Glass Half-Full Or Half-Empty?

ANOTHER down and up weekend for we followers of Scottish Rugby. I opted for the BBC Alba coverage of Ulster v Edinburgh, rather than Glasgow v Dragons, live at Scotstoun, on Friday night. The debate as to whether or not I took the better option is on-going.

 

Friends who did take the trouble to go to Scotstoun were not exactly happy with their lot. In truth, the Dragons are the Welsh team we all ought to look to beat regularly, Glasgow didn't. I felt, on this occasion, albeit working off a reduced squad, Gregor Townsend got his squad rotation wrong.

 

Edinburgh v Ulster were, by and large, awful. If they are going to lose so badly, I'd rather we lost with home-grown Scottish players rather than second or third-rate Saffers.

 

Glasgow are a sound scrummaging side, Edinburgh aren't. If the coaches cannot coach scrumming, get shot. That the country of McLeod, McLauchlan, Sole, Rollo, Carmichael and Milne, of hookers of the calibre of Bruce, Laidlaw and Deans cannot find players able to form a reasonable front row today, what are the SRU paying such big salaries for?

 

Scotland did better against the Aussies than they had against the Saffers. Fair enough. I tend to look at the Autumn Tests as being a proving ground for team selections for the Six Nations, in which case, I don't think Scott Johnson learned much which he didn't already know.

 

I think Al Kellock's Scotland days are over; well done thou good and fiathful servant. Richie Gray has to give himself a shake, otherwise, he too might be left to make money in France. I have never been a big Jim Hamilton fan - I think he concedes too-many penalties; but, he has bucked-up his ideas, which is good.

 

I'd pension-off Ross Ford, now; pray for Ross Rennie's good health and perhaps think of pensioning-off Sean Lamont. Yes, he can break the line, but, too-often he fails to appreciate support and the need to pass.

 

We must hope Stuart Hogg regains his misplaced mojo, ditto Mark Bennett. The Six Nations will be hard going, as ever.

 

 

AYR v Gala on Saturday was one helluva battle - The Charge Of The Light Brigade meets The Somme. Yet another example of what a good competition the RBS Premiership is at the top level. Ayr's inability to turn overwhelming territorial and ball possession into more than 13 points in the opening quarter was, in the end, costly, at both ends of the match. They also left a few kickable points out there on the park unclaimed.

 

Gala's defence was simply awesome, there is no other word for their commitment to keeping out a rampant Ayr. They also had, in Ewan McQuillin, the outstanding man on the park for me. I know he trains with Edinburgh, but, this is a young, mobile and strong prop who is surely worth greater involvement in the professional game.

 

Graham has also been impressed by the way former centre Craig Borthwick has responded to the unusual move to the second row.

 

I fancy, with a six-point gap at the top, Gala are now Champions-elect. Certainly the title is now theirs to lose.