So far, so good - following the first victory of the Vern Cotter era, in Houston, last Saturday. I bet Big Vern was pleased to get away to a winning start. Given Scotland's erratic form under our last two coaches, the Eagles were always likely to shit on an under-strength Scottish XV from a great height.
The new boys seemed to come through ok; sure, the injuries to Duncan Taylor and Jim Hamilton were not in the script, but, we now have momentum.
I cannot argue with Cotter's selection for tomorrow's match in Toronto, other than to (again) question the SRU's seeming reluctance to cap Mark Bennet. I was speaking with one of young Mark's coaches from his mini-rugby days, and he reckoned the kid's natural reticence is perhaps holding him back. In the days, 50 years ago now, when he was scoring goals for fun for Scot Symon's great Jim Baxter-inspired team, Ralph Brand could be heard, as he got into the opposition's penalty area, shouting: "Here I am". My friend reckons, Bennet ought to be screaming this, as he runs these great lines which have brought him, and Glasgow, a few tries this season.
My mate, however, reckons, Bennet doesn't push himself forard enough, and still, to an extent, plays second fiddle to more-experienced players around him. Good team members are always welcome, but, a wee bit "Me, Me" from Mark, just might be good for Glasgow, and Scotland.
If not Toronto tomorrow, when will Bennet get his cap? Time is running out for the World Cup, and, while I am excited about the Russell/Horne, first/second five-eighth style midfield axis, even Cotter must, by now, what we can expect from Sean Lamont. Not picking Bennet was a chance missed.
I AM a wee bit disappointed at the decision to withdraw the four top Premiership sides, Ayr, Gala, Heriot's and Melrose from next season's British & Irish Cup. The excuse about threatening the integrity of the Premiership, to me, seems like a bad case of the tail wagging the dog, and doesn't say much about the chances of ever getting the semi-pro Premiership up and running.
To go further, I do not accept that six pre-Christmas fixtures in the B&I Cup, could not be shoe-horned into the season. Last season, the league programme was lop-sided, very lop-sided, but, in this 21st century of professional (or semi-professional) rugby, we must not let anything get in the way of April being Sevens season - at least in the Borders. We cannot have genuine, competitive 15s getting in the way of the "sports".
After all, it has aye been thus, we cannot have progress - can we?
TO return to tomorrow in Toronto. How good to see BT Sport picking-up this game for live coverage, although, I fear, we might end up hearing an awful lot about England and English rugby in the commentary.
In spite of their £20 million investment in Scottish rugby, I still think, around the BT Sport HQ in Queen Elizabeth Park, in that there Lunnun, Scotland is still, by-and-large, a small, far-off land, of which they know nothing.
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