Torn Apart By Angry Hawks

JINGS CRIVVENS, HELP MA BOAB; I touched a raw nerve or two yesterday, with my concern for Glasgow Hawks. I received a written shoeing from Kenny Hamilton, Hawks' president, in a Facebook message.

Kenny (left) was not happy with me, fair enough, but, he is certain: “Let me be clear, we are well on our way with our plan to win the Scottish Rugby League Championship next season.”

I will be delighted if you manage this Kenny, and will congratulate you, but, Ah hae ma doots. That's my opinion. Here's what I base it on:

• Hawks don't have a home ground of their own, wherever they play they are tenants, which cause difficulties
  
  
• They don't have a second team, so, are relying, as they have this season, on dual-registrations etc
  
  
• They lack a depth of squad, so, even if they do keep going – a run of injuries etc., and they are in bother. They could slowly slip down the divisions
   
• They certainly have a few very good young players, who will be courted by Super-6 clubs for next season – if too-many bite, they will again be in bother
  
  
• They don't have a big-enough core support for Championship rugby, in my view.

As I said, I will be delighted if Hawks survive, it is a club I like and enjoy visiting, but, they face huge problems, few of their own making. I honestly fear for them.

THIS World League kerfuffle seems likely to exercise the minds of the great and good for a wee while yet. I see the now Sir William Beaumont - as we must now address big Bill - has summoned the lieges to Dublin next week in an effort to thrash things out.

Sir Bill Beaumont - has called the troops to Dublin for a summit

I sometimes feel, the “established” countries, of which Scotland is one, seem more interested in protecting their special places in the game's pecking order, than in expanding rugby world-wide.

Certainly, the way New Zealand and Australia have been quite happy to poach players from the Pacific Islands, and do the minimum, or less, to expand rugby there, does them no favours.

In football, Scotland is one of the very few establishment nations – why, just last week, we hosted the annual IFAB (International Football Associations Board) meeting, in Aberdeen. IFAB is football's supreme committee – the one which changes the Laws of the Game, and Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales managed to get themselves permanent places on IFAB, as the price for bailing-out a skint FIFA after WWII.

But, in reality, other than through IFAB, and the chance of having one of our intelligentsia from the sixth-floor corridor at Hampden in the ballot for the UK's permanent appointment as a FIFA vice president, we are not much involved.

We are even less involved in UEFA, the European body for football, but, I sometimes wonder, suppose European Rugby was to become our game's equivalent of UEFA, what would the four Home Nations do?

Would they continue to sit above the rest, keep the 6 Nations as a closed shop, or, might we in time, see them truly making an effort to grow the game across Europe.

The 6 Nations is such a money-spinner, it is probably safe for a time yet. But, supposing we do see this World League start, and with second divisions attached, and promotion and relegation. If this was to happen it would look something like this, in the northern hemisphere:

• World League Division One (North): England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales.
  
  
• World League Division Two (North): Belgium, Georgia, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Spain.

Might we be willing to give these “Division Two” nations a leg-up? I know, back in the days of Communism, we regularly played Romania – at a time when it seemed they, and not Italy, would be the sixth nation, had the then Five Nations expanded. I accept, we will play Georgia in a World Cup warm-up.

But, could we do more. How about regular games against these second tier European nations at A, Under-23 or even Club XV level. It would give these countries a boost, and give our fringe international players more game time together.

WE DO NOT KNOW the final order, and will probably not know which club will be National league 1 champions until after the last fixture, but, we now know the race to see which six NL1 clubs will be promoted into the new top-flight of the club game: The Tennent's Championship next season is now a case of six from seven.

In current running order: Marr, Jed-forest, GHA, Gala, Selkirk, Musselburgh and Aberdeen Grammar occupy places one to seven. None of the other five NL1 clubs: Kelso, Cartha-Queen's Park, Hamilton, Dundee HSFP or Kirkcaldy can do enough between now and the end of the season to bridge the gap and get into the mix.

Marr and Jed are home and hosed – they will definitely be in the Championship next season, it's a case of four from five for the other berths, so the run-in will be very interesting.

Looking at the remaining fixtures, on paper seventh-placed Aberdeen Grammar might appear to have the easiest programme; their three remaining games are against Hamilton, Cartha-Queen's Park and Dundee HSFP – three of the teams below them.

By my unscientific reckoning, there are five key games left, which will have a huge bearing on the final six to be promoted. On 1 March, GHA entertain Selkirk; a week later Musselburgh play hosts to Selkirk, while GHA travel to Gala and, on 30 March, Selkirk and Gala go head-to-head at Philiphaugh.That same afternoon, Dundee HSFP host Aberdeen at Mayfield, and, if Aberdeen need to win that one, or maybe need a bonus point to clinch that final Championship place, it promises to be one Hell of a game.

THE SCOTLAND Sevens squad collected another trophy at the weekend, when they won the Challenge Trophy, by finishing ninth in the Las Vegas tournament, the latest round in the HSBC/World Rugby Sevens Series.

John Dalziel's squad had a bad first day, losing 12-36 to Fiji, then 12-24 to Australia, but, in their first match on Saturday's second day, they beat Wales 19-14.

This put them into the Challenge Cup portion of the draw, where they beat Canada 21-19 in the quarter-final. On Sunday, they beat Chile 17-5 in the semi-final before, in the final, they came from behind a the interval, when they trailed 7-5, Alec Coombs having scored Scotland's try.

Jamie Farndale - a cup-winning try for Scotland Sevens

Sam Pecquer put the Scots in front after the break, but Spain came back to lead 14-10,before Jamie Farndale crossed for what proved to be the winning score and allow the Scots to take the trophy 15-14.

The squad now moves on to Vancouver for this weekend's tournament.