CHEERING though it was to see Scotland's World Cup preparations move up a gear, with the first taste of match action, let's not get carried away with what was, a patchy but encouraging Dublin display. I will be surprised if any more than three of Saturday's starting XV are in our starting line-up against the Japanese on 23 September - when the RWC begins for us in Gloucester.
In football, old Craig Brown used to respond to hysterical press demands that he cap so-and-so by doing just that, thereby giving the flavour of the month the chance to play himself out of international contention.
OK, we seldom see the same media hysteria when it comes to naming the Scottish rugby XV, but, I reckon yesterday's match, and at least this weekend's Italian Job are BVC's way of allowing some of the fringe members of his big squad the chance to play themselves out of the RWC.
The big Kiwi probably already knows his preferred match-day 23, leaving him with just eight players to find from the remaining 23 wannabees. Of course, there will almost certainly be one or two injuries over the remaining three matches, so, it would be pointless to name names at this stage.
I don't think anyone played themselves OUT of the final 31 on Saturday, but, interestingly for BVC, the overall standard of the team has made his job in arriving at the final 31 names that wee bit harder.
It will be interesting to see who makes it onto the 'plane to Italy this weekend. Thereafter, for the final two warm-up games - things will become really intriguing.
One aspect of Saturday's game did concern me. Again we had a supposedly elite level referee treating Scotland as "the wee team". We simply didn't get the rub of the green (if you can say that in the context of a game in Ireland) when it came to the iffy decisions.
Our forwards were repeatedly pinged at the breakdown, while the Irish got away with murder, for instance - this is nothing new, but, the SRU has to get it sorted out.
Mind you, in at least three of our RWC group games, against Japan, USA and Samoa - Scotland will be the "big" team and likely to get the refereeing breaks; so maybe we should not say too-much, too-soon.
IT WASN'T just BVC who had reasons to be cheered by defeat at the weekend. When you looked at the squad he took to Clermont Auvergne on Friday night, Toony can surely only be happy with the closeness of the defeat the young Warriors suffered at the hands of a much-more-experienced French side.
One of the many good things which Toony has done since he took over at Scotstoun has been his willingness to risk young, inexperienced players. Clearly, Toony believes in the old adage: "If they're good enough, they're old enough". Maybe the longer in the tooth Alan Solomons could take a leaf out of his younger colleague's book.
I WATCHED Saturday's Dublin match in an Ayrshire rugby club, sitting alongside some equally-aged, if not older "silverbacks". But, in the opposite corner of the club-house, also watching the game on the big screen, were a group of that club's women's team.
And their behaviour won approval from my long-term former team-mate seated next to me.
"That's the attitude I like to see", he said, alluding to the fact these young ladies were, to a girl, drinking pints.
Women backing old-style rugby values - that's what we like to see.
WATCHING the highlights of the England v France game on the BBC iplayer this morning, one thing was patently obvious, that is the sheer quality of Brian Moore as the co-commentator.
"Pit Bull" wasn't on-duty at Twickenham on Saturday night, with the odious Jerry Guscott moving-up from talking head to co-commentator. Now, one thing has long been patently obvious about Guscott. Even in his playing days, for all his sublime skills, he came across as a total tosser.
Since he has been paid to talk rather than play rugby, it has become even more evident, what an obnoxious human being he is. He surpassed himself on Saturday, as a totally one-eyed little Englander.
The sooner the BBC cleans its stables of the Engurland, Engurland, Engurland cheer leaders whom they employ, the better. But, I am not holding my breath on this.
This upcoming World Cup is increasingly being sold as: "Come and watch England beat the world". You know, I can see them flopping badly - they are not nearly as good as their media cheer leaders - such as Guscott - think they are.
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