It's My Birthday, So I'm Picking My Scotland Team

TODAY is my birthday, so, I will not be apologising for indulging myself in today's blog post subjects. I honestly need a wee break from the ins and outs of Super 6 and Agenda 3, so, I thought I'd have some fun.

Much of what is written about sport, any sport, is opinion – which is always free. The thing you have to learn quickly in this game of sports writing is: facts are sacred, however.

Hoggy - made the BBC team, but not Aristotle's

Well, in the run-up to the Calcutta Cup match, BBC Scotland ran a wee thing – pick the best all-time Scotland XV. Now, for me, picking any all-time team is a passable wee bit of fun, at that stage of a night in the club when you've gone off the beer and onto single malts – that time for reflection and friendly argument.

When the likes of the BBC does it online, the result comes down to the demographics of the audience. The “Best-Ever Scotland XV” the BBC vote came up with (in this blog's usual 1-15 format) was:

1. David Sole, 2. Colin Deans, 3. Ewan Murray; 4. Doddie Weir, 5. Richie Gray; 6. John Jeffrey, 7. Fin Calder, 8. Jim Telfer; 9. Gary Armstrong, 10, Gregor Townsend; 11. Chris Paterson, 12. Scott Hastings, 13. Jim Renwick, 14. Tony Stanger; 15, Stuart Hogg.

Not a bad team, I admit, but, there could not have been much happening in the Borders that week, that so-many South guys got in, and, in saying that I am not denigrating the huge contribution the Borders clubs have made to the game. But, it's not the team I would have chosen.

In picking any of these “Best-Ever” teams, I always work to the rule – a great player in one era, would be a great player in any era. Sure, we tend to work on the basis of picking the guys we saw, which, I feel, gives guys like me an advantage, after all, I've been watching Scotland for over 60-years. Then we throw-in local bias.

Sadly, I have only ever read about “Darkie” Bedell-Sivright, Ian Smith, Eric Liddell and so on, but, what I have read makes me think, they might be worthy of inclusion. I mean, look at Ian Smith's try-scoring statistics: 24 tries in 32 internationals, still a joint Scottish record.

 Ian Smith - would have been great in any era

But, I did see Arthur Smith, Ken Scotland, Andy Irvine and so on, which is why they came into consideration before some of today's stars. My principal criteria was – were they outstanding players for Scotland, but also for the Lions.

Apart from Ian Smith, I saw them all play and I have picked no less than seven players who not only played for but, either in a one-off tour game, or for a full tour, were considered good enough to captain the Lions. Hence my personal “Best-Ever Scotland XV” which is – again in 1-15 order:

1. Ian McLauchlan, 2. Colin Deans, 3. Sandy Carmichael; 4. Al McHarg, 5. Gordon Brown; 6. David Leslie, 7. Ron Glasgow, 8. Jim Telfer; 9. Roy Laidlaw, 10. John Rutherford; 11. Ian Smith, 12. Jock Turner, 13. Jim Renwick, 14. Arthur Smith; 15. Ken Scotland.
   
   
   
   Four of my best-ever Scotlan pack togther: Ian McLauchlan, Al McHarg, Gordon Brown and David Leslie, plus, Alan Tomes, who wasn't a bad player either

Unfortunately, Messrs Deans, Telfer and Renwick are common to both sides, so we cannot have a match-off between the two teams, but, in any case, my side would win.

I CANNOT say I was surprised when Ryan Wilson was cited for his efforts to get Nathan Hughes off him on Saturday.

From my perspective, he never attempted to “gouge” Hughes, but, hands near an opponents eyes is a no-no, unless your name is Owen Farrell that is.

Donald Findlay - get him in to argue Ryan Wilson's case

I trust the SRU will get a good sports lawyer in there to represent Wilson, Professor Lorne Crerar, or perhaps Donald Findlay, your country needs you, and that a strong case is aggressively argued.

Hughes was by no means blameless, and if I was the SRU legal representative, I would be arguing: “How come Wilson, in trying to free himself from being held down illegally, gets cited, while the opponent, who clearly had both hands round Wilson's throat, is not also facing legal sanctions?”

All too-often, in sporting flash-points, the aggressor, who commits the original foul, gets off with it, while the retaliator has to face the music. Hughes was at least equally to blame for the incident – he cannot be allowed to escape punishment.

I HAD a brief chat with Scotland Sevens squad member Robbie Fergusson after the Ayr v Hawick game on 17 February.

