Victory at Glasgow Hawks in rugby’s Tennent’s Premiership extends Hawick’s 11-month unbeaten run to 20 games in all competitions

Calum Renwick on the attack during Hawick's 39-21 win at Glasgow Hawks on Saturday, their 17th league victory on the bounce (Photo: Malcolm Grant)

It’s now over 11 months since Tennent’s Premiership table-toppers Hawick lost a game of rugby and they’ll be hoping to extend that unbeaten run further still this weekend in the current season’s play-off semi-finals.

Their opposition at their Mansfield Park home ground this Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm, are the last team to have beaten them, Marr.

The form-book now very much favours the hosts, however, as since that 17-10 play-off semi defeat in Troon at the end of last March, they’ve won 19 of the 20 competitive games they’ve played, including last April’s Border League final against Kelso and a Scottish cup first-round tie versus Jedburgh at the start of February, and drawn the other.

That undefeated run also includes league wins against their South Ayrshire opposition home and away, by 20-3 in October and 29-10 in January respectively.

Ethan Reilly on his way to scoring one of his three tries for Hawick against Glasgow Hawks on Saturday (Pic: Malcolm Grant)

The Greens’ 39-21 victory at Glasgow Hawks on Saturday saw them end the regular season with 80 points from 18 games, eight ahead of second-placed Currie Chieftains and 29 more than fourth-placed Marr.

On the scoresheet for head coach Matty Douglas’s visitors at Balgray Stadium were Ethan Reilly with three tries and Fraser and Calum Renwick and Deaglan Lightfoot also touching down, plus three conversions and a penalty from Kirk Ford.

Their hosts’ try-scorers were Gary Strain, Tiaan Wright and Ryan Howie, two of them converted by Andy McLean and one by Gavin Cruickshanks.

Douglas is now calling on his team to extend their 17-game winning streak by two further fixtures to earn the club their first premiership title since 2002 and 13th altogether.

Charlie Welsh on the ball for Hawick against Glasgow Hawks at the weekend (Pic: Malcolm Grant)

“It’s a fantastic achievement to go through a league season unbeaten,” he told Borders Rugby TV.

“That’s only stage one done but you can’t take away from the hard work that the players have put in to go 17 games on the bounce unbeaten.

“Make no bones about it, there were games in there that we were under pressure in, but we found ways to win and that’s what a good side do – they find ways to win even if it’s not going to plan – so massive credit to the players and also our coaching team.

“We’re now moving into a big week for the club and we need to back this up.

Andrew Mitchell retaining possession for Hawick versus Glasgow Hawks on Saturday (Pic: Malcolm Grant)

“We’ll not be remembered for the league campaign the way it is at the minute. We need to go on and win the premiership.

“The pressure’s on us again to perform but we’re starting to enjoy that pressure and we’re excited for Saturday about Marr coming over.

“We’ll be ready, and confidence is high at Mansfield at the minute.”

The winner of Saturday’s semi in Hawick will play off against either Currie or Edinburgh Academical for the title.

Shawn Muir on the ball for Hawick at Glasgow Hawks (Pic: Malcolm Grant)

Looking back over Saturdays win against seventh-placed Hawks, Douglas added: “It was a fantastic win. Performance-wise it was very professional.

“I thought we were clinical around the park and our set-piece was on top from the start and it gave us a platform to play off.

“The players stuck to the game-plan and that’s when we’re at our best.”