WE LIVE in strange times. Not only was the sun shining at Malleny Park, but Currie played with a ruthless and, at times, almost reckless abandon that was miles away from the somewhat dour rugby reputation the club has earned for itself over the years.
In doing so they cemented their place at the top of Premier One and next weekend's trip to Ayr looks like a key contest.
In just the most obvious example of this sparkling, champagne-style, Barbarian rugby, was the try scored by that hoary ol
d favourite Ross Weston just before half time. The move started with Currie running a penalty in the shadow of their own posts and the Malleny men kept the ball alive through numerous phases with the ball bouncing from player to player before the burly No.8 dived over the opposition line under the posts. Breathtaking and breathless stuff.
Weston's touchdown was Currie's fifth try of the first half and they went on to score another four after the break to underline their superiority.
Hawks opened the scoring thanks to a Duncan Weir penalty in the opening minutes but that was the only time the visitors had their noses in front. Currie bossed every aspect of this match with the possible exception of the breakdown where Hawks went horsing in, made a damn nuisance of themselves and won a few turnovers. It was never enough.
The visitors found themselves giving away inches at the lineout but it was at scrum-time that they really felt the heat with almost every Hawks put-in rocked backwards. It was not a contest of equals.
Everyone played their part for Currie. Winger Willie Moala scored a hat-trick of tries and then added a fourth just for good measure, and it is easy to see why the Tongan is fast becoming a cult hero at the club.
Hooker Alun Walker and flanker Jamie Thomson were instrumental in keeping the ball alive with some superb handling. Fullback Johnny Smith kicked seven of his nine conversion attempts and Richard Sneddon was still the stand-out player on the field.
The scrum-half earned an "assist" for the first, second and fourth tries and was instrumental in urging his forwards forward. First up, Sneddon took a quick tap penalty to send Moala over for the opening try and near the end of the first half the same man pinched a ball at the base of a scrum to give Moala his second.
In the second half Sneddon flipped the ball behind his back in a blind pass that found its intended recipient unerringly. He had that sort of afternoon that makes it all worthwhile, when just about everything falls into place.
Currie's other tries came when Graham White grabbed a cheeky interception try and skipper Andy Adam ran under the posts after his fellow lock Ryan Wilson and Sneddon again had made the initial breach. In the second half Currie added tries from Smith, Moala, who grabbed his third and fourth, and Weston who rounded things off by carrying half the Hawks pack over the line in the dying minutes.
Well before the end, Hawks coach Peter Wright took off promising fly-half Duncan Weir from the field. It was the sort of shellacking that can shake a youngster's confidence.
Currie: J Smith, W Moala, G White, A MacMahon, D Fife; A Binikos, R Sneddon; A Hamilton, A Walker, A Reekie, A Adam (capt), R Wilson, S Burton, J Thomson, R Weston. Subs from: N Scobie, M Blair, G Temple, S Forrest, I Downie.
Hawks: R Hair, K Gossman, M Adamson, G Harkness, C Gossman; D Weir, E Morrison, N Cox, E Milligan, G Strain, A Kirkland, M Whittleston, C Ker, G Oommen, G Francis.
Subs from: G Mories, C Harvey, C Taylor, I Noble, S Low.
Scorers: Currie: Try: Moala (4), White, Adam, Weston (2), Smith Conv: Smith (7). Hawks: Try: Conv: Pen: Weir (2)
Referee: D Changleng (Peebles RFC)