Robbie and the rest of the core Sevens squad are about to embark on their busiest spell of the season. This weekend, they are in action in Las Vegas, where they face Argentina, New Zealand and Uruguay in their pool.

From there they head north to one of my favourite cities in the world, Vancouver, where the Canadian leg of the World Rugby/HSBC Sevens Series will take place on 10-11 March.

The squad then returns to Scotland, to prepare for another two back-to-back events, the iconic Hong Kong Sevens, between 06-08 April, followed by a quick hop down to the Gold Coast, for the Commonwealth Games, in which the Sevens will take place between 11-13 April. Aye, it's a hard life being a full-time rugby player.

 Kyle Steyn - the latest discovry of the SQ plan

There is a new face in the squad for Las Vegan, with the Scottish-Qualified programme having turned-up another potential Scotland player in Kyle Steyn, a 24-year-old Stellenbosch graduate, who plays his rugby for the Griquas in the Currie Cup.

Big, fast and with a Scottish mother, what's not to like about the new boy and with him, James Fleming back in the squad after injury, and Darcy Graham back as well, the Scotland squad does not lack serious gas.

AND finally: having decided to release Dunky Weir, I note Edinburgh Rugby has put young Jason Baggott of Melrose on a full-time contract. Further undermining of the Murrayfield dictum: “The BT Premiership is not fit for purpose.”

 Jason Baggott

We Need To Manage Players To Avoid Burn-Out

SOMETIMES, like on Saturday, when we Senior Citizens, as we occasionally do – go ape shit at a Scotland victory, some young whipper-snapper will caution us to: “Keep the heid grandpaw, what are you getting so worked-up about?”

Huw Jones might benefit from a summer break

We cannot really say: “Wait till you've had the number of scunnerings I've endured at the hands of the English, then, you will know why we lose it when we gubb them;” that knowledge and experience has to be learned, endured even. Also, as I have been forced to reveal to younger Tartan Army foot soldiers, when I am roaring-on Scotland with a fervour which does not become my great age: “I am shouting for a few guys who are no longer here to shout with me.”

One of the joys/sorrows of being a Scottish Rugby Philosopher is, I have to reflect on any deeper significances of victories such as Saturday. Sure, I enjoyed Saturday night, and Sunday, but, today, I have to look for lessons we can learn from victory.

And, that got me thinking about Wee Bill – a rather good scrum-half, an even better club official, sadly taken far-too-early by the big C. Bill was old school, he thought Rugby Union sold its soul when it went open and wanted nothing to do with the game. He forecast many of the problems which have arisen following the August 1995 change, and, he certainly was right when he said, the professional side of the game would become, to the guys at Murrayfield, the be-all and end-all, to the detriment of the club game he loved.

I would like to think, had he been spared, Bill would be with me in opposing Super Six and what it stands for.

He did say, the need to keep making more money, to drive professionalism forward, would lengthen the season, increase the demands on players, and lead to more instances of player burn-out.

Back in the early 1970s, just as the Scottish Leagues began, Bill, who was still only in his mid-twenties, opted-out of first XV play. He had just got married and taken over the family firm, he could not afford the time required to train for the new league structure – even then, “more professional”, if not actually “professional”, so, he, and it has to be said, one or two contemporaries, stepped down to play for his club's 4^th XV – the social side.

That side was good, at least six of them could still, had they had the inclination, have played in the 1^st XV, but, they would not have enjoyed it, and, in any case they were having too-much fun where they were.

Just about every club had that sort of side back then, training was an option, having fun was compulsory Today, very few clubs still have that sort of side. You still get such teams in hockey, in “pub teams” in Sunday Leagues and at the lower leagues in amateur football, but, in rugby – such teams come into the category of “rocking horse shit.”

Another unsung aspect of the social side is, while they have a hard core of battle-toughened forwards, they also tended to include one or two young whippets, or if you were lucky greyhounds, to do the running. These kids got the best kind of coaching – on-field, in real game time – and were often the better for it when, as they did, they moved up to serious rugby. Doesn't happen today, sadly.

Another thing from back then, we had definite seasons. You could not play 15-a-side before 1 September, or after 30 April, without permission from Murrayfield – which was rarely given. Players, even the very best guys, unless on a Lion's or a national tour, got a decent break.

Today's top guys are being flogged mercilessly. They are making so-much money, their clubs and the national unions, need to keep working them through increasingly long seasons, to generate the necessary cash.

