For one week only, Blackie’s Blog is replaced by Milto’s Memo

10 mins: Huge but legitimate hit by new recruit (Fijian) John Tavakece brought squeals from Stew Mel and a dubious pen from the ref. As captain Stu Lowe tried to point out at the time ‘come on, it’s rugby’. Hawks 0 – Stew Mel 3.
2 or 3 unusual interpretations of the ball being ‘out’ at the back of the Hawks scrum led to 2 unconverted pens from Stew Mel.
31 mins: Hawks off feet at ruck, back chat moved pen 10m and within Stew Mel kicking range. Hawks 0 – Stew Mel 6.
Quick tap pen taken by Hawks on 22m line when modest but knowledgeable crowd on touchline felt that a kick might’ve been a better option.
38 mins: Stew Mel hands in ruck, Hawks pen knocked over by youthful looking Robbie McGregor. Hawks 3 – Stew Mel 6.
40 mins: (Recently converted to 6) Brecko, harshly deemed to be off feet at ruck. Stew Mel pen. Hawks 3 – Stew Mel 9.
Reasonable first half although Hawks arguably didn’t make enough of the tailwind.

42 mins: Slip by Hawks on kick return, Stew Mel quicker to the ruck, penalty. Hawks 3 – Stew Mel 12.
Great reaction from Hawks – 9 phases of slick, continuity rugby only halted by a forward pass that most Super 15 refs would have let go.
58 mins: Good positional kick by Stew Mel 10 backed up by sustained pressure from Stew Mel pack – try and conversion. Hawks 3 – Stew Mel 19.
70 mins: Stew Mel put in a good chase on another big wind assisted kick and turned over the ball for their pack to rumble over for another try with conversion. Hawks 3 – Stew Mel 26.
75 mins: Another kick and chase (it was getting predictable by this point) was gathered and recycled well by Stew Mel pack for an unconverted try. Hawks 3 – Stew Mel 31.
79 mins: Hawks clearance kick missed touch and chase was fragmented. Stew Mel, full of confidence put 4 good phases together culminating in a well deserved 4th try under the posts with easy conversion. Final score: Hawks 3 – Stew Mel 38.

The match was a story of a makeshift pack finally overwhelmed by their well drilled and hungrier Stew Mel counterparts. Thanks however, has to go to those who stepped in to enable us to put a pack on the pitch. Particular praise to Brecko and Gav McD stepping into the back-row again and to Fijian John and Timmy Peyton who carried well throughout.

Weddings, funerals and bar mitzvah’s aside, we should be able to field a more familiar looking pack next week and get the season back on track.

This article was posted on 11-Sep-2011, 10:23 by Hugh Barrow.