JUST what is going on within Murrayfield's corridors of power?
Many long years of experience have taught me that the SRU moves in mysterious ways, its wonders to perform. Back when I was a lad, in the dear departed amateur days, the "alickadoos" who drank the Union's gin and tonic almost relished their antedeluvian image. Dear old Aikman-Smith#s: "This is a rugby international, not a cattle market sir", remark to King George V, when the old stoker enquired as to why, while England's players were numbered, the Scots in a Twickenham international were not was seen as a badge of honour by successive generations of Murrayfield committee-men.
Yet, whilst giving the impression of having been left behind when Noah set sail, the SRU inaugurated short tours, leagues and, lest we forget, the first official substitute was a Scot. Sometimes the SRU gave the image of the Canny Scot lustre.
But, right now - I am perplexed. Glasgow is definitely a fitba city, Edinburgh less so. Of course, this has something to do with the religious/political mix in the former Second City of the Empire, but, Partick Thistle has had not a bad season as well.
BUT - whilst Glasgow has, this season, been naked of Premiership rugby, Edinburgh has had Boroughmuir, Edinburgh Academicals, Heriot's and those uppity suburbanites from Currie all operating at the highest level of the club game. Ergo, the Capital is much more of a rugby city than its larger cousin 50 miles west along the M8.
It doesn't then make sense to have the Warriors as the dominant professional side and it surely makes more commercial sense for the SRU to be looking for ways of getting Edinburgh out of the Pro12 basement and up there alongside Warriors in the attic.
The first step towards this is surely to appoint a new coach.
It may be that Messrs Scott and Hodge have, in their short spell as caretakers have convinced Murrayfield's Mandarins that they are the pair to do this - I doubt if any ordinary Edinburgh fan is thus convinced. If they have - make their appointments permanent; if not - get the new coach in-situ, quickly.
And I certainly, if I was running a pro team and didn't have my preferred coach in place, would not be buying over the hill Tongan hookers and releasing young Scots, as Edinburgh has done this week.
And while I am on the subject of releasing young Scots - big Nick Campbell must surely feel used and abused by being released by Glasgow. I am sure he will enjoy life in Jersey, but, having watched him playing for Ayr in the Premiership this season, I feel he could still do a job for Glasgow, whilst learning much from the eight years older Al Kellock - and he's a better lock than some of the guys kept on-board by Edinburgh.
Nick, perhaps like the young Gordon Brown, comes across as: "too nice". But, for me, he's got it for the professional game.
I'd certainly have kept him on and, if I was a high heid yin at Murrayfield, once I'd got my Scottish-born Edinburgh coach in-place, I'd be conducting a major review of playuing resources, designed to get the best out of our Scottish players.
Either Jackson or the now sadly injured Weir has to move to Edinburgh to play every week alongside Greig Laidlaw; propping resources are unevenly skewed towards Glasgow. To be controversial here - might not putting some fire into the bellies of the Edinburgh forwards be a good first step between playing and coaching for Big Al K?
We need answers and action - NOW, from the Mandarins.
PUIR wee Chich. Master Chalmers took what we all hope will only be a temporary leave of Scottish rugby this week as a double loser.
Bad enough to have Ayr snatch the Scottish Cup from his grasp in injury time on Saturday - perhaps worse, given the intercine nature of Borders rugby, to see Gala do much the same in the Border League final.
Still, these two late shocks coming so close together at least gives John Dalziel an inkling of his priority for the new season. He has to get his squad fitter, so they do not again falter in the home straight.
Tired players make wrong decisions - Dalziel has already learned this the hard way.
WHILE I am on the subject of Melrose losing. Many of Scotland's alleged finest rugby reporters are of Borders stock. So perhaps it was a wee bit of native bias which saw them score an own goal on the subject of writing-up Ayr's last gasp winning try at Murrayfield on Saturday.
To a man, the lap top carrying Scottia Nostra pointed out that Robbie Fergusson's scoring pass to Cammy Taylor for the Ayr winning try might have been a trifle forward. Indeed, one or two Ayr men have confided that they thought that too.
So, why did referee Lloyd Linton allow the try?
Perhaps because he was already playing an Ayr advantage for Melrose offside right under the posts. So, it didn't matter if Ayr got a try, or play was brought back for the penalty head-on to the posts. No way would Ross Curle have missed that one and Ayr would still have won; but, better to give the try and get it over with.
The solitary man in the press box to mention advantage was being played was Ron Evans in the Ayrshire Post!!!!
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