Andrew Ker - perhaps the last double internationalist

Never again, for instance, will we see double internationalists such as Norman Mair, David Bell or Andrew Ker, able to play at the top level in Rugby Union during the winter and cricket in the summer. And, as I have said before, given the attrition rate in modern rugby, careers will shorten.

I reckon one of the reasons behind Scotland's win over England on Saturday was, our guys had, across the two squads, played fewer games. The English clubs work their players harder than the SRU does the Edinburgh and Glasgow guys – their clubs do not have the SRU's player rotation protocols. England had more players with the Lions than we had – there was a fatigue element in play, and, when we started to play our “organised chaos” game, the English could not cope.

But, I think, Murrayfield should be looking more-carefully at player management. The 2019 World Cup starts on 20 September, 2019 – 80 weeks away. In those 80 weeks, our top players have to cram: the sharp end of the 2017-18 PRO14 season, including the play-offs, a short summer tour to North America, the full 2018-19 PRO14 season, plus the 2018-19 European games, the 2018 Autumn Internationals, the 2019 6Nations, plus warm-up games prior to Japan – that's a Hell of a lot of rugby.

I honestly feel one or two of our players would be nane the waur o' a summer break this year. Huw Jones, for instance, came straight off a Super Rugby/Currie Cup season into a full Glasgow/Scotland one. We could easily leave him at home this summer, and send Mark Bennett and Matt Scott, both of whom have been relatively under-played this season, off with Scotland.

 Leaving Jonny Gray to enjoy a summer off might be a good idea

Likewise, Jonny Gray has been hard-worked over the last two years; give him the summer off, while maybe Richie might benefit from the trip in his place. We have enough props to pick from, while we maybe should be looking at giving some of our second-string breakaways a chance to show what they could do.

I know in football, agreements regarding summer tours often call for some, if not all, the “stars” to play – maybe we should allow the likes of Messrs Barclay and Russell a wee break, to get their house moves sorted out and keep them fresh with an eye on 2019.

Right - The Party's Over, Let's Get Ready For Dublin

ONE OF the troubles with the NatWest 6Nations is, these wee in-built breaks in the programme. Right now, at breakfast time on Monday morning, the entire Scotland squad is probably wishing they were playing Ireland on Saturday, so they could build on the momentum they established on Saturday. Instead, they have to cool their heels for 12 days.

 We won, now, can we play Ireland

That is not ideal, but, on the other hand – after the collossal effort they put into sending wee Edward's army homeward tae think again – the boys probably need the respite period.

Might I put a rare disclaimer in here, let's get ourselves grounded again, quickly. I have been around Scottish sport long enough, and, for my sins am something of a Scottish sporting historian, so, I lang syne worked out – no triumphs are greater than Scottish sporting ones, and no disasters are greater than those on the same pitches.

For every football Wembley Wizards 1928 (a “wooden spoon” decider in that season's Home Internationals by the way), or Wembley Wizards 1967 (a European Championship qualifier – England qualified, we didn't), there is a 9-3 (1961) or a 5-1, (1975) reverse.

It's the same in rugby – we beat a Welsh XV containing 13 Lions, then lose the next 17 games, we win at Twickenham in 1938 then have to wait until 1971 to repeat the victory, and so on.

So, we won on Saturday, we've had a good weekend, we can go into work this morning and wind-up any English colleagues or friends, but, we have not yet won the 2018 6Nations, and, never forget, Ireland, whom we face next – in Dublin, remain favourites to do this.

So, this week, it's back to purritch and auld claes. But, there is still much to look forward to. On Friday night, Edinburgh will entertain Munster in the PRO14 at Murrayfield, while, at exactly the same time, Glasgow are in Belfast, facing Ulster at the Kingspan. These are a couple of cracking fixtures at any time and even with all four teams missing their internationalists – these should be great games.

Then, on Saturday, we have the final round of games (barring a couple of postponed fixtures) in the BT Premiership, with, as I have outlined in past posts, much to play for at both ends of the table. I fancy mobile 'phone usage will be great all over Scotland as interested parties attempt to keep track of events during the 80 minutes of each game.

But, there are other crunch games elsewhere, and can I in particular flag-up one minor encounter, in West Division 1, where table-topping Carrick will play hosts to unbeaten second-placed Allan Glen's. OK, the level of play might not match Murrayfield last Saturday, but, the will-to-win and tension will.

