Gemmell’s View

As I am Looking out the window at a beautiful blue sky as I write, more rain is on the way for today’s matches!

Today sees 4 Bulls teams in action:

The 1st XV are away in a rescheduled league fixture at Burnbrae against West of Scotland kicking off (happily on 4G) at 12:15

The 2nd XV host Boroughmuir 2s at Laigh Bent kick off 12:00

Our 3rd XV host West of Scotland at Laigh Bent kick off 12:00

The U18 kick off at 11:00 at Stewartry in the cup

Sunday sees the Heifers meeting Falkirk at Burnbrae and a full programme of youth rugby

Snow saw last weekend’s schedule obliterated and means the league run in is further extended to 28 April – right in the middle of 7s season!

After a 3 week weather affected break, coaches have largely reselected the team who won, albeit schizophrenically, at GHK

To 1st XV selection…The starting pack is unchanged: Taz McLaughlin, Ross McQueen and Darren Carr continue up front with Jordan McLean and Gareth Jones providing grunt and go forward from the second row. The loose trio of Gregor Brodie, Rab Brown and Scott Alexander will look to dominate the breakdown ensuring possession is retained for a dangerous looking back division to capitalise on.

Bench options are provided by Greg Richardson, Frazer Dunnachie and Charlie Craig.

With sound underfoot pitch conditions guaranteed, Hugo Crush and Owen McLeish will look for quick ball to release the power & guile of James Howatson and Ross Jamieson respectively. Wider out Ben Plant and Simon Deuchar (congratulations on 1st XV debut) will be hungry for a run at their opposite numbers, Andy Wilson adding to the threat when he joins at pace. Russell Virtue’s versatility is the preference as replacement.

Concentration is the buzzword this weekend, we aim to play 80 minutes of controlled but exciting rugby – not 10 minutes here & there. We simply cannot let other teams continue to score cheaply against us!

The pressure is on to perform to our capabilities – I hope to see you there for the game.

Those not following the 1st team over to West can see a massively important Toos fixture as we look to retain our coveted position in Division 1 of reserve rugby. With 3 games to go, a mobile looking pack has been selected to take the game to ‘Muir, whilst the backs have power and pace to burn. The Bulls 2nd XV continue to outperform the expectations of everyone outside the coaching and playing group through determination and belief in our abilities…the very Best of Luck lads!

And it is a similarly important game for ’27 who are looking at a top 3 finish in a hotly contested West Reserve Div 1. Up against our peers’ 2nd XVs, this again speaks to the strength in depth we have at Hamilton, the benefits of having such a vibrant & prolific youth structure and generally brilliant club!

Thanks as ever for your support!

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