break had been put to good use.

"We tackled poorly and I didn't think Currie produced anything that was mind-blowingly different. But they were organised in defence and sharp in the way they used their runners.

On top of that they moved the target well in attack and we struggled to cope. Good sides are going to punish us if we tackle like that - and Currie did."

There was little hint of the one-sided nature of proceedings as Hawks took advantage of two interceptions among their first three tries by Rhuaridh Jackson, Sean Murray and a penalty touchdown when Stuart Smith was high-tackled to trail just 21-22 after 57 minutes.

Earlier Geoff Caldwell, Andrew Reekie, Andy Muir and James Taggart had not only helped Currie recover those initial setbacks but bag a four-try bonus point.

The penalty try against them had the effect of igniting Currie and in a powerhouse finish Burnett, Muir, Andy Adam and Fitzgerald (2) all crossed before Gavin Mories had a vital consolation for Hawks since it provided a bonus to show for their efforts. That a team expected to be thereabouts next Spring should have been shown such charity clearly touched a nerve at Currie where ruthlessness is now a by-word.

"I just hope that point isn't made to count against us one day," said Donaldson.

A man like Donaldson, though, didn't win Scotland's 'coach of 2006-7' award without knowing how to use such a scenarios positively.

Donaldson will undoubtedly use it to reinforce the need for sustained excellence but for all that he tried to play down the dream start awareness of the bigger picture betrayed the fact he knows that on this form Currie can go all the way.

Scorers: Currie: Tries: Muir (2), Fitzgerald (2), Caldwell, Burnett, Adam, Taggart, Reekie. Conversions: Snedden (2), Muir. Glasgow Hawks: Tries: Murray, Malcolm, Jackson, Penalty try. Conversions: Jackson (3).

Currie: A Muir, G Caldwell, A MacMahon, A Easson, K McShane, A Binikos, R Snedden, J Cox, S Burnett, S MacEwan, A Adam (captain), L Lappin, S Burton, R Weston, J Taggart. Subs: M Fitzgerald, A Reekie, A Johnston, A Hutt, M Cairns.

Glasgow Hawks: R Kerr, S Dunk, S Smith, G MacDonald, S Murray, R Jackson, K Sinclair, G Strain, J Maclay, G Macfadyen, A Dale, R Gray, M Sitch (captain) G Strang, J Fitzpatrick. Subs: D Malcolm, G Mories, S Low, I Noble.

This article was posted on 3-Sep-2007, 12:10 by Hugh Barrow.