Scotland, Like Ireland, Has Shoogly Stool Issues

WHAT FOLLOWS is a quote from a Guardian piece, by Donald McRae, published yesterday. For me, McRae is the best sports writer currently working full-time in our particular branch of the written word.

 Keith Wood - his thoughts on Irish Rugby could also apply to Scotland

In the course of an interview with Keith Wood, the former Ireland and Lions hooker, he quoted Wood – himself also the son of a Lion, thus:

“Wood offers a striking analogy – Irish rugby is like a three-legged stool,” wrote McRae.

“The provinces, the clubs and the schools hold up the game. The professional provincial leg looks perfect. The schools rugby leg is pretty good. The other leg, the club game, is not great – because we’re dealing with nascent professionalism. Rugby has only been professional for 20 years. It’s now time to fix the club leg. It’s when things are going well that you need to do your repair work.” said Wood.

That last quote has, I feel, a solid resonance for Scottish Rugby. OK, by Scotland standards, our professional sides are doing well. The national team is selling-out Murrayfield for every home game, we have both PRO14 outfits through to the last eight in the Heineken Cup.

But, as across in Ireland, our club game is not great, while our schools game is, frankly, in a mess. If we can sort these two shoogly legs out quickly, our own cutty-stool will become a comfortable seat, rather, as now, one of public penance.

To be fair to the SRU, they are trying, with Super-6 and Agenda-3, to repair the faults in Scottish Rugby. I accept, the Murrayfield “suits” have not got everything right – indeed, some of the suits have admitted this. But, it's, to me at any rate, a case of typical Scottish thrawnness that their efforts are encountering so-many obstacles from the clubs.

EVEN the BBC Shortbread team were struggling to make last night's Warriors v Ospreys game sound good on the wireless. When even Peter Wright's and Colin Gregor's word pictures sound dreich, then you know it was a poor game.

Still, a win is a win and, with a combination of a high wind, driving rain, Baltic temperatures and John Lacey on the whistle – did anyone have high expectations? Not that long ago, a below-strength Glasgow would have lost to a below-strength Welsh outfit, so, let's not quibble and move on.

This afternoon, it's Edinburgh at Southern Kings, kick-off 3.15pm (UK time), live on Premier Sports 2 (if you can get that).

Normally, you would fancy Edinburgh to easily beat arguably the weakest team in the PRO14, but, with injuries and international calls, this is not a given today. However, I fancy that the side Richard Cockerill has selected can still get the job done. As ever in 1-23 order, that squad is:

Richard Cockerill, minus 18 internationalists for his South African safari

Pierre Schoeman, David Cherry, Pietro Ceccarelli, Fraser McKenzie (CAPTAIN), Callum Hunter-Hill, Luke Crosbie, Ally Miller, Viliame Mata; Henry Pyrgos, Jaco van der Walt; James Johnstone, Chris Dean, George Taylor, Tom Brown; Dougie Fife. Replacements: Ross Ford, Darryl Marfo, Murray McCallum, Jamie Hodgson, Mungo Mason, Nathan Fowles, Simon Hickey, Juan Pablo Socino.

Unavailable due to injury: Rory Sutherland, Lewis Carmichael, John Barclay, Magnus Bradbury, Senitiki Nayalo, Hamish Watson, Luke Hamilton, Matt Scott, Mark Bennett, Damien Hoyland.
Unavailable due to international selection: Allan Dell, WP Nel, Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Grant Gilchrist, Ben Toolis, Jamie Ritchie, Darcy Graham, Blair Kinghorn.

Let's hope Dave Cherry, Luke Crosbie and Chris Dean, the trio recalled from the Scotland 6Nations training camp to fly out to South Africa escape injury, Gregor Townsend has enough worries on that score as he prepares for next Saturday's big kick-off.

I reckon, even with a depleted squad, Edinburgh will win.

MEANWHILE back at the ranch, we have an interesting Tennent's Premiership card to get our teeth into – with one absolute stand-out game. That's at The Greenyards, where second-placed Melrose host third-placed Currie Chieftains.

At the start of each season, the Premiership cognoscenti mentally put down Ayr and Melrose to finish first and second, in whatever order, to claim the two home play-off semi-final places. But, perhaps stung by not getting one of the six franchises, Currie have really got in among them this season. Not even the mid-season change of coaching Cairns has halted the Malleny Men's charge and, with Melrose rocking a wee bit, a Currie win today will lift them into second spot with one regular-season game to go.

So, all to play for, and expect fireworks.

But, coming-up on the rails like Lewis Hamilton on a flying lap are third-placed Heriot's, just one point further back and with home advantage against an injury-hit Boroughmuir. Phil Smith will be taking nothing for granted, but, he will fancy his in-form pack can set-up a bonus-point win, which, depending on how things unfold down in Melrose, could also have an effect on the final places.

Watsonians' play-off chances might appear slim, but, Stevie Lawrie will have his men fired-up to keep playing. They are at Raeburn Place to face Edinburgh Academicals, who, now they know they are safe from relegation, have promised to play an unfettered attacking game – this might be the one for the purists today.

Back in the monochrome days of the 1960s, Brian Simmers seemed to collect the Fairbairn Trophy every year at Ayr Sevens. And, as he did so, Mr Simmers had a hoary old joke thanking the host club for producing their usual green “concrete” pitch.

Brian Simmers - will not be seeing a concrete pitch at Millbrae today

Well, the Glasgow Hawks founder will not find a “concrete” pitch awaiting him this afternoon when his club turns up at Millbrae to face table-topping Ayr. This West Coast Derby looks like being a “glaur fest.” We might even find auld Meg's grey tail lying somewhere, after last nicht's ongangins around Alloway's auld haunted kirk and the Brig o' Doon.

Ayr's task is simple – win with a bonus-point and, unless Melrose do likewise against Currie, they have secured top spot and a home semi-final, with a match to spare. Considering that final match is against Watsonians, at Myreside, Peter Murchie will be demanding his men get the job completed today.

For Hawks, the task is to try to put further distance between themselves and Hawick.

The Greens will want to put the memory of last week's home loss to Ayr behind them at Stirling County this afternoon. George Graham, who of course cut his rugby teeth at Bridgehaugh will be particularly keen to win this one, but, he knows, at home, County are a tough nut to crack.