MAIL Newspapers, what published the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday really is a nasty organisation. They have a lot of good writers in their employ, who write the most utter Sudetenland-centric crap. If you're not a fox hunting, gay bashing, Muslim-hating, Euroseptic, UKIP-right-wing Tory Little Middle Englander - why the fuck are you buying their papers?
Rob Robertson, their Scottish Rugby writer, is a decent chap; I've got a lot of time for him, but, his take on our defeat to SAmoa had me scratching my head in wonder.
Yes, it was a bad result, by all accounts it wasn't the best Scottish performance, but, Rob,perhaps in an effort to toe the London-set party line, I think over-reacted badly.
Without our four Lions, minus Ross Ford, and in alien terriroty, I am not surprised we lost to the fired-up Samoans. This was always a game liable to come back and bite us, hard.
The fact is, where we now are in international rugby, with our lack of numbers, we will always be vulnerable against sides such as Samoa, Argentine and Tonga - and, mark my words, once the true value of Rugby Sevens being in the Olympics kicks in, nations such as the USA and Canada and some of the European minnows, will start to beat us if not regularly, then with an unacceptable frequency.
When we are short-handed, we are vulnerable to results such as yesterdays - the quicker we accept this, the better.
Yes, it was a bad result, but, it was badly covered by a bad paper, which doesn't help.
SATURDAY in Brisbane was a good day for the Lions, and for the Scots who played. Richie Gray is very close to having nailed-down the Test locking slot, apparently, while Stuart Hogg's performance in Brisbane has earned him a run-out in midweek at stand-off - so, they must rate him.
Losing Ryan Grant to the Lions was a bad blow for Scotland, but, assuming he gets on the field in midweek, he could yet make a late run on the rails for a Test spot at loose-head. He deserves it too.
ANENT our lack of numbers, what a demonstration of England's glut of good players their win over Argentine was. To go there, so many top men short is a frightening reminder of how amateurish officialdom has handicapped England for yonks. That was a seriously-good result.
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