Back To Real Rugby Of The Club Variety

WITH this being a fallow week in the 2017 Six Nations, we can concentrate on real rugby, of the club variety.

The club festival kicks-off tonight with the Guinness PRO12 clash between Leinster v Edinburgh at the RDS. With so-many front-line Leinster players in the Irish squad, this should be one away game Edinburgh can target for a win. They certainly need to pick-up unexpected points somewhere this season, so why not tonight? Mind you, I am not at all confident in their ability to win this one.

Similarly, I can foresee a hard afternoon for Glasgow, in the Kingspan in Belfast. Mark Bennett being released from the national squad, plus the return of Peter Horne, should give Glasgow the cutting edge they lacked last week, but, here again, I am not all confident of their chances.

Tomorrow we will see most of the BT Premiership clubs finish their league campaigns. Of course, with some outstanding games still to be played-off, the final running order in the regular season campaign will not be known for a week or two yet.

Game of the day looks like being the basement battle between relegated Gala and Boroughmuir, who are second-bottom, but have a game in hand over third-bottom Hawick. 'Muir really need to win this one to avoid the promotion/relegation play-off. The Edinburgh side have had a funny season, capable of terrific results such as beating Ayr, but, just as liable to lose a game where they are expected to win. I reckon they will deeped the Netherdale gloom in this one.

Another interesting game will be the Malleny Park clash between Currie and Glasgow Hawks. These are two of the most attack-minded sides in the division, so the crowd could well be in for a high-scoring game. Currie's need for the points is greater. They did well to make the top four last season, but, they need to win this one and their outstanding fixture at Boroughmuir, if they are to overhaul Heriot's and deny the Goldenacre gang a top four finish and a chance to retain their title.

Down at Millbrae, Ayr will have revenge on their mind. Their shock loss at Myreside earlier this season will, if Melrose win their last two games, be the main reason why Ayr failed to top the table at the end of the regular season. With second spot at least guaranteed, the league leaders can go out for a bonus-point win to set the record straight, pile a wee bit of added pressure on Melrose and give the home support a reason to smile.

This match will be the final league game in charge for Marcus di Rollo and Simon Taylor, so, they will want to end with a win, should be a good game.

Melrose will entertain Hawick at the Greenyards. Well, this is a Border battle, so, nobody with any sense will attempt to forecast how it will pan out, but, you have to fancy the 'Rose to bloom.

THE make-ups of the two professional squads for next season is starting to become a wee bit clearer. I must admit, I am surprised that the rumour linking Mark Bennett with a move along the M8 to Edinburgh proved to be true. I would have put money on him going back to France for next season. I reckon he must have been offered a big pay rise to stay in Scotland, if so, good on you Marko boy.

 Mark Bennett at the Olympics

I am surprised, but not shocked, at Glasgow allowing Gordon Reid and Josh Strauss to leave at the end of the season. These guys have been very-important pillars of Warriors' rise; neither is exactly over the hill and, losing them in favour of relatively-unproven younger players might yet be a mistake.

BY THE WAY, I am becoming heartily sick of various pundits, even some who should know better, coming out with their Lions Test XV after each round of the Six Nations.

The first Lions squad which I ever bothered about was the 1959 party in Australia and New Zealand. Now, right up until they got to Australia, the informed speculators had it that the full-back's shirt would be worn by Terry Davies of Wales. Even Ken Scotland, who was the other full-back on the tour accepted, he was going as back-up to the Welshman.

 Ken Scotland - the back-up who became first-up

The party arrived in Australia and, when the Test team for the first of the two Tests in that country was named, Scotland and not Davies was named at full-back. He went on to play there in four of the six Tests, was injured for the second Test in New Zealand and played centre in the final Test.

Let's look at the 1971 Immortals in New Zealand, Ray McLoughlin and Sandy Carmichael were pencilled-in as the Test props, but, were punched out of the tour in the Battle of Canterbury, with Ian McLauchlan and Sean Lynch stepping in. On the same tour, Gordon Brown was only supposed to be there to make up the numbers, but, he fought his way into the Test team and a legend was born.

Broon Frae Troon - Lions' Legend

OK, making-up a Lions Test XV is an easy pot-boiler for any journalist who is short of ideas, but, remember, reality always gets in the way of such pieces. And, I deplore the way football-style puff pieces are increasingly finding their way onto the rugby pages.

We now have Gavin Hastings & Co telling us that Stuart Hogg HAS to be the Lions' Test full-back. OK, IF he maintains his current form through the remainder of the Six Nations and on into the Tour, I am fairly confident, Hoggie will wear 15 in the first Test. But, I don't need big Gav to tell me this. Gavin Hastings might be a past Lions' captain, but, his thoughts on Hogg add little to the debate.

Also, I would expect the last Scot to wear 15 for the Lions in a Test to be boosting the favourite to be the next Scot to do this. I would like to see his views on which as yet untipped Scots can make it onto the Tour and perhaps into the Test side.