Glasgow Hawks vs Stew Mel, 5/11/05

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Squad

The Stewart's Melville FP RFC team to play Glasgow Hawks at Old Anniesland on Saturday, kick off 2.30 pm, is:

A number of changes to the team that never really got going against Watsonians last week, with Stuart Clark and Sky Laurie being brought in after impressing for the 2nd XV in recent weeks. It is hoped that pairing Sky and Dalgy in the back row will give us more penetration and 'go forward'.

The bus for Glasgow will leave Inverleith at 11.15 on Saturday, so players are asked to meet at 11 am. Supporters should, however, note that, because we are taking two teams to Old Anniesland, there are unlikely to be any spare seats on the bus, so travelling by car or train is recommended.

But please do make an effort to get through to the game, which will give our young players a chance to measure themselves against the best team in the league. This will also be big Steph's last game for the club, and we owe the big man a proper send off after all he has done for us over the years.

Malky

Nosebag's Notes

Saturday's result meant that many of us had, once again, to boycott purchasing the 'Sundays'. We arrived at Old Anniesland genuinely believing that we could take something from this vital fixture and really kick start our season, due to the fact that the Champions had a number of key players missing, and, as acknowledged by some of the home support , had not been performing to their true potential in recent weeks.

Whilst 13-3 down and pressing the Hawks line, however, the refereeing trio made the first of a number of mistakes which all but killed the game for us in five very short minutes. The home side were allowed to come yards offside at a ruck, steal the ball and run the length of the pitch unopposed for a score. Both sets of players, not to mention the management and supporters, could not believe what had happened as only one out of the thirty on the pitch reacted in any way. By half time it was 25-6 to the Champions and all but over for us.

It has taken ten very long, hard years for us to regain Premier 1 status again, and, whilst, at the end of the day, it is the players on the pitch who make the difference between winning and losing, there is no point in having two neutral touch judges at this level if they do not have the wherewithal to tell the miked-up ref that he has got a decision wrong. The touch judges could be better deployed as referees at a time when many games are being called off throughout the county due to a desperate lack of referees. Our referee's refusal to speak with our Captain at half time perhaps tells a story?

We did manage a consolation try in the second half through Captain Paul, but, in the end, we were beaten by a better side who are destined to be season 2005-06 Champions. We made handling mistakes, missed vital tackles and were off the pace at times, which gives us a lot to work on as we head into the second half of the season at Goldenacre on Saturday. We will have to do this without Stephan De Beer, who played his last game in the red, black and gold against Hawks, and wish him every success on his return to South Africa this week.

Our destiny is still very much in our own hands. The home Coach, Dave Wilson, was telling us after the game that, two seasons ago, whilst he was Coach at GHA, they lost all of their first ten matches and only had ten bonus points to show for their efforts. They won seven of their remaining ten games and finished mid table. We can do this, especially as we only have one game to play outside Edinburgh, and that is at the Greenyards in February. Not only do we require a massive effort from the players, coaches and management of both the 1st and 2nd XVs; we also need your continued support. Our home gates have been exceptional this season, and, when on the road, we have all but outnumbered the home support, especially at Aberdeen Grammar. Keep it up. It makes a massive difference to the players turning out in the red, black and gold and will go a long way to helping us retain Premier 1 status.

Nosebag

Stew Mel Stats

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