Glasgow Hawks 29
GHA 19
IAIN HAY @ Balgray
YOU can’t always rely on your neighbours for favours, especially when there’s bragging rights to be claimed, and this – in the end – comfortable Hawks’ win ensured that GHA finish just outside the Arnold Clark Premiership play-off spots, making for an Ayr versus Watsonians semi-final (which will be played at Millbrae on Sunday 15th March at 2.05pm).
Despite dominating territory in the first period, Hawks found themselves behind on the scoreboard thanks to a double from prolific GHA hooker Ruairi Campbell, with only Seb Hastings’ third minute score to show for their own efforts, before storming back in the second half.
“We had a lot of possession in the first half and were brilliant with it, but our set-piece didn’t really function off the touchline, and I thought they were really dangerous when they had the ball in that first half,” surmised Hawks’ boss Phil Smith of his side’s inability to turn pressure into points.
Schools to Scotland
“But the first half of the second half, I thought we were excellent. Everything we were trying to do was coming off, and the level of everything just improved, so that was brilliant. It’s taken me 17 and a half matches to get this right is one way to look at it, but we’ve been doing lots of things right in lots of games, and today they just kept going.
“I’ve always felt that you don’t win games in the first 20 minutes, you just keep going and then, eventually, if you do the right things more often, you get rewarded.”
A personnel change in the boiler-room just before the break was the catalyst for the turnaround with Max Crumlish and Aidan Orr among the standout performers.
“Aidan only came to us on Thursday, having been released from Scotland under-20s, and Max is just one of these guys who missed a wee bit of training so he was on the bench: very, very strong. Along with many others, they were very good, but they made a big difference in respect of their open play stuff.”
GHA’s defence had been exemplary in the first half, assisted occasionally by Hawks’ profligacy, such as conceding a penalty five-metres from their opponents’ line with a sketchy clear-out, but once Yousuf Shaheen had burrowed over from close range ay the start of the second half, they found a new gear.
It was shortly afterwards that Freddie Thomson found Shaheen on an inside run following a set-piece move, and he drew the last man before timing and executing his pass to Alex Bryden, who went over in the corner. Liam Brims’ excellent conversion made it a five-point game.
Scott Steele’s jink around a ruck and near-perfectly executed kick dribbled into touch before Jonah Hastings could get onto it, but it was virtually the only thing that didn’t quite go Hawks’ way during that period.
They soon won a scrum against the head and Seb Hastings was nearly away again, as they kept the pressure on. Playing with penalty advantage on GHA’s line, the ref’s arm went out again. And then up. After a short period of confusion, it appeared the nearside touch judge had seen a grounding of the ball by Craig Nolan and the try was awarded.
Another Brims conversion, and then a penalty when Bryden got clamped onto the ball after Glen Little was isolated trying to weave some momentum-shifting magic, had turned a nine-point deficit into a 15-point lead since half-time.
That meant GHA needed more than just two tries. They did produce some nice passages of play, but when attacks end due to someone like Luke McCutcheon knocking on, it might not be your day.
Little and Charlie Lonergan were next to carve through the Hawks’ line, but an excellent covering tackle by Paul Cairncross not only stopped their progress but forced a knock-on.
When GHA failed to find touch with a penalty with around 10 mins remaining the task looked monumental, but a few minutes later they were over the whitewash after a sweet McCutcheon offload found Lonergan and he bulldozed his way home. However, it was too little too late on a day that had started with a little bit of history in mind for the visitors, who can hold their heads high after an expectation-defying season.
GHA head coach Calum Forrester said: “I think we were our own downfall in the first half. Restarts were a problem for us, and although we defended well down there it probably took a lot out of us.
“We got our noses in front, fired the proverbial rocket at half-time saying we had to score first, but Hawks came out and got the first score and they really built on that, so well done to Phil and the guys. That first 10 to 15 minutes of the second half killed the game. Hawks won the physicality battle at the breakdown and stopped us getting into our shape.”
“We just said to the players: ‘Guys, we know this is going to be really sore. We had a great opportunity today to take GHA into uncharted territory and it’s going to be hugely disappointing just now but just take a step back, gents, and look at the season as a whole’.
“We’ve got a really good group, a strong foundation to build on and we are here in the Premiership to stay.”

Teams –
Glasgow Hawks: E Muirhead; J Hastings, A Bryden, L Brims©, J Couper; F Thomson, S Steele; I Malaulau, T McTeir, B Sweet, S Lima, M Oliver, C Nolan, Y Shaheen, S Hastings. Subs used: P Cairncross©, J Campbell, M Crumlish, A Rutherford, A Orr, H Roxburgh, M Plastow.
GHA: B Macdougall; S White, C Lonergan, A Bogidrau, G Little; A Goudie, E McKirdy; S Collins, R Campbell, M Fox, A Kerr, J Davies, S Plumridge, D Ewing©, L McCutcheon. Subs used: E McGovern, L Hodge, C MacGregor, S Callaghan, H McKenzie, B Curtis, A Spowart.
Referee: Rob McDowell

Scorers –
Glasgow Hawks: Tries: S Hastings, Shaheen, Bryden, Nolan; Cons: Brims 3; Pens: Brims.
GHA: Tries: Campbell 2, Lonergan; Cons: Macdougall 2.
Scoring sequence (Glasgow Hawks first): 5-0; 5-5; 5-7; 5-12; 5-14; 10-14; 12-14 (h-t) 17-14; 19-14; 24-14; 26-14; 29-14; 29-19.

Yellow cards –
Glasgow Hawks: Campbell
GHA: McKirdy

Player-of-the-Match: It could have been any one of the Hawks’ starting back-row, with all of them registering tries, Seb Hastings and Yousuf Shaheen also registering assists, but Seb Hastings just edges it due to his superior metre-making gallops.
Talking point: It wasn’t as feisty as most derbies until a flare-up toward the end saw Euan McKirdy and James Campbell sent to the bin. Also, Hawks say goodbye, or maybe “catch you later” to co-captains Liam Brims and Paul Cairncross. Good innings, lads.