I APPRECIATE the attrition rate in modern-day front row play is high. Today's coaches ask a lot of their props, to the extent, it is incredibly rare for a prop, as WP Nel has been asked to do in the last two internationals, to stay on the field for the full 80 minutes. Indeed, the cynic in me believes WP only went for that impossible interception, which got him yellow carded in Rome, since he perhaps saw getting a yellow card as his only means of getting a rest.
Nel has proved himself a superb project player, and, today, comes news of another two Edinburgh project props, Allan Dell and Simon Berghan, being given extended contracts. Now, I have to admit, I have not seen too-much of the two players, but, having seen them perform in the BT Premiership, I have not been impressed. Neither is, I believe, markedly better than some of the Scottish-born and bred props against whom they have been competing for game time.
Indeed, Dell is only the third-ranked Edinburgh loose-head, behind Scotland squad players Alasdair Dickinson and Rory Sutherland. Berghan, to be fair, made a fair old impact when he came off the bench in the second-half against Scarlets. He and John Andress are now in a bit of a scrap to be ranked second behind Nel in the pecking order for the number three shirt.
Allan Dell (top) and Simon Berghan, have signed new deals for Edinburgh
Further down the pecking order, we have Jack Cosgrove, currently getting his share of game time with London Scottish, and young Murray McCallum, tearing up trees for the Under-20s. And let's not forget Euan McQuillin, now back with Melrose, and recovering from a potentially career-ending injury. I would not bet against Euan fighting back to justify his youthful promise.
If Edinburgh has plenty of props to call on, Glasgow, with the signing this week of veteran former All Black Corey Flynn, has perhaps a surfeit of hookers. Pat McArthur and Fraser Brown are both in the extended Scotland squad, albeit injury has pushed them to the fringes; there is a third Scottish capped hooker in Kevin Bryce. They also have Georgian Shalva Mamukashvili, Scotland Under-20 caps Fergus Scott, James Malcolm and Cameron Fenton, with another Scotland Under-20 cap, Lewis Anderson of Ayr, linked to Glasgow as a Stage Three Development player. Add Flynn, and Glasgow have an entire pack of hookers, plus a scrum-half.
Corey Flynn - joining Glasgow from Toulouse
I fail to see what Flynn brings to the table, unless he is an outstanding line-out thrower and can sort out this weakness in the Glasgow game.
While Glasgow have added Flynn to their resources, across at Murrayfield, Ross Ford, now closing-in on his century of Scotland caps, has re-signed for the Capital club and will now surely play-out his career at Murrayfield.
Ross Ford - set to play out his career with Edinburgh
If the two Scottish pro sides are maybe over-endowed with front rowers, they are a wee bit short elsewhere. Which is why the decision to allow Greig Tonks to immediately leave for London Irish strikes me as a strange one.
Greig Tonks - off to London Irish
OK, Dunky Weir will move along the M8 at the end of the season; on this, the thought of a New Zealand-style midfield, with Weir at first five-eighth, Phil Burleigh at second five-eighth and Matt Scott at centre, excited me. But, that plan cannot be implemented - since Scott is off to Gloucester next season. Still, there is a top six Pro12 place to cement, plus, hopefully, a last four play-off place. Losing Tonks will not help this project.
Edinburgh has now, in very short order, dispensed with three number tens: Harry Leonard, Tom Heathcote, now Tonks, without replacing them with players of similar standard. If anything happens to Burleigh, who has performed well in a position other than that for which he was signed, their play-off and Champions Cup hopes could go out of the window.
We have to presume, Murrayfield sets the player budgets, then pretty-much leaves the two clubs to get on with recruiting. However, as this post shows, there doesn't seem to be an overall watching brief, which ensures that both clubs, which are, never forget, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the SRU, are acting not merely in their own interests, but, in the long-term interests of Scottish Rugby.
We are now at the stage where we have, I would suggest, enough professional players for the SRU to inaugurate a third, and perhaps a third and fourth professional teams. The quick fix, indeed the fix I would go for, would be to twist their arms at London Scottish to get the Exiles to switch from the second tier of the club game in England, to become a third Scottish club laying in the Pro12.
I accept, some of the guys at Richmond would perhaps rather see Scottish back in the top-flight in England, taking-on Harlequins, Bath, Leicester Tigers, Wasps and Saracens on a regular basis. The drawback to this, from a SCOTTISH point of view is - English Premiership rules insist, 70% of the players - 16 of the 23 - in a match-day squad must be: "England-qualified". Abiding with that rule will not help Scottish rugby.
I still believe, Guinness, with their corporate headquarters in London, would love to have a Pro12 team playing on their doorstep. Indeed, quite why the Irish, Scottish and Welsh Rugby Unions have not been working on the three long-established, London-based exiles teams to make the switch is beyond me. That might be a long-term goal, Scottish moving to the Pro12 would be a good start.
The alternative to further solidifying the tie-up between Murrayfield and Richmodn Athletic Ground would be to either restore the Border Reivers, but this time bang heads together so the team would be seen as representing the whole region, even if it meant moving the games around the grounds; or, the oft-floated, but, I don't think entirely viable Aberdeen option.
I remain convinced, however, we now have enough Scottish players good enough to play as full-time professionals. And, once we get this sorted-out, maybe the SRU should start paying attention to the poor orphan children of the Scottish game - the clubs.
They are getting a raw deal.
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