YESTERDAY, Sunday, was a slothful day for old Aristotle. Apart from having to get Papa's Taxi out a couple of times for the benefit of grand-children who refuse to walk more than their own height, I did not stray far from my recliner and my TV, set to BT Sport.
Wasps v Toulon was an absolutely cracking game, won at the death. Northampton v Glasgow Warriors wasn't quite as good, but, again, the home team won it in the final play. On neither occasion, pre-match, could I see the visitors being allowed to win it.
Both matches, however, emphasised how flair, elan, champagne rugby if you like, does not sit comfortably on our dear Southern neighbours. Toulon, and with the amount of Antipodean talent they have at their disposal, why not, played a much-more open, attacking game than Wasps. Fair play to Wasps, who found a way to control their hosts for most of the match, but, in the end, flair and skill won out.
Northampton won it, because they managed to manufacture a mis-match in a contest for a high ball, but, if they hadn't won it there, or if they had missed the kickable penalty they would have got had George North not deflected that final cross-kick back to young Mallinder, I still had the feeling, Mr Poite would have played on until the did win the thing.
But, in both games, the English side's principal tactics were: stick the ball up our jumpers and grind out a try from a maul or a penalty for the opposition illegally stopping that maul; and, try for a scrum penalty.
It was ever thus. Think back to Victorian times, the cock-up that was the Charge of the Light Brigade was, at least, a case of: it might not work but, let's give it a go. Such thinking was then and still is anathema to the English mind-set, far better the infantry square, safe, solid and secure.
Don't take chances, make small gains, grind-out wins, that's English thinking.always has been. This, by the way, is what will do for Eddie Jones as England coach. Aussie: "Let's give it a whirl" attacking thinking will not sit well with the Old Farts at Twickenham, even if he can persuade his players to set-aside all they have learned at their clubs when with England.
Any way, enough about the Common Enemy; what about Glasgow and Scotland. It is hair-pulling-out Hell watching Glasgow just now. for some reason, things simply are not working as they might for them. They are still playing their familiar fast-tempo, off-loading game, but, not quite reaching even 90%, far-less 100% effectiveness.
They will, I am certain, click some day soon, and, when they do, some poor unfortunate side will be on the wrong end of a hiding. Whether this change in fortune will happen quickly enough for them to mount a sufficiently-strong defence of their Pro12 crown is open to question, but, I sure as Hell hope they do.
Of course, the Six Nations is about to intervene, which will stretch Glasgow's resources more than perhaps any other club in the British Isles. At least, at Franklin's Gardens, Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg were more like their real selves, while Alex Dunbar eased himself back into things. The Glasgow back row also performed better than of late, which was good.
I had to laugh at the reading of the game by some English hacks, who claimed that the Saints held sway at the scrums. I thought what problems Glasgow did have in that area were on the tight-head side, until Zander Fagerson came on for another mightily-effective cameo.
Some English writers were talking-up the performance of young Hill, at tight-head for Saints. Well, I thought he got absolutely nothing out of Gordy Reid, who was again an immovable rock. Then, when Gordy went off, Alex Allen came on to further demonstrate he is the future.
Right now, Al Dickinson and Willem Nel are arguable the best pair of props in the Northern Hemisphere, come the 2019 World Cup, that accolade may well be sitting on the shoulders of Messrs Allen and Fagerson - I only hope they are still with Glasgow then. Meantime, Gordy Reid is, for me, secure as Dicko's number two, while, sadly for him, I now see Ryan Grant as Yesterday's Man.
Finally, on this point. Can I say how disgusted I was with BT Sport, making young Harry Mallinder their Man of the Match - how could they, after the performance Leone Nakarawa gave over the 80 minutes? Typical English bias, that's how.
YOU may have missed it, but, at the weekend, Sean Lineen and Rory Grant had an encouraging first outing in their new positions with London Scottish, who slammed an Ospreys Premiership Squad 49-7 in a British & Irish Cup clash.
Rory Hughes bagged a brace, to take his tally to five tries in as many games for Scottish, while Robbie Fergusson, another of the guys loaned-out to Scottish from Glasgow, was voted Man of the Match.
OK, getting the Exiles up the Greene King IPA table will call for such victories on a regular basis, but, this is a great start for the new, closer relationship between BY Murrayfield and Richmond Athletic Ground.
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