Hawick 33 - Dundee HSFP 35
Sep
With the excellent display and victory at West of Scotland last week, Hawick entered this match against Dundee HSFP with confidence and hoping to improve their league position. With so many teams bunched together, a bonus point win can have a dramatic effect on your position. Dundee as ever looked a big, powerful, well drilled team, and has always been a difficult team to beat over the years and this encounter would prove no different.
Usually it is Hawick who get into the match from the outset, on this occasion though Dundee had Hawick in all sorts of bother, not just in the opening spell but for much of the first half. Their pack were causing Hawick big problems in the scrum. Dundee took the lead with a converted try but Hawick fought back with a rare foray into Dundee territory. Rory Hutton made the initial break and found Bruce McNeil on his shoulder who crashed over at the posts, Neil Renwick converted to tie the scores at 7 all. From this stage Dundee had the majority of play and only resolute defence by Hawick kept the scores level. From a Hawick scrum within the twenty two, the powerful Dundee pack pushed Hawick off the ball and ran in unopposed to take the lead at 14-7. Again, constant Dundee pressure resulted in another converted try and a half time lead of 21 points to 7.
With the strong breeze now in their favour, Hawick now had Dundee in retreat in the second half. Graham Hogg came into the line on the crash ball and managed to touch down for a try which Renwick again converted. From the restart, some very weak tackling from Hawick allowed Dundee to score from within their own half to again lead by fourteen points at 28-14. From this point it was time for Stuart Hogg to take centre stage. As in recent weeks, the young centre again showed his class with some telling breaks which left the opposition for dead. The first saw ever present Keith Davies up in support to score, the relatively easy conversion being missed. Hogg's next break up the wing found winger Steven Anderson on hand to touch down for a converted try which took Hawick to within two points at 26-28. Another defence splitting run from Hogg took him under the posts for a richly deserved try which Renwick again converted for Hawick to take the lead at 33-28. With the match now well into stoppage time and Dundee camped on the Hawick line, Dundee scored the all important try to tie the scores. The resultant conversion gave the visitors victory with the last kick of the match by 35 points to 33.
Team:- 15. Neil Renwick, 14. Gary Johnstone, 13. Stuart Hogg, 12. Graham Hogg, 11. Steven Anderson, 10. Rory Hutton, 9. Greg Cottrell, 1. Bruce McNeil (Capt), 2. Matt Landels, 3. Sean Linton, 4. Craig Charters, 5. Keith Davies, 6. Nick McTaggart, 7. Danny Landels, 8. David Lowrie.
Replacements:- 16. Craig Robertson, 17. Gary Lowrie 18. Michael Robertson, 19. Alistair Marsh, 20. Lindsey Gibson
