It Is Draftier At Scotstoun Than At Murrayfield

I HAVE, in yesterday's blog, already covered the Tennent's Premiership games from Saturday; so I will not spend much time on that league here, other than to highlight the different ways our two full-time professional sides differ in their relationship with the top club sides.

Peter Wright has, in the past and with good reason, criticised Edinburgh's approach to releasing drafted players

In past seasons, since the annual professional draft began: legend – not forgetting genuine experience – had it that Glasgow was more-willing than Edinburgh to make their idle players available to the Premiership clubs. During his tenure as coach at Selkirk, Peter Wright famously said: “Aye, Edinburgh will let you have a drafted professional, provided you send him back fit to hold a tackle bag on Monday morning.”

Old habits seemingly die hard around Murrayfield. On Saturday, a mere five Edinburgh players: Pietro Ceccelli and George Turner (in opposition in the Hawick v Melrose match); Charlie Shiel and Daryll Marfo – (on opposite sides for Currie and Boroughmuir); and Rory Sutherland – for Edinburgh Academical against Ayr, took the field in the Premiership.

No less than 12 Warriors, however: Greg Peterson, Tom Gordon and Luke Crosbie for Currie; James Malcolm and Robbie Nairn with Ayr; Ratu Tagive, Hamilton Burr, Adam Nicol and Brandon Thomson with Stirling County; and Lelia Masaga, Bruce Flockhart and Matt Smith (who was red-carded for his trouble), for Glasgow Hawks, turned out in the Premiership on Saturday.

In addition, five full-time Academy players, all of whom appear on the Warriors' roster on their website: Robbie Smith, Ollie Smith, Euan McLaren and Marshall Sykes (all with Ayr) and Grant Stewart with Hawks, played across the five Premiership fixtures.

Warriors listed ten players as “injured” at the weekend, which left eight players, plus five full-time Academy players “rested”.

It is harder to assess the availability of Edinburgh players. Unlike the guys at Scotstoun, the Edinburgh media team does not list “injured” players when they put-out a team announcement.

Darcy Graham - one of a team of idle Edinburgh players on Saturday

We do know John Barclay will be out for some time, which leaves 13 Edinburgh players: Tom Brown, Nathan Fowls, Darcy Graham, Damien Hoyland, Juan Pablo Socino, Jason Baggot, Magnus Bradbury, Lewis Carmichael, Cammy Fenton, Calum Hunter-Hill, Wilem Nel, Sanitiki Nayala and Dave Cherry, whose availability status at the weekend was unknown. Also, Edinburgh does not include their full-time Academy players on their team roster.

Surely, if they are going to draft these players to a club – then the club side should be able to call on them on a Saturday to a greater extent than they have in the past. Or does somebody around Edinburgh believe, since the Premiership is allegedly “not fit for purpose,” it isn't good enough for their otherwise idle players?

ARGUABLY the most-exciting league this season will be National League 1. After all, when S6 kicks-off in a year's time, no less than eight of the current dozen teams in this league will be promoted to the new Championship – which will be the highest strata of the club game. It is a nonsense to try to make the “invitation-only, but you have to buy your way in” S6 a part of the “Domestic game” - it's a Performance Department construct and the quicker BTM comes clean and admits as much, the sooner the dust will settle.

The six games produced a total of 377 points – an average of just under 63 per game; the Gala v Hamilton clash at Netherdale saw the most points scored – 95, while the poor long-suffering fans at Poynder Park had to make do with just 29, as visitors Musselburgh edged out hosts Kelso.

Highest scorers were Aberdeen GSFP, who beat Jed-forest 68-22, in what, for many, was the shock result of the day. The “Southside Derby” for the Billy Barnes Trophy, saw first blood to GHA, who grabbed a bonus point win over Cartha-Queen's Park, while there were big wins too for Marr and Selkirk.

Ross Angus scoring for GHA against Cartha-Queen's Park in Saturday's Southside Derby at Braidholm

picture courtesy of Colin Robinson and the GHA Facebook page 

All this left Aberdeen heading the table, on points difference, from the four other clubs who all scored bonus-points wins, followed by Musselburgh. Then come Kelso, with their losing bonus and Hamilton and Jed, with try bonuses in defeat.

IN NATIONAL 2, GHK went straight to the head of the table with a bonus-point win over Lasswade, followed by Falkirk, who beat Howe of Fife, Highland, who defeated Preston Lodge, Peebles, who saw off Glasgow Accies, Stewart's-Melville, conquerors of Whitecraigs, and Biggar, who beat Dumfries Saints. All the winners bar Biggar picked-up bonus points, as, in defeat, did Whitecraigs.

CARRICK got off to a rollicking start to life in the National Leagues, crushing Haddington 67-22 to go straight to the top of the table. They are followed by other bonus-point claiming winners, Ardrossan Accies, Gordonians, Newton Stewart and West of Scotland, who staged a grandstand finish from a seemingly hopeless position to pip Orkney, who had to be content with both losing and a try-scoring bonuses.

A GREAT old name returned to club rugby in East Region Division 1, where, after last season's adventures as “Barnton” and promotion, Royal High returned, with a 22-22 draw against Berwick. This was perhaps the tightest league of all, apart from Livingston's 26-11 win over Linlithgow in the West Lothian Derby, none of the other games saw victory by more than five points. If the clubs can keep things that close over the season, this will be quite a league.

STRATHENDRICK, after their promotion at the end of last season, have gone straight to the top of West 1, with a 59-7 win over Stewartry. The other big winners on the day were Greenock Wanderers, who now have Club XV “cap” Brendan McGroarty back from Hawks. They opened with a 63-24 win over the other promoted side from last season, Cumnock – who nevertheless went back to East Ayrshire with the consolation of a try bonus-point from what was clearly an entertaining match. Allan Glens beat Garnock at Lochshore, in the clash of two teams who should be there or thereabouts at the end of the season, while the first of several Ayrshire Derbies in this division this season, saw Irvine beat Kilmarnock 25-17 at Marress.

Biggest winners of the day were Uddingston, in West 2, who beat Millbrae 89-10, at Millbrae.

IN CALEDONIA 1, Glenrothes went straight to the top of the table, with a resounding 59-16 home win over Aberdeen Wanderers, while newly-promoted Hillfoots went straight into second place following a 9-7 away win over Harris Academy FP.