A regular programme feature that keeps you up to date with rugby and club issues and news by Kenny Hamilton.
(Not necessarily the views of Glasgow Hawks).

Our Hot Visitors
Currie come to Old Anniesland today savouring the last meeting between these two sides that saw Hawks dumped out of the Cup 24-19 back in March.
Since then coach Ally Donaldson has been able to spice up the Currie squad and it will be the full bhoona for the Glasgow boys today. OK – enough bad puns. (But check how many appear in Currie’s match reports each week in the press.)
Don’t be fooled by Currie’s modest league position going into this one – if they had won last week, against Watsonians, they would be lying second right now. (League table below).

The A Team
Andy, Allan and Ah….. Gordon came through to Glasgow last week to talk about where we are in putting Scottish Rugby back together again. They are, of course, Andy Irvine (President), Allan Munro (Chair of the Board) and Gordon McKie (Chief Exec.) It was a brutally honest session in which they outlined a litany of management and procedural failings that spread back several years. Squeamish accountants in the audience winced visibly as mention was made of the lack of proper accounting for receipts; different parts of the organisation ordering from the same supplier for potentially conflicting services; a ‘surprise’ deposit of £800k; and generally the sort of things that would keep a self-respecting auditor in a state of lathered excitement for months. (The kind you usually find yourself talking to at parties when you know your luck is just not in.) Equally there was a frank acknowledgement that the organisation was simply not “joined-up” in its thinking or functioning.
But the meeting was, strangely, a positive one in which I suspect the vast majority of those in attendance went away feeling that the new team at the top was able to help Scottish Rugby face its devils and build a much stronger organisation. They need the support of everyone in Scottish Rugby, however, to keep it moving forward and distancing itself from the mistakes, and a number of the characters associated with the past.
The other part that needs our support is the National team. We can all contribute to the recovery by turning up at Murrayfield for the autumn Internationals and getting right behind them.

Scotland’s 4th Professional Team ?
Interesting to see Jim Hay, the Hawick coach, quoted as suggesting that Hawks could be viewed as the 4th Professional team in Scotland following the match at Mansfield last week. He seemed to be suggesting that as Hawks have clearly been seen as a pathway to professional rugby for so many, that it helps creates a strong squad at Anniesland. Interesting point.
Also a ringing endorsement of the professionalism in approach at Anniesland by coaches, players and managers. But it is only the approach that is professional.
Player Payments? Any prize money goes into a “Tour Fund” for things like South Africa 2 years ago, Paris last season, Rome in March – but that’s it.

Hawks Mystery Tour #2
Kenny Baillie is at it again. Following the success of last season which, unlike most other Glasgow mystery tours did not end up in Blackpool, there is another one taking shape for 22nd October.
Last time it was the Dugs at Shawfield. This time my money is on floodlit kayaking on Loch Lomond (or Bingham’s pond).
Watch this space for a full report.

BT Premier Div 1 Pld Pts

Glasgow Hawks 6 29
Watsonians 6 19
Heriot's 6 17
Biggar 6 16
Ayr 6 15
Boroughmuir 6 15
Hawick 6 14
Melrose 6 14
Currie 6 13
Stirling County 6 10
Aberdeen GSFP 6 10
Stewart's Melville FP 6 10

This article was posted on 5-Oct-2005, 08:28 by Hugh Barrow.