Let's Hear It For The Girls

ARISTOTLE is distinctly old school; for all the pleasure there is to be had from watching Portia Woodman weave her magic in the black shirt of New Zealand, I still struggle to get my head round Women's rugby.

Portia Woodman - sheer class

In addition, there are at least two members of the Ayr Women's team who, Bonnie Lassies though they are, definitely come into the category of: “Ah widnae like tae tak a broken pay hame tae her.”

But, enough of being an old dinosaur, well done Shade Munro and the girls of the Scotland Women, for lightening the gloom of the weekend with that special 15-12 victory over Ireland, at Donnybrook; their first win over the Irish and their first of this Nat West 6Nations campaign.

 Chloe Rollie - Portia Woodman, or even Stuart Hogg, would have happily claimed her try

If you haven't seen the You Tube footage of Chloe Rollie's spectacular solo try, go look. I hear Stuart Hogg's face is as green as his favourite rugby shirt at the audacity of his distaff side opposite number pulling-off that coast to coast effort.

That win partially lifted the gloom which had fallen over Scottish rugby after Saturday's match in the Aviva in Dublin. Boy, was that a bummer.

I AM still trying to get my head round that game. This was not so much an object lesson in 'Murphy's Law': “If it can go wrong, it will;” the Scotland performance was more as clear a demonstration of 'O'Reilly's Corollary' as you will find. 'O'Reilly's Corollary' states quite bluntly: “Dat Murphy always was an optimist.”

I could just about write a dissertation on the “if onlys” to come out of that Scotland performance, not least: if only Huw Jones could have given Hoggy a proper pass, those seven points would have totally changed the game.

Ach! Well, two steps forward, one step back, has been the Tartan Army's preferred marching sequence since time immoral, so, we should be used to such everyday disasters.

I know I am an unashamed Gordy Reid fan, but, I feel he deserves a bit more credit than he is receiving for his scrum performances this season. Tagh Furlong was unable to do a job on him on Saturday, and not many loose-heads can say that after a game. Gordy gets occasional pelters for not doing enough around the park.

Gordy Reid - damned with faint praise, but, he's a loose-head, he does what it says on the tin

Listen, take it from one who is a fully-paid-up member of the Loose-heads Union. When you are wearing the number one jersey, you only have one job to do, that is safeguard your side's put-in at the scrum – anything else is a bonus. Gordy did his job on Saturday.

By the way, can I get in first with this. A win in Rome on Saturday is not a given. The Italians are an improving side, but, in this season's 6Nations, if it wasn't for their bad luck, they would have no luck. They are a better side than their results might indicate and winning in Rome will not be easy.

It should, however, be a cracking game, since both teams like to give the ball width at every opportunity.

WITH most people's attention on events in the 6Nations over the weekend, it would be possible to say, some very interesting club games slipped under the radar back in Scotland. Except, when it comes to the club game, the mainstream media's radar was turned off some seasons ago – which is a pity.

In the league which is not fit for purpose – the BT Premiership – Ayr scratched an old itch, by playing the horrendous conditions better than their hosts, Watsonians, to clinch third place in the regular season standings. Their reward for this will be a trip to Malleny Park, to face Currie Chieftains, in the play-off semi-final. 'Sonians, meanwhile, have to go to the Greenyards to face Melrose, who further emphasised what a terrific regular season they have had, with a 20-7 win over Stirling County. The semi-finals will be played on 24 March.

However, the real action on Saturday was further down the food chain, in particular in the West Regional leagues. And nowhere was it hotter than Maybole, where unbeaten Allan Glen's were the visitors, facing a Carrick team which has timed their run to perfection to be firing broadsides as the campaign reaches what Sir Alex Ferguson likes to call: “squeaky bum time.”

Carrick won 34-12, to stretch their league at the top of the table to seven points. However, they have played a game more than Glen's, and, with Carrick having eight games still to play, and Glen's nine, nobody in the capital of Carrick will be ordering the champagne just yet. There is still a lot of rugby to be played.

Grass-roots rugby: at its best in the West

If it is tight at the top in West 1, it's claustrophobic in West 2. On Saturday, perhaps the most-significant result was Cumnock's 10-5 win over Lenzie at Broomfield, a win which took Cumnock into second place, two points behind league leaders Paisley, who hammered Uddingston, but, with a game in hand over the Buddies.

The smart money in this division, however, is going on Strathendrick, who have been hitting form, as they showed by thumping Waysiders-Drumpellier 74-0 on Saturday. 'Endrick lie fourth in the table, four points adrift of Cumnock, six off the Paisley pace, BUT, they have one game in hand over Cumnock, and two over Paisley.

However, they have still to visit Paisley, while Cumnock's visit to Fintry on 14 April, and 'Endrick's trip to Paisley the previous week, will have a lot to do with the final positions in this closest of divisions.

Just to keep the pot boiling, and to give my friends on the excellent Weegie R Ugby website plenty to write about, pandemonium is breaking-out in West 3, where two clubs, Lanark and Police Scotland Glasgow have been flung out of the league due to failing to fulfil too-many fixtures, a fate which saw Glasgow University Medics docked points at the weekend.

All of which leaves Wigtownshire poised to win the division and, hopefully, because they are a smashing bunch down there is Stranraer, start to climb back to higher things.

FINALLY – enjoy the break Mr Dodson – you will be back in Aristotle's cross-hairs tomorrow.