“Hawks took their opportunities and put us under pressure, potentially the first half started to take its toll with fatigue setting in, but we didn’t get the start we wanted straight after half-time; they scored, and then we just never got back into our shape, and that’s partly due to what they were doing to us, so full credit to them.”

Hawks got off to a flying start with the wind at their backs. James Thompson’s kick out on the full gave them solid field position, Tom McTeir’s first dart of the day was in between gusts and claimed, Hawks were then awarded a breakdown penalty around five-metres out, and Callum Reidy tapped quickly and dived over. Brims, kicking from just to the left of the swaying sticks, nailed his conversion.

The usually reliable boot of Dwain Patterson was no match for Mother Nature, as from the 22 and dead centre to the posts, he missed a penalty to get his team on the scoreboard, but Hawks were finding it tough to break through Kelso, with the wind also doing them few favours by sending kicks out on the full or passes straying off target.

One such incident saw Euan Muirhead knock on a Brims pass, and it should serve as a reminder to play to the whistle for the Hawks full-back. After a fresh-air swipe in frustration at the ball, he stopped playing altogether, which allowed Kelso No 8 Cammy Thompson to gather and have a charge downfield. Once in the 22, Hawks were penalised for offside, and it was Thompson himself who finished after a few pick-and-go attempts. Patterson, who was deliberately striking them low in an attempt to negate the wind, got this kick right and the scores were tied.

Player-coach McNeil spilled the restart to give Hawks a scrum in a decent position, but an excellent tackle by Andy Tait on his opposite number Reidy snuffed out the danger and Kelso were soon awarded a penalty and an escape route.

An Andrew Rutherford turnover penalty saw Brims nudge his side ahead from 25 metres out, but with Kelso on the attack as half-time approached, the far-side touch judge advised referee Ciaran Stark of an offside, allowing Patterson to cancel Brims’ effort out.

The beginning of the second half was practically the ‘Callum Reidy Show’. He began it with an outstanding exit kick of close to 50 metres, then he found a gap around the fringes of the breakdown and blasted into the Kelso 22. From there, the forwards did their thing and first-half replacement Seb Hastings got over the line.

All good shows have drama for their protagonist, though, and Reidy would have been delighted to see the touch judge say that Archie Barbour had knocked on as they chased after a Liam Herdman kick, with Reidy seemingly running through treacle compared to Barbour.

Kelso then won the scrum against the head, but Hastings was there to win an important turnover penalty, which Brims tried to kick to touch, only for the wind to have other ideas and blow it back over his own head. Fortunately for Hawks, no harm done.

Kelso’s metres with ball in hand in the first half, especially after contact, were quite impressive, but the boots seemed to now be on the other feet.

James Couper wriggled through challenges and raced away in a similar fashion to Thompson in the first half, Hastings took it further into the 22, and with an overlap on the left it seemed like Ryan Flett was destined for the corner, only for a last-ditch Herdman effort to knock his toes into touch before he could get it down.

Nevertheless, Hawks were awarded an offside penalty ahead of Scott Steele’s pass to Flett, so the forwards took a tap and Ryan Burke crossed for what seemed to be a game-clinching score, only for Patterson to produce a moment of absolute magic in a Kelso side looking short on ideas of how to break through.

He gathered around halfway, chipped it over Flett, and was able to get over in the right corner before Muirhead could make it across with around 10 minutes left to play.

There was to be no windswept and interesting finish for the visitors though, as after a rolling Hawks maul got into the 22, Patterson was penalised for playing the 9. Brims knocked over his second penalty of the day and shortly after the restart, the home stand-off kicked the ball dead for game over.

“We are delighted with that victory, because when you start preparing for matches, and talking about how you’re going to play, you sometimes forget you’re playing against good sides, and Kelso are a bloody good side,” said Hawks head coach Phil Smith.

“I thought both teams played better into the wind. I thought our first half was pretty abysmal. Forgetting the wind, our general play was poor, but the second half things clicked a bit better. We were more connected as a group, so that was good because I thought potentially we were going to have to defend a lot. If we hadn’t got going in the second half there was no way we were going to win.”

 

Teams –

Glasgow Hawks: E Muirhead; R Flett, M Waugh, A Bryden, J Couper; L Brims, C Reidy; T Bantalava, T McTeir©, B Sweet, R Burke, M Oliver, A Orr, Y Shaheen, A Rutherford. Subs used: C Nolan, M Morrison, S Gray, S Hastings, S Steele, L Jarvie, J Hastings.

Kelso: A Barbour; D Patterson©, A Hall, F Robson, J Thompson; L Herdman, A Tait; G Shiells, E Knox, N Barnes, E Thompson, G Law, B McNeil, W Jones, C Thompson. Subs used: J Utterson, B McNeil, D Gamble, N Moncrieff, W Tweedie, A Milne, H Tweedie.

Referee: Ciaran Stark

 

Scorers –

Glasgow Hawks: Tries: Reidy, S Hastings, Burke; Cons: Brims 2; Pens: Brims 2.

Kelso: Tries: C Thompson, D Patterson; Cons: Patterson; Pens: Patterson.

Scoring sequence (Glasgow Hawks first): 7-0; 7-7; 10-7; 10-10 (h-t) 17-10; 22-10; 22-15; 25-15.

 

Player-of-the-Match: Yousuf Shaheen threw himself around as usual, which may have led to the shoulder injury that saw him being replaced (and on his birthday too) by Seb Hastings, who came on and showed that Hawks have real depth in that back-row. A try, big carries, turnover penalties, everything you could ask for from a flanker. (And an honourable mention to Hawks Chairman Kenny Hamilton for loaning me a pen after three of mine conked out simultaneously.)

Talking point: Kudos to the line-out throwers for managing to keep the majority of their darts straight when gusts were reported to be nudging the 50mph mark.