They Are Only Club Players - They Don't Matter To Murrayfield

THIS IS all-change Monday, as we lift our eyes from the mundane of club play, and gaze expectantly towards the sunlit uplands of the Guinness 6 Nations. Our brightest and best have reconnected via last week's training camp, this morning the tempo moves up, as they prepare for Saturday's big kick-off against the Italians.

But, before we go into full-on 6N mode, at the weekend we had a wee reminder that the club game is the PBI (poor bloody infantry) of rugby. This came with the arrival in my in-box of the SRU Media department's weekly “Week Ahead Media Advisory” release.

This details when during the week the media can have access to the Scotland squads, and when the teams for the weekend games will be announced. The full Scotland squad, the Under-20 squad and the Women's squad are all mentioned, but, the Club XV, who take on the Irish in the first leg of the annual Dalriada Cup clash, get a mere single mention – acknowledgement that that match will be played, at Myreside on Friday night.

Now, I accept most of the Club XV squad are, if not true amateurs, rugby players second, they all have day jobs to take care of. However, surely they are having at least one team run-out this week, prior to the game, and surely, at the very least, the media should be aware when the team is to be named.

I have e-mailed Ben Fox, the Murrayfield Minion responsible for the Club XV's media presence, such as it is, asking for those details – team and time of announcement. The clock is running, can I expect an answer?

(Edit: Well done and good service Ben Fox. He has just e-mailed me, at noon on Monday. The team should be announced in midweek, Rob Chrystie is still waiting injury and fitness updates following the weekend's matches.)

Meanwhile, they will be getting a tad excited down there in the Stewartry of at Kirkcudbright, surely the most-romantic of all the old county names this week, because big Stafford McDowall's seemingly irresistible rise continues continues. This time last year, the big boy from Dundrennan was preparing to lead the Under-20s, on Friday night, he was filling-in at centre for a Glasgow squad decimated by international calls and injuries – this morning, he is linking-up with the full Scotland squad at the Oriam.

Stafford McDowall - his rise continues

Stafford has been ear-marked as a potential World Cup squad “bolter” - i.e. a seemingly come from nowhere left-field contender, but, while he might not make it, his call-up is a sure sign, he is being watched and groomed.

My advice to his dad, big Fergus, is: “keep the heid big man.” I am as delighted for Fergus as I am for his talented son.

Stafford is one of three new additions to the squad, along with club mate Rory Hughes, and Edinburgh scrum-half Henry Pyrgos. Another three Warriors, Matt Smith, Rob Harley and Alex Dunbar have left the Scotland squad to return to their club to recover from injury, while another two Warriors, tight-head Zander Fagerson and hooker Fraser Brown, on their way back after injury, will link-up with the national squad later this week.

BEFORE we put the club game into temporary cold storage, a wee milestone was passed on Saturday, when the last unbeaten record in the National Leagues was ended.

Up until Saturday Gordonians had gone 16 unbeaten games into their league campaign, their 100% record blotted only by a 27-all draw, down at Maybole against Carrick, in week three. However, on Saturday, they came unstuck, gong down 29-8 to West of Scotland at Burnbrae.

Not a great picture but the scoreboard at full time on Saturday made good reading for West of Scotland

I know West coach Gavin Blackburn, and indeed everyone at the grand old club, will be delighted at that result, which justifies their faith in a young and talented squad.

The Aberdeen boys still lead the division, however, with a five-point lead over second-placed Newton Stewart, and a game in hand. Gordonians have 76 points, Newton Stewart have 71, with West leading the chasing pack, but, with a ten-point gap to overhaul.

Strathmore, in Caledonia 1, Berwick, in East 1, Hawick Linden, in East 2 and Lenzie, in West 2, plus the Dunfermline and Highland 2^nd XVs, in their Regional Leagues, are, as far as I can see, the only sides still boasting unbeaten league records this far into the season, and well done to all of them.

OVER THE weekend, an interesting debate has burst upon the Facebook pages of the Scottish Rugby Forum. The subject, that thorny one of World Rugby Law 3.5, which covers front row cover in squads, and its effect on games at the lower of “coarse rugby” end of the game.

It is quite a lengthy thread, with lots of different opinions being aired, but, it does highlight what is now becoming a quite important issue, the effect the need to have proper front row cover on safety grounds.

I sometimes yearn for the old days, when Elf'n'Safety wasn't an issue. We maybe had a stiff neck on Monday morning, if perhaps, as a hooker, or loose-head, you had to fill-in at tight-head; sure, now and again you were hoisted skywards – or perhaps hoisted your opponent, but, I don't recall any serious injuries.

As a 15-year-old playing on Ayr beach during that terrible winter of 1962-63, I had to go into the Cumnock 1^st XV front row for a couple of scrums, against the full Ayr 1^st XV pack. My feet didn't touch the ground when the pressure went on, but, I felt safe and survived until our regular hooker had the sand washed out of his eye and could return.

Gordon Strachan, felt comfortable at tight-head, until McLauchlan put-on the squeeze.

The late and much-missed Gordon Strachan had a tale of, during that 1971 Five Nations when he sat on the Scotland bench, he was the only forward cover. In training, Bill Dickinson felt Strachan better have a shot at tight-head during some scrum practise.

Gordon said: “In I went, we went down and I thought: 'aye, this is ok, I can handle this;' then that wee bastard McLauchlan put the squeeze on and it was: 'help, get me out of here,' Not enjoyable at all.”

Clearly, if we are to keep Ian Milne's “bad players” playing and enjoying themselves, something needs to be done about scrums at the lower levels of the game.

It is now becoming a problem, and one which will be very difficult to solve.