You would think that after taking a pounding from Watsonians two weeks previous, the Magic 2s would be short of confidence going into their opening league fixture against reigning champions Glasgow Hawks. This was evidently not the case as from the moment the squad set foot on the pitch to begin their warm-up you could sense that the intensity was already there. The coaching staff and captain called for lots of noise and communication from the young troops and this was supplied in abundance.

A focussed team took to the field confident that we could beat the reigning champions, as we did twice last year. Hawks fielded a youthfull and much changed side from last season, although 'Muir would never under estimate their opponents. Rustiness from both teams was inevitable, but it was 'Muir who made the more notable early mistakes. Within the first 20 minutes Hawks
punished 'Muir twice for poor communication in the backline as Hawks preyed on our mistakes.

Experience called for heads not to go down as we knew we had the beating of a young Hawks pack. From 14-0 down we clawed our way back into the game with a Greig Scott try late in the first half. Grieg Scott appears to be using his considerable bulk more effectively this season and I'm glad he's on our side! The feeling in the 'Muir ranks was that if mistakes were eliminated Hawks wouldn't trouble our try line. This proved to be the case as we turned 17-5 down at half time.

The second half was a very enjoyable 40 minutes of rugby. Some outstanding performances were given and without highlighting individuals, the back row had an immense impact on the outcome. Not to be overlooked the front five were also firing on all cylinders with the youthfull players really stepping up to the plate. In the backs, there was a well-controlled performance from
young stand-off Craig Marshall, moving the ball when it was on and putting Hawks under pressure will long, probing tactical kicks when necessary.

New caps', the Ihmig brothers, also had strong debuts with the Herminator 'racing' into the corner from quickly recycled ball to seal victory with Muirs fifth and final try. Muir's second try came from an outstanding effort from Sam Paulo, who raced in from 40 metres from a quick counter attack started by the back 3. Sam was fairly pleased with his effort and being a Merchy boy found it necessary to apologise to the referee for his football 'esque celebration.

Greig Scott had also added a second try to his tally shortly thereafter. Much debate surrounds the scorer of the penultimate try. Personally I think Greig Scott bagged a hat-trick but Greig, in a valiant attempt to avoid buying a jug, was charitable enough to
concede it was a forwards effort and sought to hand it to anyone else who was in the vicinity (Peter Knight).

A great win for the 2nd XV and this now focusses us on the job at hand. We know we are good enough but we also know we're got a long hard season ahead with difficult trips to Hawick, Melrose and new boys Jedforest lying in wait. Whilst this was a great win, the squad's feet remain firmly on the ground as this was against an inexperienced Hawks XV. We expect a tougher challenge next weekend when we head down to Nail acre.

This article was posted on 12-Sep-2005, 21:42 by Hugh Barrow.