2015 World Cup hopes for Glasgow Hawks’ Polish duo

GLASGOW Hawks have received an early international boost with two of their players bidding to take steps closer to the Rugby World Cup next month.

The newcomers to the Premiership this season signed two Polish players in the summer to strengthen their pack and prop Craig Bachurzewski and flanker Mateusz Bartoszek have both been selected for Poland’s match against Sweden in the European Nations Cup match in Warsaw on Saturday 7 September.

It is part of the early qualifying process for the 2015 World Cup in England and Poland have to win if they are to mount a challenge to Germany to win the group and progress to the latest stages of RWC qualification as the Polish side lost the Stockholm encounter 19-11 in June.

Craig and Mateusz both played in that match and are eager to get revenge against a Swedish side who remain below Poland in the world rankings.

The players have become popular figures within the large Polish community in the west of Scotland and their exploits in Glasgow have not gone unnoticed in their homeland either, with Hawks historian Hugh Barrow reporting that Poland is now the third most popular country of visitors to the club’s official website, behind the UK and USA.

“We wish Craig and Mateusz ‘Powodzenia’ [good luck!] against the Swedes,” said a club spokesman.