I am indebted to the Weegie-rugby blog, for keeping me updated on events in the wild West, where, West Division 2 is arguably the most-competitive league in all of Scotland. I have, of course, a wee personal interest in this league, which will go right to the wire.

THIS week's big event, however, takes place on Wednesday night, when, the uncertainties of traffic and programming a sat nav notwithstanding, El Duce Dodson will finally make it to Millbrae, where he will address a meeting of Ayr RFC on the Super Six proposals.

Billy McHarg - He and his members will want some reassurances from Mr Dodson when he visits Millbrae on Wednesday night

It is no secret, when Super Six was first revealed, Ayr President Billy McHarg was a fan. But, oor Billy is nae fool, and, once he got to read the SRU franchise proposals in greater detail – wearing his accountant's head, Billy's enthusiasm has cooled somewhat. However, if on no firmer grounds than – the SRU says it will happen, so, we have to be interested and involved – Ayr are hanging-in there. However, they will be looking for a lot of movement from Murrayfield, both on Wednesday night, and in the negotiation period between the franchise window closing on 30 March, and the announcement of the successful franchises, on 1 May.

Billy McHarg might be prepared to give the SRU time to finesse the franchise deal and come up with a better offer but, he's one of the more-enthusiastic Millbrae men. One fears for Mr Dodson, should be upset Jock Craig or one or two others of the Millbrae Silverbacks. Auld Auchlin will not miss Dodson and hit the wall if he gets upset – and his one of the calmer voices.

"Auld Auchlin" - unlikely to be a silent bystander on Wednesday night

I hoped to be there on Wednesday, however, the date clashes with my 71^st birthday, and, the Coven, as I refer to my quartet of lovely daughters, and the Farmer's Daughter – the somewhat younger lady in my life - have yet to inform the old pest what they have planned for the evening. It was easier when my dear wife was alive:

Me - “What am I getting for my birthday?”

Management: “Nothing with knobs on, but, I'll let you live.”

Me - “Fair enough.”

I sincerely hope Mr Dodson can throw a bit of light on the proposals, and that, maybe, in the face of near-universal condemnation, the original Super Six proposals have been significantly improved.

As I have long said, I have nothing against closer integration between the professional and the club game, but, nothing I have yet read out of Murrayfield makes sense to me. I still see Super Six as a power grab, which has to be fought and beaten. It is, as currently understood, a recipe for disaster.

FINALLY, I watched Saracens v Leicester on BT Sport yesterday afternoon. The broadcast encapsulated everything that is wrong with English Rugby.

The BT team, who it has to be acknowledged, do a great job in selling English Rugby have all bought into the mantra - “The 6Nations and international rugby is ok, but, the English Premiership is the gold standard – the Aviva Premiership is the best league in the world.”

That's a straight lift from the mindset of the English football media and their Premiership. The football guys were and are wrong in this belief – sadly, the rugby guys are following them down this wrong road.

Enjoy Today, But The Hard Work Resumes Tomorrow Morning

ONE of my favourite rugby stories is about the 1974 Lions – the Unbeatable Immortals – in South Africa. They had just won the Third Test and with it the series; a considerable amount of strong drink had been taken both on the Saturday night, and on the Sunday morning, and the team were relaxing and recovering in their hotel.

Willie-John McBride, pictured here behind his "wing man" Gordon Brown - we would do well to remember his take on a stunning victory

Someone announced: South African TV was about to re-run the previous days match and some of the younger players were keen to watch their triumph again. Skipper Willie-John McBride, who had, as ever, been at the epicentre of the celebrations, took his pipe out of his mouth and cautioned his men: “That's history, forget it, we have other games to win.

A wee touch of McBride's common sense is called for this morning, as we think back to yesterday's stunning Scottish success at Murrayfield. There is at least one more hugely-difficult match to come. Our visit to Dublin, to face the still unbeaten Irish, will in all probability be our hardest game of the campaign. If any Irishman was daft enough to think, Ah! It's only the Jocks – and that is unlikely given how hard they know it is to beat Glasgow, and increasingly-so how hard it is to beat Edinburgh, well yesterday's destruction of England will have been a reality check.

Ireland is a seriously-good team and we will probably have to be even better against them than we were against the English, if we are to win. And, if we can win in Dublin, this will leave us facing the perennial Scottish banana skin – bottom team Italy, in a game we are overwhelming favourites to win.

