Tin Hats On - There's A Shit Storm A Comin'

THE REVELATION that the SRU was embarking on a tie-up with Nice in the South of France has, not unexpectedly, caused a serious bout of electrically-agitated excrement dispersal; that is to say, the shit has hit the fan big style.

 Chief "blazer" Mark Dodson

I have only spoken to a handful of representatives of our top BT Premiership clubs, but, it is safe to say, the Lesser-Spotted Johnson and Mr Dodson would be well-advised to have flak jackets on under their nice SRU blazers come the 2017 agm – in fact, that would be a good day to throw a sickie.

The natives are not happy, and may even be revolting come the day. Explaining this one will need some fancy talking, and no mistake. They might even have to delegate explaining it away to Mrs Bradbury, on the basis that – they wouldn't be nasty to a woman, would they? They, being the clubs.

I have long felt there is a serious rift in Scottish rugby. Murrayfield appears to think the professional game is their little play thing, to do with as they will, and the clubs should get on with their own, less-important section of the game and leave the serious stuff to the big boys.

But, as we all know, since rugby went professional in 1995, Murrayfield has stumbled from fuck-up, to embarrassing boob, to crisis, with the occasional wee bout of happiness to keep the natives sweet and in line.

In real life, we can get rid of politicians who mess-up – eventually, it seems harder in Scottish rugby to weed-out the stumble bums.

I do not see how the blazers can persuade us that a tie-in with a lower league French club is better for player development than a proper in-house scheme here in Scotland.

They could begin to mend fences and bridge the gap between the club game and the professional one, by taking a look at how the other Celtic nations handle things.

Go onto the website of any of the four Irish sides in the PRO12 – Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. Now, these sides are described as “Provinces” rather than clubs – they represent their part of Ireland, and, significantly, on each of the four websites, you will find a section dedicated to the domestic or club game in that province.

There is a clear link between the professional team and the amateur one own the road – that isn't there in Scotland, where apparently, Glasgow Warriors is nothing to do with Glasgow Hawks, or Ayr, or Stirling County or Marr, the BT Premiership clubs who are expected to slot Warriors' players into their team to keep them sharp, or to help recovery from injury by giving them game time.

To be fair to the Warriors' management, under Toony they encouraged the releasing of their fringe players to these clubs – along the M8 at Edinburgh, there was never the same give and take and co-operation.

The four Irish PRO12 teams, and the four Welsh regions each have teams, comprised of fringe professionals and top club players, entered into the British & Irish Cup. Thus, their fringe guys get game time, as they also do in matches between the provinces and regions.

Why cannot Glasgow and Edinburgh have similar games for their fringe guys and better Academy players? Also, such teams could surely get games against the Academy/reserve sides of the likes of Newcastle Falcons, Sale, Yorkshire Carnegie and even Wasps – it's not that far down the M6 to Coventry.

Proper drafting and co-operation could enable our top club sides, Ayr, Melrose, Glasgow Hawks, Heriot's and Currie for instance, to be competitive in the B&I Cup – if only Murrayfield would co-operate and not insist on their way or no way.

How must Glasgow Hawks feel? They have just lost George Horne to Warriors, he is unlikely to be available to them as-often in the new season as he was last term. Still, Fin Gillies and Colin Gregor knew this would happen, but, they had Josh Henderson ready to get more game time at ten.

Josh Henderson - unlikely to wear these colours in the new season

 

Only, now he is apparently off to the South of France, leaving a shirt to fill. You simply cannot treat people with the disdain Murrayfield has shown in this latest venture, without some bad vibes coming back at you. The whole thing is a mess, and Murrayfield ought to be made aware of this, if only to save them from themselves.

This rammy could definitely run and run.

HANDS UP if you didn't see George Turner's loan deal from Edinburgh to Glasgow coming? Once Fraser Brown went under the surgeon's knife, it was such an obvious move, even the SRU would make it.

 George Turner - on-loan at Scotstoun

I wish young George well at Scotstoun, where competition for the number 2 jersey will be really keen this season. The boy has a chance.

I wonder too, if Dave Rennie just might bring Glasgow another present when he arrives. I refer to Scottish-born scrum-half Finlay Christie, the back-up half-back (as scrum-halves are known in New Zealand).

Finlay Christie - might be worth re-partiating

Henry Pyrgos has done well for the club, but, he is now, in most judges' opinion, second-best to Ali Price, so Christie could be a good new recruit – unless, of course, Warriors' management sees young George Horne as ready for more games.

AS A YOUNG wannabe journalist, I was told, you never lifted and reprinted a story from a rival outlet, unless you could add value to it. You simply admitted: “They scooped me”, and vowed not to get mad, but to get even.

 

Gary Heatly - cheeky but, nice one son

So kudos to young Gary Heatly for lifting Glasgow Warriors' in-house interview with big Greg Peterson, slotting-in a spurious mention of Calum Hunter-Hill moving from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and selling the piece to The Scotsman.

Chutzpah in spades; but, Gary, a wee bottle of something to the Warriors' in-house media department might not be a bad idea. They did most of the work after all.