WHEN I was a boy, the Easter long weekend meant one thing to rugby - touring. Whether you were merely interested in whatever high jinks those Barbarians chaps indulged themselves in as they invaded South Wales, or if, perhaps, you were fortunate enough to be off on a jolly with your team mates - here was a weekend dedicated to fun and games.
Today, even though Easter 2016 is one of the earliest dates in this moveable feast, Easter is just another Saturday in the season. Well, not quite, in Scottish domestic rugby - this is the biggest week of the season, by far, with semi-finals and crucial games all over the shop.
Not that you would know from reading our newspapers, even the ones which have a history of treating rugby as rather more than a minority sport, played by posh boys from public schools.
The lack of coverage given to Scottish rugby below the professional club level continues to be a disgrace. I have repeatedly told Sports Editors, who ought to know better - their failure to properly cover the club game is just one factor in the downward graph of their circulation. But, do they take steps to change things - taught from birth that fitba is the only game in town, do they heck.
So - what's on today? Let's start at the very top: game of the day is surely Ayr v Melrose, at Millbrae, in the BT Scottish Cup semi-final.
Frazier Climo scores for Ayr during their last Millbrae clash with Melrose back in September
Clashes between these two clubs are always exciting and hard-fought and this afternoon's will be no different. Melrose have won the last three meetings - both league matches this season, plus last season's BT Premiership play-off semi-final. This statistic leaves Ayr with much to play for this afternoon. However, nobody at Millbrae is taking home advantage for granted, this one could be a classic.
The other semi-final is up at Old Anniesland, where Glasgow Hawks take-on Heriot's. On paper, the visitors will start this as favourites, however, Hawks have a habit of upsetting the Goldenacre team, and, as at Millbrae, when it comes to forecasting the outcome, this one is a fence-sitter's paradise.
All four teams are 80 minutes away from Murrayfield, which will ramp-up the tension, and, as down in Alloway, events in the West End of Glasgow promise to be exciting.
Line-out action from Heriot's last visit to Old Anniesland
If the two Cup semi-finals are the main events, there are other key matches taking place right across Scotland.
In the semi-finals of the BT National Shield, the match-ups are: North Berwick v Highland and Carrick v St Boswell's. In the BT National Bowl, the last four line-up: Millbrae v Grangemouth Stags and Aberdeen University v Earlston.
Sunday is Ladies Day, with the semi-finals of the three Women's knock-out cups. In the main Women's trophy - The Sarah Beaney Cup, it's Murrayfield Wanderers v RHC Cougars and Ayr v Hillhead-Jordanhill.
The Women's Bowl semi-final line-up is: Howe of Fife v Annan and Glasgow University v Garioch; while in the Women's Plate - Stirling County v Broughton and Watsonian's v Aberdeen Quines.
Today's fixtures are not all about the cups, however; not least in National League Division One. League leaders Watsonians welcome Howe of Fife to Myreside, where a home win will guarantee the Myreside Men a return to the BT Premiership next season. In the same league, a Marr win at DUNDEE HSFP will wrap-up the Troon side's place in the promotion/relegation play-off match against Gala, with a game to spare.
It is all but certain that Marr will be facing the Braw Lads, but, coach Craig Redpath and his men want the job done asap.
Interestingly, Ayr's Millbrae will be the scene of three of these semi-finals, while the need to mention Carrick and Marr indicates - South Ayrshire seems to be where it's at, in domestic rugby these days.
BUT, to more-serious matters. We Scots rugby fans are well used to seeing our enjoyment of Pro12 and international matches by a species first identified by Max Boyce nearly 50-years ago - "blind Irish referees". We all know they march to a different (Lambeg) drum in the smaller of the two main British Isles; over the years we have seen some strange decisions arrived at by referees in green, but surely no Irish official ever plumbed the depths to the extent of John Lacey, at Scotstoun on Friday night.
In rugby, more than most games, we CANNOT allow ourselves to consider that referees might be bent, corrupt, buyable, less than neutral. To think this is to fatally undermine the foundations of our great game. We may think them incompetent, promoted above their pay grade even, but, never corrupt.
On Friday night - I felt, John Lacey was corrupt. I know, it is unthinkable, but, I can see no other reason for the manner in which he punished Glasgow for one indiscretion, but, when Ulster did the same thing moments later - he let it go.
Some of his decisions, or in the case of Ulster activity at the breakdown, non-decisions, defied all logic. When a man of probity and experience such as The Scotsman's Ian Morrison is moved to question the fairness of the referee, then something was far wrong on Friday night.
John Lacey - gave a woeful display of refereeing on Friday night
World Rugby currently has a problem with its Laws, and with the manner in which referees interpret these Laws. Sadly, for we Scots, the man who should be leading efforts to sort this situation out is oor ain John Jeffrey, and I see little evidence of the White Shark biting.
That said, the near-impossible job of policing the Laws in the professional game is not being helped by poor referees such as Lacey. And, to compound our frustrations in Scotland - we do not have a single official who is considered good enough to referee at the elite level.
Alan Hosie (above) and Jim Fleming (below) - where are their successors as Scottish elite level referees?
But, as we wait for the new generation of top Scottish referees to emerge, be noticed and given their opportunity at the highest level, at least we can reflect in the scant consolation - it isn't Scottish guys who are making such a mess of refereeing today.
Lacey's pig's breakfast of officiating on Friday night, somewhat took away from a brave Glasgow performance. Effectively, they beat 16 men, so well done to them, and in particular to Man-of-the-Match Finn Russell, and to Stuart Hogg, who lit-up Scotstoun with yet another sparkling display.
This has been quite a week for the talented Teri - named RBS Six Nations Player of the Year, then yellow-carded before he had broken sweat on Friday night, he bounced back with another trademark solo try, before giving the Scotstoun crowd the grandstand finish they wanted, with that outrageous 50-metres-plus penalty to deny Ulster even a losing bonus point.
Of course, since he learned his rugby on the notoriously-soggy Mansfield Park pitch, it might be said: Hogg is used to walking on water.
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