It aint easy following any Scottish team, our history is full of cases of two steps forward, one step back and I, for one, scarred over so-many years, while I enjoyed yesterday, am not getting carried away.

ONE MAN who was getting carried-away yesterday was Scottish Rugby Union Chief Executive Officer Mark Dodson. There he was, throwing his arms in the air and cheering wildly, as John Barclay hoisted the Calcutta Cup at the end.

 Mark Dodson applauds, as John Barclay hoists the Calcutta Cup

And why not, that win will surely help him and Dominic MacKay better sell the SRU and Scottish Rugby to big business and on the corporate hospitality stage. So, that particular Englishman had every right to feel pleased.

One hoped-for, but by no means certain win, plus one totally-unexpected triumph out of three matches is a good return for the SRU. As the song says: “Two out of three aint bad,” but, it might give Dodson and the Ayatollahs additional cause to claim: “The system still isn't working properly, or, we might have beaten England in all three games,” as they continue hell-bent in their determination to force through Super Six and the even-more contentious Agenda 3.

This overlooks the fact, the team which lost – the Women's side – has hee-haw to do with the implementation of Super Six and Agenda 3.

The Under-20s win, which came absolutely out of left field, was, for my money, THE win of the weekend. I'll admit it, after their losses to Wales and France, I feared for the kids, but, they raised their game and came through with a fantastic second half fight-back. Throw-in the side show of the indiscipline of some of the coaching staff, and had England won by 30 or 40 points, nobody would have been surprised.

But, just maybe, the Scottish system, whereby the best young talent splits its time between the National Academy, the two professional clubs and Saturdays playing in the BT Premiership has its merits. The English boys were all in Aviva Premiership Academy sides – spending their time playing against each other, seldom tested against more-mature specimens in club games.

There is something to be said for younger players being asked to test themselves in the club environment. I certainly believe taking the likes of Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall, Ross Thompson and skipper Robbie Smith out of the Premiership for the untested waters of Super Six would be a mistake.

Six teams is too-small a number for regular season-long play; leave the best of our young talent playing in an eight or ten-club Premiership, and, if there has to be a cross-over point between the club game and the elite performance game then, by all means form six District sides – but only play them in a short, sharp, Mitre Cup from New Zealand style competition in the spring.

The cash – a trifling amount at that – which the SRU has set aside for their proposed six super clubs, might be better spent further across the club games – to capture those currently non-rugby-playing kids who were perhaps motivated by yesterday's result to want to try rugby – and to bring them on-board.

Last week, the SRU announced a 25-strong squad of Under-18 Home Scots, who are preparing for an Under-18s “Six Nations” tournament next month. Of the squad announced, 8 boys are from a club background, the other 17 are from traditional rugby-playing schools such as Dollar Academy, Strathallan, Edinburgh Academy, George Heriot's School, George Watson's College and Merchiston Castle School.

Scotland's rugby-playing base is still too-narrow, we are still dependant on a few private schools for the bulk of our allegedly top players. Instead of actively seeking to narrow the base, to support so-called “top schools”, and a few clubs, the SRU ought to be making every effort it can to broaden the base, and take rugby, particularly at junior level, into parts of Scotland where it is currently under-represented.

Paddy Dewhirst - from Cumnock RFC to Scotland Under-20s

When my elder brother and his pals started Cumnock Rugby Club back in 1961, they just wanted to play locally, rather than at Glasgow University and what was then the Royal College of Science and Technology, or at Ayr or Kilmarnock.

They never thought, 50-years down the line, their club, a small entity deep in the heartland of Junior Football, would have sent Mark Bennett to the national side an an Olympic silver medal in Sevens, Gavin Lowe to the Scotland Sevens squad and the extended Team GB Sevens squad or Paddy Dewhirst to the Scotland Under-20 side.

But, they built it – they came, and success followed. Learn that lesson Mr Dodson.

You're Wrong Grantland - Beating England Matters

FOR, when the one great scorer comes

to mark against your name

he writes not that you won or lost

but how you played the game.

 Grantland Rice

I think we are all familiar with Grantland Rice's little bit of sporting doggerel. Less-familiar is Max Boyce's wee addendum:

So long as you beat England

Kind of sums-up how we all feel about the people God gave us as neighbours, to offset the many riches he or she endowed on the top one-third of that wee island off the coast of Northern Europe. Individually, the English are fine people, collectively, particularly when it comes to politics or their sports media – what is there to like?

