Not All Rumours Break The Chain

TODAY'S musings from the Rugby Philosophy Department, at Hole-in-the-Wall University, East Ayrshire, are partly-dedicated to that most-accurate of the sections in The Hootsmon's website, the sports pages' Rumour Mill; as we discuss some of the rumours currently circulating in Scottish Rugby.

For instance, there is much speculation over what the new, super-duper, all-singing, all-dancing Stupid-6 teams will be called. We already know Boroughmuir's franchise has shamelessly “stolen” their name from those fun-loving guys in the current Meggetland third team, and will be Boroughmuir Bears. What was wrong with Boroughmuir Bedouins - I wonder.

But, the big rumour is: since the “amateur” team playing out of the Greenyards will continue to be called 'Melrose', the new franchise team will be Real Melrose – say that: “Ree-Al” Melrose.

Mike Dalgetty - might have a strip problem between "Ree-Al Melrose" and "real Melrose"

Don't know if Mike Dalgetty thought that one through properly, Ree-Al Melrose, with all those galacticos they will be signing, will doubtless need to play in all-white, to differentiate them from real Melrose, who will continue to play in black and yellow.

STILL in Rumours mode – amost all of the coaching appointments for the franchises have apparently been settled. We already know, Peter Murchie will get the Ayr gig, but, whose in the frame for the other five jobs?

We hear Graham Sheil, who will be coaching the backs this season, will get the Boroughmuir job, with Peter Wright looking after 'Muir's “amateur” side. Just up the road at Myreside, we hear Stevie Lawrie, who is already inside the SRU tent with the Under-20s, will continue as Head Coach, but, what happens across town at Heriot's?

Since they could not afford to prise Phil Smith away from his day job at the Glasgow Academy, we hear one of his protegies around Anniesland, Fin Gillies, currently on the staff through the hedge at the High School of Glasgow, is the chosen one for the Goldenacre gig.

 The Rugby Rumour Mill is linking the outstanding Ben Cairns with the Stirling S6 coaching gig

Ben Cairns, one of the brightest young coaches in the country has done a sterling job at Currie. The word is, Ben has ruled himself out of coaching any of the three capital sides, out of respect for Currie (and good on him for that) – so he will, apparently, be going to Stirling County.

That leaves the Melrose job, and here, Robin Chrystie has a life away from rugby. Now, we expect to see him continuing to coach real Melrose, so, who gets to play Zinadine Zidane (and I know he's gone now) with the galacticos of Ree-Al Melrose?

Good question – but, there are a couple of Greenyards stalwarts already inside the Murrayfield big top. Assuming John Dalziel wants another season with the Sevens squad, that leaves Scott Wight, currently coaching the Scotland Women's Sevens squad, as perhaps the best candidate for the Greenyards franchise gig. I mean, it's not as if the SRU would try to shoe-horn an ootsider from elsewhere in the Borders into that hot seat.

NOT RUMOURS this time, but, hard facts. The season 2018-19 Pro Draft was issued last night – that annual bit of nonsense whereby Murrayfield issues a list of the clubs to whom their employed full-time professionals will be released to keep them sharp, and when it suits the pro teams' managements – or to quote Peter Wright: “On condition you return them, fit to hold a tackle bag on Monday morning.”

Of course, a lot of these names are academic – the professional, if he's one of the top guns, unless he is coming back from injury, will never be seen in the Premiership.

Any way, club members can dream, here is the list:

Tennant’s Premiership pro-player draft season 2018-19

Ayr:

Alex Allan, Jamie Bhatti, Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Robbie Fergusson (Scotland 7s), Siosiua Halanukonuka, Rory Hughes, Patrick Kelly, James Malcolm, Robbie Nairn, Ali Price, D’Arcy Rae, George Turner and DTH van der Merwe (all Glasgow Warriors).

Boroughmuir:

John Barclay, Mark Bennett, Simon Berghan, Dave Cherry, Fraser McKenzie, Darryl Marfo, Senitiki Nayalo, Jamie Ritchie and Matt Scott (all Edinburgh Rugby).

Currie Chieftains:

Luke Crosbie (Edinburgh Rugby), Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), Harvey Elms (Scotland 7s), Jonny Gray, Rob Harley, Huw Jones, Oli Kebble, Kiran McDonald-Siran (all Glasgow Warriors), Max McFarland (Scotland 7s), Greg Peterson (Glasgow Warriors), Charlie Shiel (Edinburgh Rugby), Tommy Seymour and David Tameilau (both Glasgow Warriors).

