SO, it's farewell and thank you to "Chunk". Let's be honest, Scotland has had technically-better props, but I doubt very much if we have ever had one who was so-proud of having worn the thistle, or who had to work as hard to overcome the obstacles in his path to that single cap which all rugby internationalists receive.
Certainly, Chunk had his faults; his ball skills were at times sorely lacking; at one time he was a penalty against Scotland waiting to be given, but, he was, I always felt, our man in the team. We, particularly those of us whose active playing career peaked in one of those many club teams for whom the Saturday afternoon game is a chance to work up a Saturday night thirst, didn't have to make too-big a leap of imagination to see oorsels as "Chunk" - while we could barely dream of being Andy Irvine, or Gavin Hastings or Toony.
Enjoy what's left of your professional career Allan, and good luck. You have, I feel, timed your exit to percfection and that is always one of the hardest things to pull-off in top-flight sport.
SO, Sean Lineen is reeally starting to earn his corn in his new role as globe-trotting talent spotter for the SRU, with the English lad from the Chiefs dur to arrive soon and the latest "Kilted Kiwi" touching down this week with the Warriors. Not forgetting young Heathcote being fast-tracked into the national squad from Bath.
All very laudable, we have too-shallow a talent pool here in Scotland; however, I fear the SRU might be going down the same road as our top football teams, too-busy bringing in non-Scots, pseudo-Scots, kind-Scots and might-eventually-become-Scots to properly nurture real, born and bred Scots.
We still haven't got the mix right; we've got some good Scots who are being seen as shirt-fillers with our pro sides, while the imports are favoured; we've got other good, young Scots, playing well week-in, week-out in our excellent Premiership, who are I feel being over-looked or under-rated in comparison to the imports. This requires sorting-out.
AS A former Ayr player I am delighted that the Millbrae club has become the first to have its name engraved on the Bill McLaren Shield - by successfully winning four successive home games since it won the right to hold the Shield.
That said, two cup wins over Hillhead/Jordanhill and GHA were hardly surprises, since neither club is a top-flight outfit. Better, perhaps, to have the Shield only up for challenge in the RBS Premiership or in the later rounds of the Scottish Cup, when it's down to the the Regional Cup Winners.
With due respect to "Hills" and GHA, getting your club's name onto the shield would have been far-more worthy if it had been achieved by winning four Premiership games in a row.
I LIKE Brian Moore. I know, shameful admission to make and surely my Tartan Army membership is under review and may be revoked. But, old "Pit Bull" by-and-large tells it like it is and he isn't afraid to have a go at the RFU, when he feels they need it.
However, when, in Monday's Telegraph, he penned a piece which purported that it was that nasty purple strip and what was apparently a particularly dire rendition of God Save the Queen which played big parts in the Australians winning at Twickenham on Saturday - well, it seemed to me his Celtic cousin Brynmor Moore had been at the lap top.
Brian, it's the Welsh you never beat - you only out-score in points. England lost because, they are not nearly as good as your media friends would like us all to believe they are.
Also, I cannot help wondering what Mr Moore and the English media would have made of matters had they had TC Clancy as referee, and he had performed as abyssmally as he did at Murrayfield.
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