So, this afternoon, we await their arrival at Murrayfield. England expects – to win, but, they know they face a tough 80 minutes or so. I have been paying attention to the Calcutta Cup since the days of Ken Scotland, Gordon Waddell, Hughie McLeod, Hamish Kemp, Jimmy Greenwood and Adam Robson on one side; with Jeff Butterfield, Peter Jackson, Eric Evans, Marques and Currie and Ned Ashcroft on the other. Victories in the Calcutta Cup have never, even during that period in the 1970s and 1980s when we generally held the whip hand – been easily achieved.

Today, England, driven on by the most-myopic media in the world, Expects in spades, and we have maybe become perhaps too-accepting of living off crumbs. So when we come up with results such as last night's 24-17 win in the Under-20s game, at Myreside, we do well to remember the sainted words of Allan Wells, as he completed his Moscow victory lap in 1980, and: “Keep the heid, keep the heid.”

Allan Wells dong one of the hardest things for a winning Scot - keeping the heid

Unexpected victories such as the boys pulled-off last night do tend to see us getting carried away.

For me, the great thing, apart from the unexpected outcome – I hold my hand up, following heavy defeats to Wales and France, I fancied damage limitation would be our tactic last night – was the fact, the bulk of the starting XV play their rugby in that bastard child of Murrayfield, that grade of rugby to be raged against by the Murrayfield Ayatollahs – the BT Premiership.

Robbie Smith (Captain) (Ayr), Jamie Hodgson (Watsonians); Martin Hughes (Heriot's), Guy Graham (Hawick), Ross Thompson, Kyle Rowe (both Glasgow Hawks), Stafford McDowall (Ayr), Rory McMichael (Glasgow Hawks) and Paddy Dewhurst (Ayr) of the starting XV, plus replacements Rory Darge (Melrose), Kaleem Barreto (Marr) and Logan Trotter (Stirling County) play their Saturday rugby in the BT Premiership, while props Shaun Gunn and Finlay Richardson and replacement prop Murphy Walker play in the next league down, National League one; Gunn and Richardson for Edinburgh Accies, Walker for Dundee HSFP.

The fact, 15 of the 23-man pool play their rugby at club level in Scotland rather blows a large hole in the SRU's ludicrous statement: “The BT Premiership is not fit for purpose.” While the much-vaunted English team members are working full-time in the various academies, but, mainly playing their rugby against their contemporaries from similar academies – the bulk of the Scottish squad are training full-time with the main Glasgow and Edinburgh squads, but, on a Saturday turning-out against seasoned adults with their clubs – many of whom have been over the Performance Pathway – Academy route before them, but, for various reasons didn't make the cut to full-time professional contracts.

Of course, as you might well be tired of reading on here, Murrayfield never has, and I suspect never will spell-out to us exactly what they think the purpose of the Premiership is; because I don't think they know themselves. This lack of knowledge, I put down to a total lack of interest in a grade of rugby which they cannot totally control – hence their interest in Super Six, with its in-built element of Murrayfield oversight and management.

Craig Watson's great picture captures the joy on the face of skipper Robbie Smith and the Scottosh Under-20 team after last night's marvellous win over England at Myreside

Maybe, just maybe, the grounding the likes of skipper Smith and his men have been getting from playing in the Premiership helped bring-out the resolve which saw Scotland turn around a 7-17 half-time deficit to final victory.

Certainly in some of the most-successful leagues in world sport – the Italian, Spanish and German football leagues, the NHL and MLB in North America, there is a history of young players being farmed-out from their large parent club, to smaller, minor league clubs, to gain experience.

Young Canadian ice hockey players leave college, go into the NHL draft and are perhaps taken-on by Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs or major American franchises like the Boston Bruins, or the Detroit Red Wings, but are farmed-out to teams in leagues such as the Ontario Hockey League, to learn their trade. If they thrive, they go into “the Big Show”, if they don't, they end up in Europe or around the world.

The same thing happens in baseball – where young guns have to spend the obligatory year or two playing in Hicksville, Kansas, or somewhere deep in the heart of Texas, learning their trade and getting ready for the call to “The Show”.

Maybe, just maybe, if, instead of shutting-down the Premiership in favour of a smaller league, in which the clubs will apparently play fewer games, the SRU was to seriously sit down with the clubs, find out what the clubs want, and put-in the cash, we would see more young Scots coming through.

