GHA RFC MATCH 176: HAWICK RFC 50 – 14 GHA RFC 

2009/2010: Scottish Premiership Two

HAWICK RFC 

 GHA RFC

N. Renwick15C. Binnie
G. Anderson14R. O’Keefe
L. Armstrong13N. Cassie (c)
C. Neish12R. McClymont
C. Murray11G. Jones
D. McCracken10J. Noonan
R. McPherson9A. Gillman
N. Little1D. McKay
H. Scammell2G. King
A. Marsh3J. Coffey
K. Willison4G. Warnock
C. Charters5R. Jenkins
D. Lowrie6I. Nelson
R. Gibson7P. Harkins
(c) B. McNeill8D. Kellock
A. Weir16T. Peyton
M. Graham17J. Auld
M. Landels18P. MacLeod
G. Lowrie19G. Taylor
Anderson (2), Renwick (2), Graham, McPherson, MurrayTryCassie, Nelson
Renwick (3)ConNoonan (2)
Renwick (3)Pen
DG
Referee
Mr F. Balharry (Caledonia RS)

 

Hawick ran in seven tries in racking up a half-century against GHA at Mansfield Park on Saturday. To say the least it was a heavy defeat. Perhaps the worst aspect was not the humiliation, it was simply that it followed only seven days after the victory against Stirling County and the hope that the corner had been turned and the season could only improve with a first league win in the bag. 

However, early on an afternoon when the weather was autumn at its best, almost have been said to have been stolen from real summer, it seemed that GHA would have their work cut out in the Scottish Hydro Premier Two match beside the Teviot. Their lineout was almost non-effective: eleven times in the first half they had the throw-in, and nine of those they lost. The touchline set-piece platform was not just unstable, it hardly existed.

The match would have merited less than a handful of paragraphs. But, as reasons to extend the record, it had bizarre moments, all in the second half.

Hawick profited with 18 points within 22 minutes of the kick-off, with tries by Neil Renwick and Greg Anderson, Renwick converting his own try as well as kicking two penalty goals. Only then did GHA find the means to strike back, when Tim Peyton and Jamie Auld sent Niall Cassie in for a try that Jim Noonan converted. By half-time, however, Hawick were 28-7 up, their third try being scored just before the interval by Colin Murray after Noonan had been caught in possession close his own goal-line.

As if that were not enough, the second half started with a penalty against GHA instead of the normal restart drop goal. It was the referee’s appropriate penalty for the visitors’ late return to the field from the changing room! Who has heard of that before?

The third quarter passed without a score, not even one by the dominant home team. But within that time Ruairi O’Keefe was sin-binned for slowing down Hawick repossession at a tackle close to the GHA line, and as soon as he returned to the contest Bruce McNeill suffered the same fate on a rare venture by GHA close to Hawick’s line. It was then that GHA broke the second half’s scoring drought, when Gregg Taylor and Joe Coffey combined to send Iain Nelson in at the left corner. Noonan converted, and the home lead was down to 28-14.

But that was as far as GHA could go. Within five minutes Hawick had answered with a double-whammy; tries by Michael Graham (the bonus-point score) and Renwick’s second.
O’Keefe was then shown a second yellow card. His offence, called by an assistant referee, was allegedly stamping at a ruck. It was, though, a clear case of mistaken identity. But two yellow cards equal a red, and the young wing’s game was over.

Within minutes, the same stand-side touch flag was signalling foul play. The culprit was none other than McNeill, and for the second time in the match the Hawick captain followed O’Keefe off the field. Another second yellow, another red card. Bizarre!

Hawick, however, did not need their leader to show the way to their 50, with a try by Rory McPherson, Renwick’s third conversion and Anderson’s second score.

Source: Bill McMurtrie

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