In sports writing, as in many types of journalism, there is a tendency to cliché. So on any ordinary Saturday a match played in muddy conditions, with attritional play, strong defence and frequent, frustrated grand attacking moves would be compared with the deadlock which came to represent our view of The Great War.

But we are now far more contemplative of these matters, during the commemoration of a variety of Centenaries and the efforts and sacrifice of that generation who fell after they turned out in Glasgow and Hawick for their clubs and also pulled on the Navy Blue for their country should not be trivialised in such a manner by comparison.
We should honour them and the comparison with this generation in different ways which honours all who played across generations.

So instead let’s evoke different memories, in the club which was the spiritual home of the Voice of Rugby, Bill McLaren, we were taken back to a different commentator from the 70’s when many a muddy field was the scene of sporting battles. The era of Eddie Waring and floodlit Rugby League on BBC 2. As a child I recall encounters, in exotically named towns such as Castleford, Halifax, Saint Helens and Wigan were men seemed to wrestle for 80 minutes in a quagmire as Waring’s northern tones came over the airwaves sing a song of hard graft. It was the same at Mansfield Park, but this should not be seen to belittle the fantastic effort the Hawick put into making sure the match was played. It is instead an attempt to paint a picture of the backdrop which was frustrating to both teams.

Prior to kick off, a minutes applause for Hawick stalwart, Janet Brydon, reminded us of the very special supporters, who through financial and other support allow our sport to continue and as all clubs know how vital people like Janet are to the game, Hawks recognised that in her passing rugby lost just as much as Hawick.

Then the sport began… but as every stud turned, the ground started to shift and it looked like it was to be a frustrating day for both sets of backs. The early error count was higher than either side would have wanted but Hawks set out their store after 8 minutes when they mauled a ball 30 metres, but an offside error gave the Greens turnover ball and the attack was stymied.

Hawks’ winger Paul Ramsey was unlucky not to break through just after 20 minutes, but the heavy soil was enough to prevent him gathering any pace and the Green defence smothered the challenge.

It wasn’t long before Hawks managed to open the scoring. Hawick had been pressing in the visitors half when they coughed up the ball, a recycle saw Paddy Boyer scuttle across the face of the Hawick cover and he saw Brendan McGroarty on the burst and flipped the ball to him. Boyer’s deft pass gave McGroarty the chance to scythe through the Hawick midfield, no mean feat in the circumstances, when the centre was caught he had Mateusz Bartoszek in close support. The big Polish back-row smashed through the cover and managed to put a pass to Ramsey, who ran in for the opening try from outside the 22.

Hawick were unabashed by this score and within 8 minutes it was their turn to turn defence into attack. In the glaur, by this time numbers on jerseys were obscured, a general melee of unidentifiable bodies happened on the terracing side of Mansfield Park, springing out of it appeared the body of Hawick lock, Mike McKee. The big man, rampaged forwards evading tacklers and handing off others to score a try from roughly 50 metres out, with Neil Renwick adding the conversion Hawick had a two point advantage.

Through no fault of their own, control of the match was difficult for both sets of half-backs. Jack Steele was dealing with an unfamiliar position and Rory Hutton, well talented as he is, it was difficult to perform any kind of magic in these conditions. This wasn’t helped when the Referee saw fit to send Hutton and Hawk’s Boyer to the sin-bin for something which seemed little more than handbags.

With both sides reduced to 14 men, the second half started with Hawks hammering the Hawick line, but yet again the Greens forced a turnover and with the free ball managed to secure the score which would later prove to be crucial. Greg Cottrell was the man to take advantage with some deft play which allowed him to release Renwick from long range. Over for the five points he then made it 7 with the conversion.

There were 36 minutes left on the clock so the game was still there to be taken, yet the conditions made every set piece drag on, every maul go at slow motion and the clock started to work against Hawks. In the end they were in Hawick’s 22 for a big chunk of the match, 22 consecutive minutes. But as the clock ticked down it seemed as if Old Father Time was against Hawks. When Captain Andy Linton went over in 80 minutes, it was a reward for Hawks efforts. Yet the real reward went to Hawick who through their tireless defence frustrated Hawks and secured the full league 4 points.

On balance, when all is said and done this was a close encounter which probably rewarded the defensive effort of the Greens. However, it is a match that no player, on either side, could be said to have failed in.

In the mud and glaur, there was a very muddy glory.