 Dodson and Co would do well to heed the wisdom of Bill Lothian - the Laird o' Leith

Scottish Rugby works as a pyramid, but, as the learned Bill Lothian, who has seen more Scottish rugby games than Dodson and Co ever could, sagely remarked last week – the broader the base of a pyramid, the stronger it is. Shortening the base of the pyramid will not help us make wins such as last night's come along more often.

With Super Six replacing the ten-club Premiership, the SRU is seeking to shorten that level of the pyramid. And, with their even-more-ludicrous call for: “fewer, stronger clubs” below that, they risk seriously under-mining the whole damned edifice.

Scottish Rugby aint broke, and the fix you are needlessly trying to apply Mr Dodson is the wrong one.

Time Has Dragged This Week, But Tonight's Action Should Be A Good Warm-Up For Tomorrow

DOESN'T time drag when you are waiting for something big to happen? This week has gone more-slowly than the metaphorical “week in the jile”, (never having been a guest of Her Maj – as they say), but, tomorrow will soon be upon us, and we can use Ireland v Wales as a warm-up, as we await the Master Race's bi-annual appearance at Murrayfield.

Inverdale - My Mute Button Will Get A Lot Of Use Tomorrow

Of course, thanks to the childishness of the SRU, the third-best Scottish Rugby Blog in Scotland and the 26th best in the British Isles will not be represented in the press seats at Murrayfield – but, that's the price I have to pay for writing a few things which the Ayatollahs would rather were not written. So, I shall settle down in my cave and try to mute the box every time that useless twat Inverdale opens his considerable gob.

Guscott is almost as bad, but, he has got the cap and the jerseys. Hopefully the third tube, Davies, is elsewhere.

But, before then, there are the warm-up acts. In all honesty, I am not expecting much good news from the Under-20 or Women's games, I fear damage limitation has to be our watchword here. However, hopefully we can get something to cheer from Glasgow's trip to Munster and Edinburgh's visit to the Dragons, tonight.

 Rob Harley - Sets a new Glasgow appearance record tonight

You only have to look at the Glasgow squad, to realise how stretched they are, through international calls and injuries – their squad in Munster, in 1-23 order, reads:

1. Oli Kebble, 2. James Malcolm, 3. Siu Halanukonuka; 4. Kiran McDonald-Seran, 5. Scott Cummings; 6. Rob Harley (Captain), 7. Matt Smith, 8. Matt Fagerson; 9. George Horne, 10. Adam Hastings; 11. Ratu Tagive, 12. Brandon Thomson, 13. Sam Johnson, 14. Lee Jones; 15. Ruaridh Jackson. Replacements: 16. Grant Stewart, 17. Alex Allan, 18. Zander Fagerson, 19. Lewis Wynne, 20. Chris Fusaro; 21. Henry Pyrgos, 22. Richie Vernon, 23. Niko Matawalu.

Not available due to injury: Brian Alainu'uese (knee), Adam Ashe (head), Fraser Brown (head), Alex Dunbar (thigh), Callum Gibbins (achilles), Pat MacArthur (shoulder), Leo Sarto (shoulder) and George Turner (knee).

Not available due to international commitments: Jamie Bhatti, Jonny Gray, Nick Grigg, Stuart Hogg, Peter Horne, Huw Jones, Ali Price, Finn Russell, Tommy Seymour, Tim Swinson and Ryan Wilson.

With scrum-half Kaleem Berreto, centre Stafford McDowall and winger Sam Yawayawa on Scotland Under-20 duty, and Max McFarland with Scotland Sevens, this means, the only Warriors who are fit and not needed this weekend are: Robert Beattie, Rory Hughes, Paddy Kelly, Lelia Masaga, Robbie Nairn, Hamilton Burr, Ryan Grant, Adam Nicol, Greg Peterson, D'Arcy Rae, George Stokes and Sami Vunisa.

Some of these guys – Hughes and Nairn for instance, are on their way back from long-term injuries, while others are subject to rest protocols after playing a series of games back-to-back, so, resources are really stretched. The starting XV at Munster only contains four full internationalists, with a further six on the bench.

Still, it will be a special night for skipper Rob Harley, as he becomes Glasgow's “most-capped” player (I hate this idea of club “caps” - doesn't sound right to me). Big Rob deserves to take the appearance record off Graeme Morrison, like “Mad Dog”, he has always given 100% to the club – well done.

Great too to see Mr Versatile, Richie Vernon back on the field for Glasgow, when, as he surely will, he comes off the bench.

