Is A Rammy In Roseburn On The Cards?

ALL ROADS lead to Murrayfield tonight, for the Special General Meeting, which will (hopefully) put to bed the thorny issue of where the six franchise-owning clubs' “core” teams play next season.

The suggestion, from Gavin MacColl QC's Governance Committee's” deliberations is that they play in National League 1, and, while there may be some backwoodsmen still prepared to argue their proper place is maybe the National Reserve Leagues, I don't think that argument stands up.

This issue has already been thoroughly debated and all I have to say is:

• Super 6, for all the many inconsistencies in the way the SRU has handled the entire issue – IS HAPPENING.
  
  
• The Super 6 squads are entirely separate from the “core” squads, so you cannot treat these core squads as add-ons to S6.
  
  
• It is by no means certain those opposing placing the core teams lower than NL1 can muster enough bodies, to travel to Murrayfield on a Friday night to vote down the NL1 proposal.

Finally, IF not enough member clubs turn up, and I do know a lot of the Regional Leagues clubs take the view: this argument has nothing to do with us so we are not going – well, the status quo may prevail, and we will see the core teams continuing to play in the Premiership next season.

"You Scots are a contentious people" - "You've just made an enemy for life."

And, if that happens, the shite storm will continue, because that will be another rammy at the AGM, which is very close to the start of the new season. When it comes to Scottish Rugby, the Seymour Skinner Rule applies: “You Scots sure are a contentious people.”

I might add, there will be some pressure on the delegates to not faff-about and come to a speedy conclusion. The SGM starts at 6pm, with Edinburgh v Leinster due to kick-off on the big pitch 95 minutes later, at 7.35pm. So, no waffling and arguing guys: stand-up, speak-up, shut-up, and get it done before the game starts.

WHAT SHOULD be the Scottish National Anthem is a recurring argument, maybe, sometime in the near future, once we have unshackled ourselves from the English, we will get around to deciding, but, meanwhile – can I throw another idea into the mix?

I would like to add Kris Kristofferson's 'Why Me Lord?' to the mix alongside Flower of Scotland, Highland Cathedral, Scotland the Brave, Caledonia, Freedom Come Awe Ye and the usual suspects.

You may well ask why? Well, the thought surfaced in a podcast in the excellent Rugby Referee.net website. They took a look at Saturday's Twickenham incident when Owen Farrell hit Darcy Graham. They didn't discuss whether Farrell's challenge should have been a penalty only (the decision given), or a possible yellow or red card, they merely looked at the circumstances surrounding how the game was restarted, and the wording of the relevant Law, Law 20.

Apparently, referee Ben Williams, in the heat of the moment, made a mistake. Now, I am not going to hang Mr Williams out to dry for this – he had, on the whole a good game. The contentious issue here was penalty/yellow card/red card. In my opinion, it being Farrell, who has “form” on this – it was a red card, but, yours and my opinions don't matter. Mr Williams was the sole judge of fact and he went penalty only.

However, because he offered Greig Laidlaw the choice of place from where to take the penalty, Mr Williams had decided the challenge was late. But, in that case, the place from where Laidlaw took the penalty SHOULD have been on the 15 metre line in from touch, rather than the final spot, seven metres or so in, thereby making the kick shorter, and from an easier angle.

Laidlaw kicks this one, we have a further three point cushion – we win. Hence, Why Me Lord? A question sporting Scots have been asking on a regular basis since 1871.

POOR OLD John Jeffrey has been putting-in the air miles of late. In fact, the rumour is he's now a more familiar face at Edinburgh Airport than at his local cattle auction market. Take his build-up to the Calcutta Cup: Kelso to Dublin for the World Rugby meeting; from there to London for the Calcutta Cup, then, straight off to France for the World Rugby symposium on the laws, a subject on which, wearing his World Rugby tie, he is very-much involved in, as Chairman of World Rugby's influential Rugby Committee.

An official World Rugby still from the Paris meeting - the question is:

was Scottis speaking for Scotland, or for Australia? 

I am still trying to get my head around what transpired in France, but, it looks as if the experimental law, lowering the tackle height to the bottom of the chest will be written into the laws after the World Cup. It was trialled in last year's Under-20 World Cup, and is now set to be trialled again in an as yet unidentified major competition – one of the big leagues.

AND FINALLY, how good it is to see big John Barclay back in action, making his Edinburgh debut against Leinster, at Murrayfield tonight, a 7.35pm.

John Barclay makes his Edinburgh debut tonight

Barclay's Edinburgh debut is the big news, but, we must not forget that another Scotland cap, Matt Scott, is also returning tonight, after a lengthy absence. Adding Barclay and Scott to the roster, and with Mark Bennett also backs, certainly leaves Edinburgh looking stronger for the crucial end of season run-in in the PRO14 and the Heineken Cup.

Tonight's Edinburgh squad, as-ever on here in 1-23 order, is:

Pierre Schoeman, Ross Ford, WP Nel, Fraser McKenzie, Ben Toolis, John Barclay, Hamish Watson, Viliame Mata; Henry Pyrgos (Captain), Jaco van der Walt; Duhan van der Merwe,

Matt Scott, James Johnstone, Darcy Graham; Dougie Fife. Replacements: Cameron Fenton, Allan Dell, Simon Berghan, Callum Hunter-Hill, Magnus Bradbury; Charlie Shiel, Simon Hickey, Chris Dean.

Interestingly, in the press release detailing the team, Edinburgh only list four players: Lewis Carmichael, David Cherry, Luke Hamilton and Blair Kinghorn as injured – which is a good position to be in at this stage of a long and arduous season.