The victorious Scotland Seven at Twickenham
JINGS,
crivvens,
michty me, whau'd hae thocht it – Scotland has won a tournament in
the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. And what a place to break our
duck at the top end of the tournament series – by winning the final
event of the 2015-16 season, in London. I mean, Scotland does not win
Sevens tournaments, and they most-certainly does not win at
Twickenham. Is this perchance a sign?
So
well done to all the Scottish squad. I think this single win, coming
on the back as it did, of several bowl and plate wins across the
series, has, hopefully, silenced for now, those who were calling for
the SRU to ditch the Sevens squad.
Dougie Fife - ha a big weekend in London
A
particular well done to Dougie Fife, who put a miserable domestic
season with Edinburgh behind him with his performance is London.
Also, we saw a rare piece of out of the box thinking by the Scots,
when they produced a driving maul, from which they scored, in their
final win over South Africa. Giving Scotland's traumatic relationship
with driving mauls in 15-a-side rugby, to tear up the script and use
one in Sevens, wow!!
I
was speaking earlier this week to one poor guy who missed-out on
Twickenham, Sevens squad regular Gavin Lowe, who is recovering from
six weeks out with ankle ligament damage, sustained in the Hong Kong
Sevens. But, Gavin was delighted for his mates, who have finally got
the monkey off their backs. He is also raring to go with the extended
Team GB Sevens squad, which he joins, in London next week, as they
begin their preparations for the Olympic Games in Rio, in August.
Scotland
is definitely under-represented with Team GB, maybe, if injuries
become a factor, one or two more of the Twickenham heroes might make
a late push to become Olympians.
I
AM a
wee bit concerned about Finn Russell. He has been transferred from
the local hospital in Galway to a specialist hospital in Dublin, as
he continues to recover from the very-severe head injury he sustained
so early in Saturday night's game with Connacht.
Finn Russell - the lack of detail in the medical bulletins is worrying
Finn
has already been withdrawn from the Scotland tour to Japan this
summer, and while the official Glasgow Warriors press release
concerning his injury is upbeat – there is a lack of detail which
worries me.
A
WEE word to Matt Horler and the hard-working guys and gals in the
SRU's Media Department at BT Murrayfield. In the absence of an
overview of club rugby by those Scottish newspapers which are
traditionally supposed to bother about rugby – why not produce an
end of season “report card” of who won what in the season which
is ending.
Something
like this:
BT
Premiership winners: Ayr; Relegated: Selkirk
BT
Premiership Play-Off winners: Heriot's; Runners-up: Ayr
National
League 1 Champions: Watsonians; Relegated: Peebles, Kelso
National
League 2 Champions: Hamilton; Runners-up and also promoted: Falkirk;
Relegated Lasswade and Greenock Wanderers
National
League 3 Champions: Glasgow High-Kelvinside; Runners-up and also
promoted: West of Scotland; Relegated: East Kilbride, Irvine and
Berwick.
Caledonian
League Division One Champions (promoted to NL3): Highland; Relegated
Mackie Academy FP and Hillfoots.
Caledonian
League Division Two Midlands Champions (promoted to CL1) Alloa;
Relegated: Blairgowrie.
Caledonian
League Division Two North Champions (promoted to CL1): Deeside;
Relegated: Lochaber.
Caledonian
League Division Three Midlands Champions: Crieff and Strathearn;
Relegated: Bo'ness.
Caledonian
League Division Three North Champions: Highland 2nd XV.
Caledonian
League Division Four Midlands Champions: Stirling County 3rd
XV.
East
Regional League Division One Champions: (promoted to NL3): St
Boswell's; Relegated: Hawick Linden
East
Regional League Division Two Champions: Penicuik; Relegated: Langholm
East
Regional League Division Three: Champions: Earlston.
West
Division One: Champions (promoted to NL3): Glasgow Academicals;
Relegated: Cambuslang, Lenzie
West
Division Two: Champions: Annan; Relegated: Strathendrick, Isle of
Arran
West
Division Three: Champions: Millbrae; also promoted: Strathaven;
Relegated: Clydesdale and Lanark
West
Division Four : Champions: Police Scotland (Glasgow); also promoted:
Isle of Mull.
That
is how it should look, re-organisation and other unforseen events
might change things, however.
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