EDINBURGH are also under-strength for their trip to Wales, but, given the run of form they are on, I am confident they can return with at least four points. Coach Richard Cockerill has named, again in 1-23 order, the following squad:

1. Jordan Lay, 2. Neil Cochrane, 3. Murray McCallum; 4. Fraser McKenzie (Captain), 5. Lewis Carmichael; 6. Magnus Bradbury, 7. John Hardie, 8. Bill Mata; 9. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 10. Jaco van der Walt; 11. Duhan van der Merwe, 12. Chris Dean, 13. James Johnstone, 14. Jason Harries; 15. Dougie Fife. Replacements: 16. Cameron Fenton, 17. Rory Sutherland, 18. Elliot Millar-Mills, 19. Cornell du Preez, 20. Luke Crosbie; 21. Nathan Fowles, 22. Duncan Weir, 23. Junior Rasolea.

Given international calls have taken Mark Bennett, Blair Kinghorn, Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Wilem Nel, Ben Toolis, Hamish Watson and Darcy Graham out of contention, Calum McLelland is with the Under-20s and Alasdair Dickinson, Allan Dell, Darryl Marfo and Ross Ford are all injured, that is almost an entire XV unavailable to Cockerill for tonight's game.

Dougie Fife - on his way out, now a centurion

Congratulations must go to Dougie Fife, surplus to requirements under Alan Solomons, but now back and playing his 100^th game for Edinburgh tonight. Let's hope it can be a winning night for Dougie and the team.

THE action tonight is in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, with the Under-20 international at Myreside, and the Women's match at Scotstoun.

The Under-20 squad, as usual in 1-23 order, is:

1. Shaun Gunn (Edinburgh Academical), 2. Robbie Smith (Captain) (Ayr), 3. Finlay Richardson (Edinburgh Academical); 4. Ewan Johnson (Racing 92), 5. Jamie Hodgson (Watsonians); 6. Martin Hughes (Heriot's), 7. Guy Graham (Hawick), 8. Devante Onojaife (Northampton Saints; 9. Charlie Chapman (Gloucester), 10. Ross Thompson; 11. Kyle Rowe (both Glasgow Hawks), 12. Callum McLelland (Edinburgh), 13. Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors and Ayr), 14. Rory McMichael (Glasgow Hawks); 15. Paddy Dewhurst (Ayr). Replacements: 16. Bradley Clements (Ealing), 17. Nathan McBeth (Lions), 18. Murphy Walker (Dundee HSFP), 19. Marshall Sykes (St Joseph's College / Northampton Saints), 20. Rory Darge (Melrose); 21. Kaleem Barreto (Glasgow Warriors and Marr), 22. Fraser Strachan (Northampton Saints), 23. Logan Trotter (Stirling County).

The Women's squad, again in 1-23 order is:

1. Siobhan McMillan (Hillhead/Jordanhill), 2. Lana Skeldon (Watsonians), 3. Megan Kennedy (Stirling County); 4. Emma Wassell (Murrayfield Wanderers), 5. Deborah McCormack (Harlequins); 6. Sarah Bonar, 7. Rachel Malcolm (both Loughborough Lightning), 8. Jade Konkel (Lille Metropole Rugby Club Villeneuvois); 9. Sarah Law (Edinburgh University/Murrayfield Wanderers), 10. Lisa Martin (Captain) (DMP Sharks); 11. Rhona Lloyd (Edinburgh University), 12. Helen Nelson (Murrayfield Wanderers), 13. Lisa Thomson (Lille Metropole Rugby Club Villeneuvois), 14. Liz Musgrove (Edinburgh University); 15. Chloe Rollie (Lille Metropole Rugby Club Villeneuvois). Replacements: 16. Jodie Rettie (Thurrock), 17. Mags Lowish (Loughborough Lightning), 18. Lindsey Smith (Hillhead/Jordanhill), 19. Siobhan Cattigan (Stirling County/Stirling Univeristy), 20. Louise McMillan (Hillhead/Jordanhill); 21. Mhairi Grieve (Firwood Waterloo), 22. Hannah Smith (Hillhead/Jordanhill), 23. Lauren Harris (Edinburgh University).

FINALLY, good luck to the odd team out tonight, the Club XV, who are in Ireland, playing their Dalriada Cup match in Athlone. Rob Chrystie has named a strong squad, which I named earlier this week.