Scotland on Sunday reports

Hawks in a flap but snatch the points with last-minute try

MARK ALLAN
AT MYRESIDE

WATSONIANS 25
GLAS HAWKS 28

IF GLASGOW Hawks need a new theme tune they should take the one from war movie "The Great Escape". After last week's shaky performance when they struggled to dispose of Aberdeen until the last gasp, they nearly let this nine-try thriller at Myreside slip away at the last minute as well. Leading 21-7 at half-time, Hawks were in control, but if they thought it was going to be cruise control, they were in for a shock.

Hawks' pack in the first half was superb and gave the visitors plenty of ball and control. But in the second half, with home coach and flanker Cammy Mather leading by example, the visiting backs found themselves under real pressure. Stand-off Murray Strang got little time on the ball and his team-mates were continually getting flustered.

In the dressing room afterwards, Hawks coach David Wilson told his players he was pleased to get five points but that the manner in which it was achieved was unacceptable.

"To lead 21-7 at half-time and then take our foot off the pedal in the second half and let Watsonians come back into it like that is just unacceptable," he said. "I thought the forwards in the first half were immense, but in the second half we started to struggle. Murray [Strang] was under so much pressure in the second-half he was getting isolated. There's plenty to work on."

Watsonians drew first blood just two minutes after the start with a cracking try from Jamie Blackwood after the scrum-half chased a Colin Gregor chip kick. Centre Bernie Hennessey converted but, 10 minutes later, the visitors were notching up the points with tries from Mike Adamson, two from their Australian full-back Graydon Staniforth and three conversions from Adamson.

But the visitors' pack went off the boil in the second half, and with the Hawks backs starved of ball, Watsonians took advantage to get back into contention. Centre Brian Rennie touched down not long after the interval and 10 minutes later Hennessey added a penalty after referee Andy Ireland penalised hawks for offside.

That made it 15-21 and so it remained for the next 20 minutes. Watsonians kept up the pressure and it paid off in the 72nd minute when No.8 Alex Baddeley barreled his way over from close range. With what appeared to be a bit of panic creeping into the Hawks ranks, a defensive error saw Rennie hack on a loose ball for Watsonians wing James Easton to chase and touch down and give the home side the lead for the first time in the game.

But, with just seconds remaining, a ruck on the home line saw the ball flashed along the Hawks back line to replacement lock Steve Begley, who crashed over. You could almost hear that war movie theme tune being whistled in the visitors' dressing room.

This article was posted on 11-Sep-2005, 07:45 by Hugh Barrow.