The South Has Risen Again

MY FACEBOOK news feed over the weekend was bouncing with my friends down there in the Borders taking time out from all that common riding bacchanalia, to celebrate a definite case of “Safe Oot – Safe Back;” when a group of callants from the various clubs did a bit of cross-border reiving, to win the Carlisle City Sevens.

The Soputh squad celebrate their win at Carlisle

Cue great rejoicing in the dales, and a definite case of murmurings of: “Weel din boys,” from elsewhere in Scotland, at this success for the South Sevens squad.

Well, not perhaps universal rejoicing, I can see some of the “broken arrows” inside Murrayfield, and their rulers within ~The Junta” doing that pursed lips, sharp intake of breath, so beloved of the “Unco Guid” as they sense the lower orders getting some enjoyment from life.

You see, the South of Scotland squad was a DISTRICT select. The 14-men named were:

Callum, Gregor and Lewis Young, Gary Munro, Rory Marshall (Jed-forest); Jake Linton, Logan Gordon-Wooley, Andrew Mitchell and Dalton Redpath (Hawick); Ross Nixon and Ryan Cotterill (Selkirk); Andrew Tait (Kelso). Melrose are now above this sort of South nonsense, far-too grand now they are a Super-Six club, but former Grenyards boys Ruari Campbell and Robbie Chalmers, who now strut their stuff for Edinburgh Academical, completed the squad, which was coached by
Fraser Harkness and Bruce McNeil, with Neil Hinnigan filling the Team Manager's role.

One or two of my South friends, who went along to support the boys reckoned they upheld the proud traditions of South Rugby and it was a worth-while exercise. When the news of the victory came through, guys from awe the airts posted their congratulations on Facebook, this was definitely one of those uplifting moments.

That weel-kent man from the north lands, Kevin Wyness posted a suggestion that we reconstitute the Inter-District Championship, suggesting a two-week calendar, as happens with the age group games, semi-finals on Week One, involving Caledonia, Edinburgh, Glasgow and The South, with the Week Two matches seeing the two winners from Week One playing for the title, with the losers playing for third and fourth.

However, Kev was quick to point-out: “This competition should be restricted to CLUB players.”

And, as old Barry Norman used to ask: “Why not?” It would be a handy means of sorting-out potential players for the Scotland Club XV (assuming it is not tobecome the select team from the Super-6) and would even allow those elite Super-6 sides to see the best club talent going head-to-head with a view to possibly moving-up.

Of course, as I cautioned Kev, he used the D word, which is one never to be used in the presence of any member of The Junta. It does tend to give the precious wee souls sleepless nights. I mean, if you allow Districts, you have to had District committees to run them, which brings power closer to the clubs; and that would never do. Next thing you know, the clubs would be thinking they could maybe run things.

No way Jose, we cannot have Districts back – leave power in the hands of The Junta, they know best.

Aye Right!!!!!

ONE OR TWO friends of this blog have been voicing their concerns over The Junta's machinations in the field of SRU Governance. We have, over the past decade and more, had various Action Plans, and road maps of The Way Ahead for Scottish Rugby. And one elder statesman in the world of club administration pointed out to me this past week, we are supposed to see resolution on some of these plans by the end of this coming season.

We were meant to be semi-finalists in the World Cup by 2019, and have won a Six Nations title by then; our wins ration was supposed to have been up, while we were supposed to have fantastically increased the number of active players by then.

I tried to find where this wish list was buried on the SRU Website, but, since they revamped it, it gets more and more difficult to trace things, however, I may yet find it.

I would like to think Gemmell and Murray – by appointment, white-wash appliers to The Junta would be looking at our progress, or otherwise, towards the aims of the action plans is progressing, and be able to report.

I would also like to think, by the AGM, we might have another road map to consider, but, this time one we have a chance of following to the proposed end.

I WILL finish this post where I started it, in the Borders. I am looking forward to seeing wee Rob Robertson's new play, “The Voice”, which tells the Bill McLaren story on stage. It is due to be premiered, appropriately enough, in Bill's native Hawick, in September.

Tickets are already on-sale and I am certain it will sell-out in Hawick, and elsewhere in Scotland.

The Bill McLaren Foundation the charity started to remember “The Voice” - as if he will ever be forgotten, is supporting the venture and will surely benefit from it. I am sure, everyone with an interest in Scottish Rugby will hope to be able to see the new play, and I wish it well.

Wee Rob is one of the good guys on the Scottish Daily Mail, and in the small world of the Scottish rugby media. He's an excellent wordsmith, and I am sure this will be a very good play – after all, it is about a marvellous subject.