Edinburgh Accies:

Tom Brown (Edinburgh Rugby), Nyle Godsmark (Scotland 7s), Luke Hamilton, Murray McCallum (Edinburgh Rugby), Mungo Mason (Scotland 7s), Ally Miller (Edinburgh Rugby), Joe Nayacavou (Scotland 7s), Pierre Schoeman and Rory Sutherland (both Edinburgh Rugby).

Glasgow Hawks:

Brian Alainu’uese, Fraser Brown, Matt Fagerson, Bruce Flockhart, Callum Gibbins, Josh Henderson, George Horne, Pete Horne, Ruaridh Jackson, Sam Johnson, Lee Jones, Lelia Masaga, Matt Smith and Tim Swinson (all Glasgow Warriors)

Hawick:

Lewis Carmichael, Pietro Ceccarelli, Callum Hunter-Hill, Sean Kennedy, Juan Pablo Socino, Ben Toolis, Duhan van der Merwe, Jaco van der Walt and Hamish Watson (all Edinburgh Rugby).

Heriot’s:

Jack Cuthbert (Scotland 7s), Chris Dean, Allan Dell, Grant Gilchrist, Simon Hickey, James Johnstone, Blair Kinghorn and Henry Pyrgos (all Edinburgh Rugby).

Melrose:

Jason Baggot, Magnus Bradbury, Ross Ford, Ross McCann, Viliame Mata, WP Nel (all Edinburgh Rugby), Sam Pecquer (Scotland 7s) and George Taylor (Edinburgh Rugby).

Stirling County:

Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors), Alex Coombes (Scotland 7s), Zander Fagerson, Nick Frisby, Chris Fusaro, Nick Grigg, Adam Hastings, Stuart Hogg (all Glasgow Warriors), Gavin Lowe (Scotland 7s), Niko Matawalu, Adam Nicol, Ratu Tagive, Brandon Thomson and Ryan Wilson (all Glasgow Warriors).

Watsonians:

Glenn Bryce, Jamie Farndale (Scotland 7s), Cameron Fenton, Dougie Fife, Nathan Fowles, Darcy Graham, Damien Hoyland and Stuart McInally (all Edinburgh Rugby).

This annual lottery is a constant source of wonder to me. OK, I realise Ayr lost pretty-much an entire front five at the end of the season, but, do they really need four props and two hookers? The hooker one intrigues me, since they already have Pat McArthur, Lewis Anderson, Robbie Smith from the Academy and David Young – while Stewart Fenwick has trimmed down and buffed-up amazingly well over the summer!!

And what are Currie going to do with all those Glasgow locks? Scott Cummings, Jonny Gray, Kieran McDonald-Siran and Greg Peterson – plus all-round back five fits-in-anywhere man Rob Harley.

Other intriguing questions, who's going to pay for the interpreters for the Hawick contingent? I put that question to “Pundy”, John Thorburn, but he reckons, after their first Saturday night in the Station Bar, the drafted pros will all be speaking like natives.

Mungo Mason - from Bay of Plenty to Edinburgh Accies, via The Chiefs' Academy, Chicago, San Diego and Scotland 7s 

However – THE intriguing question is: who is MUNGO MASON, the Scotland Sevens player who has been drafted to Edinburgh Academicals?

A quick search on Google turns up the following information. He is a 23-year-old out of Bay of Plenty, who was playing last season in the new Major League Rugby League in the USA for San Diego Legion.

Apparently he was a Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar at University of Waikato, from whose website we got the following:

“Born in Scotland, Mungo came to Tauranga when he was two years old with his family. He attended Tauranga Boys’ College where he was Head Prefect in Year 13.

Mungo has now been playing rugby for eight years and says he loves the camaraderie the sport offers. He has played in national competitions and has competed at a New Zealand representative level. He says that while rugby is a physical sport, at a higher level the mental side becomes equally important to develop.

His rugby achievements include captaining the Tauranga Boys’ College 1st XV, Bay of Plenty U-18 and the Chiefs U-18s. He was also named Bay of Plenty U-18s player of the year and the New Zealand Barbarians Most Valuable Player. As well as excelling in rugby, Mungo has also shown his talents representing New Zealand in the U-20 Men’s Waterpolo, being the Tauranga Youth Parliament Representative, and leading and directing an anti-binge drinking campaign.

This year Mungo is studying a Bachelor of Laws with a second major in International Management. More recently Mungo has been involved with starting his own charity called 'Flatting for Change' a student run charity which gives university students the opportunity to be charitable in a small way.”

He has since gone to Chicago, where he continued his law studies, before joining San Diego Legion. He was in the Chiefs' development programme, and has played in the same representative sides in New Zealand as some current All Blacks, notably Damien MacKenzie.

Shades of Hugh Blake, now back playing with Bay of Plenty Steamers. Very interesting signing to say the least.