Glasgow Caley 52

Caerphilly 15

That this was only the third time this season that a team has registered a half century against Caerphilly made the scoreline highly satisfying for the Reds at Hughenden yesterday.

That they achieved it without scoring a point in the last half-hour, or 32 minutes to be precise, made it a quite remarkable demolition job against a side which has proved a handful to every other team in the Welsh/Scottish League, not least the Reds, who they shocked 31-13 in the opener back in August.

Certainly the six-try first-half blitz was an emphatic response to Richie Dixon's exhortations, which themselves were the result of another poor showing in Wales only four days earlier.

''Having been disappointed yet again at Pontypridd, I asked the guys to kill this off by half-time,'' said the coach.

''We actually should have been far more ahead by the interval, but the job was certainly done by then.''

That was very much the case with Glenn Metcalfe leading the way, not only by scoring the first try three minutes into the game - an effort which, incidentally, he matched after the re-start - as the outstanding figure in what was nothing short of an excellent all-round team effort.

''In my opinion, Glenn was brought back too soon,'' said Dixon when asked whether he felt it was too late for the international full back to make any sort of case for going on the Lions tour this summer.

''He is only now regaining his confidence.''

Tommy Hayes' break, well supported by Roland Reid, had created the opening, before Gordon Bulloch showed awareness worthy of the midfield position he had taken up in switching play back inside to put Metcalfe in for that opener.

After that, Fraser Stott, currently playing some of the best rugby of his career, benefited from his forwards' relentless driving down the narrow side, then Gordon Simpson had made a typical unstoppable run as he peeled off a lineout.

That allowed the Reds to really turn on the style, as they so often are when Hayes is looking as confident as he has in most of his matches in Glasgow this season.

His deliberate weighted chip into space for Metcalfe to run onto showed delightful touch, but the hard work had yet to be done as the full back gathered, before off-loading brilliantly in contact to put Alan Bulloch in.

Jon Steel was next to benefit from the timing of Metcalfe's release of the ball, though the winger himself did well to fight his way through two tackles and stay on his feet to break clear.

Simpson then matched his captain and hooker's earlier example of how comfortable most of these Reds forwards are in taking and giving passes, showing excellent awareness of what was on in giving Metcalfe an inside ball which let him create an opening and put Hayes clean through.

Throughout that opening period, the pace at which the Reds were hitting the line was hugely impressive and they proved, once again, that when their ball retention is good they are as attractive a side to watch as any in the British Isles.

After the interval, Alan Bulloch picked up where he and his colleagues had left off, breaking the line with another powerful run to put Metcalfe in.

When Rory Kerr broke clear on the left to leave Jonno Stuart as the only starting back not on the scoresheet, it looked as if the scoreboard from the neighbouring cricket ground might come in handy.

Yet that was it, and while Dixon took the chance to ring the changes in the final quarter, the visitors grabbed a couple of tries, which was no more than they deserved.

Indeed, it was to Caerphilly's eternal credit that, faced by such an onslaught, they did continue to show such an encouraging attitude.

It was, after all, only a couple of weeks after fellow part-timers Cross Keys' cynical efforts to limit the damage when being similarly overrun by Edinburgh Reivers.

That, too, offered the opportunity to make further observation on the full-time versus part-time debate.

While Cross Keys had been forced into their negative tactics that day at Myreside because had been stretched beyond their limits by having to play during the previous midweek, it was clear that the Reds' full-timers, their pride stung by Wednesday's 41-18 defeat at Pontypridd, could hardly wait to put things right.

As to the closing half-hour, the charge of lack of ruthlessness will once again rear its head and Dixon admitted that he would have liked to have seen more tries scored.

However, he contributed to the failure to do so more than anyone and acknowledged that, having taken the opportunity to bring on several players in the second half.

''A number of them have hardly played for us,'' he said of the effect the changes had on the Reds' shape and rhythm.

''Young Andy Henderson, for example, will have learned a lot from that game.''

Also noteworthy was the performance of Lee Harrison, a beast of a boy who did particularly well to be one of the more prominent members of the side in the loose in the closing stages of the first league match he had started since joining the Reds last summer.

There will probably be a good deal less opportunity for experimentation on Friday when Bridgend are the visitors to Hughenden, but the squad will have benefited hugely from this exercise, which had the added bonus of nudging them ahead of Edinburgh Reivers in the race for European seeding once more, if only on points difference.

Glasgow Caledonian Reds - G Metcalfe; J Steel, A Bulloch, J Stuart (A Henderson, 71min), R Kerr; T Hayes (B Irving, 56), F Stott; D Hilton (G McIlwham, 66), G Bulloch, L Harrison, G Perrett, C Stewart, G Simpson (G Flockhart, 52), R Reid (C Docherty, 78), J Petrie (D Macfadyen, 61).

Caerphilly: J Thomas; N Berbillion (S Marshall, 71), R Boobyer, D Hawkins, G Lewis; L Richards (M Armstrong, 69), A Jacobs (J Hooper, 66); L Manning (A Jones, 60), D Geraty (J Hughes, 67), G Thomas (C Fitzpatrick, 53), N Jones, M Workman, B Watkins (J Hughes, 35-41) (A Mocolutu, 42), G Jones, A Williams

Referee: R Dickson (Madras FP).

Scoring sequence (Reds first): 7-0, 7-3, 14-3, 19-3, 26-3, 31-3, 38-3(half-time); 45-3, 52-3, 52-10, 52-15.

Scorers: Reds: Tries - Metcalfe (3, 43), Stott (12), Simpson (17), A Bulloch (25), Steel (33), Hayes (35), Kerr (48); Conversions - Hayes (3, 12, 25, 35, 43, 48). Caerphilly: Tries - Hawkins (61), Lewis (77); Conversion - Richards (61); Penalty - Richards (6).