NOT having my Oxford Book of Quotations to hand, I cannot re-call who came up with that line about never being able to mix-up a Scot with a grievance and a ray of sunshine; it might well have been that old English fart Dr Johnson, but, who really cares.
These days in rugby, Craig Chalmers comes across as a definitive Scot with a grievance, his being a double one - that he's not coaching Scotland and that his Melrose side are not walking away with the RBS Premiership title.
There were no Cheeky Chic quotes in Sunday's as usual pitifully sparse coverage of the Premiership; not that, Ayr having beaten 'Rose at the Greenyards, it was ever likely that Chic would have rushed to offer his post-match thoughts. However, when Willie Paul was unable to elicit the great man's thoughts for Monday's Scotsman report, I sensed a spat dummy lying in front of the home dug out.
But, all was not lost, whoever did the Herald's Premiership round-up for Monday - and (again) I offer the thought that, maybe if the Herald paid more than lip service to the top tier of our club game, its circulation would not be going through the floor - did manage to get a quote from Chalmers. Even by his poor standards of reaction to defeat, it was a belter.
Class, they say, is permanent. Chic was a classy player, sadly he seems to have left that aspect of himself behind when he retired. His reaction was totally graceless and petty.
Mind you, Ayr's rebound from last season's under-performance has been spectacular. OK, you never win any title in September, but, a poor start to the season can fatally wound title aspirations.
Kenny Murray's men have now beaten all four of this season's Scottish representatives in the British & Irish Cup, two of these victories came at Netherdale and the Greenyards, two of the genuine fortresses of the club game. So, Ayr's title aspirations have, event his early in the campaign, to be taken seriously.
Admittedly, they gained in spades from Glasgow Hawks' disappointing campaign in 2011-12, the Gossmans, Peter Jerecevich and the injured Dean Kelbrick have proven to be excellent recruits. Ayr entertain Heriot's on Saturday and if they can beat the Goldenacre men, then there will be a lot of pressure on Currie to peg them back, since they are now being seen as the side most-likely to impede Ayr's progress.
However, behind Ayr's storming start, the new Top Ten is proving to be an engrossing and entertaining competition, which has to be good for Scottish rugby.
THE Herald this week ran an interesting piece on how we are bringing through our young props. Certainly a few of our top teams have been busy recruiting southern hemisphere "donkeys", when perhaps they should be putting more emphasis on grooming our own big boys for the vital roles in shirts one and three. It seems a long time since the likes of Sandy Carmichael and Iain Milne were being blooded in the national side at what is today seen as a callow age.
Props notoriously take longer to mature, but there are some good and highly-promising young bloods learning the grunt and bash game in the Premiership. Young George Hunter is showing well, generally off the bench, with Ayr, whilst also gaining valuable game time, again off the bench, for Warriors. However, we need a few more to be pushing in more ways than one.
WE ALL like to bitch and moan about how out-of-touch the Murrayfield "blazers" sometimes appear to be. I sometimes think they actually enjoy being thus seen, particularly when they pull a master stroke, such as getting All Blacks coaching guru Wayne Smith to come over and impart his wisdom to some of our home-grown coaches, as he will next month.
Chapeau tipped in the direction of EH12.
I SEE Sir Clive Woodward might find himself out of a job as the success of London 2012 fades and the long haul to Rio 2016 starts.
Please, please, please, will whoever is charged with putting together the Rugby Sevens programme for Rio immediately put out of their heads, any thoughts of, because of his track record as a World Cup winner with England and his subsequent role within Team GB up to and throughout London 2012, Sir Clive being the man to run Team GB's Rugby Sevens programme.
Maybe as a technical director, along the lines of cycling's Dave Brailsford, he could set-up the programme - but, he doesn't for my money have the necessary feel for sevens and honestly, sticking the ball up the pack's jumper and rumbling forward for the by then nearly 40-years-old Jonny Wilkinson to kick dropped goals, will not bring gold in Rio.
Kenny Murray's men have now beaten all four of this season's Scottish representatives in the British & Irish Cup, two of these victories came at Netherdale and the Greenyards, two of the genuine fortresses of the club game. So, Ayr's title aspirations have, event his early in the campaign, to be taken seriously.
Admittedly, they gained in spades from Glasgow Hawks' disappointing campaign in 2011-12, the Gossmans, Peter Jerecevich and the injured Dean Kelbrick have proven to be excellent recruits. Ayr entertain Heriot's on Saturday and if they can beat the Goldenacre men, then there will be a lot of pressure on Currie to peg them back, since they are now being seen as the side most-likely to impede Ayr's progress.
However, behind Ayr's storming start, the new Top Ten is proving to be an engrossing and entertaining competition, which has to be good for Scottish rugby.
THE Herald this week ran an interesting piece on how we are bringing through our young props. Certainly a few of our top teams have been busy recruiting southern hemisphere "donkeys", when perhaps they should be putting more emphasis on grooming our own big boys for the vital roles in shirts one and three. It seems a long time since the likes of Sandy Carmichael and Iain Milne were being blooded in the national side at what is today seen as a callow age.
Props notoriously take longer to mature, but there are some good and highly-promising young bloods learning the grunt and bash game in the Premiership. Young George Hunter is showing well, generally off the bench, with Ayr, whilst also gaining valuable game time, again off the bench, for Warriors. However, we need a few more to be pushing in more ways than one.
WE ALL like to bitch and moan about how out-of-touch the Murrayfield "blazers" sometimes appear to be. I sometimes think they actually enjoy being thus seen, particularly when they pull a master stroke, such as getting All Blacks coaching guru Wayne Smith to come over and impart his wisdom to some of our home-grown coaches, as he will next month.
Chapeau tipped in the direction of EH12.
I SEE Sir Clive Woodward might find himself out of a job as the success of London 2012 fades and the long haul to Rio 2016 starts.
Please, please, please, will whoever is charged with putting together the Rugby Sevens programme for Rio immediately put out of their heads, any thoughts of, because of his track record as a World Cup winner with England and his subsequent role within Team GB up to and throughout London 2012, Sir Clive being the man to run Team GB's Rugby Sevens programme.
Maybe as a technical director, along the lines of cycling's Dave Brailsford, he could set-up the programme - but, he doesn't for my money have the necessary feel for sevens and honestly, sticking the ball up the pack's jumper and rumbling forward for the by then nearly 40-years-old Jonny Wilkinson to kick dropped goals, will not bring gold in Rio.
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