I Know, I've Said This Before, But, This Time, I Think We Will Finally Get To Read The SRU Accounts

WATER COOLERS were only just being introduced the last time I worked in an office environment. Ok, occasionally we would have wee chats in the kitchen while making coffee in the morning, but, in the last office in which I worked, there was not a culture of putting the world to rights around the water cooler.

I am telt, these devices are where all the gossip and intrigue, such a vital part of office work, are sorted out these days. As I understand it, at the moment, there are two main topics of conversation, in those few Scottish offices where anything approaching normal work is going on:

1. When will America have a new president – or the current one back? (a matter now (probably) resolved since I wrote this)

2. When will Celtic sack Neil Lennon?

Of course, in rugby circles, there is a third burning issue:

• When will the SRU's accounts come out?

On the latter point, I received a wee steer on Friday. Apparently, there is a Council meeting scheduled for Monday. Assuming they have no concerns, and my God, they've had long enough to pore over them, we can expect the figures to be finally signed-off on Wednesday or Thursday, allowing for publication by the weekend.

Friday the 13^th might be a good day on which to produce figures which will not make comfortable reading, and, in any case, with Scotland facing Italy the next day in the first of the Autumn Tests, well, only the real zealots will pay any attention. It might well be a very good day on which to bury bad news.

That is probably the time scale to which The Junta is working. They really cannot hold them back any longer.

Even by then, the SRU accounts might have finished a poor third to the speculation on who gets to live in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for the next four years, and the news that Wee Lenny has got his jotters.

Mind you, I feel Lenny might hold on for a wee while longer, neither The Hun, nor the Daily Rhebel has as yet printed their cracked crest illustrations, an event which is now a required stage in the process of removing an Old Firm manager.

GREGOR TOWNSEND has demonstrated his loyalty to a long-standing squad member, by re-instating Sean Maitland to the national squad for the Autumn Nations Cup Tests.

OK, Maitland has never let Scotland down in his 48 Tests. He probably deserves to join the ranks of half-centurions, but, and it is a shame there has to be a but; he is facing RFU disciplinary action as one of the Dirty Dozen, the 13 Barbarians, who breached the “team bubble” for a couple of nights out, while preparing to face England last month.

Now, I can just see Twickenham's “Old Farts,” suffering temporary amnesia as they overlooked their own sins, whilst touring back in the amateur days. All they will probably see is the £1 million or more which they lost through the cancellation of that game, they will be out for blood. It doesn't help too, that most of the “crimnals” such as Maitland, who burst the bubble, were Saracens' players. I expect suspensions to follow.

Might have been a good idea to have left Maitland out and given Duhan van der Merwe a chance to claim the number 11 shirt. Funny thing sporting politics.

The other talking point from the selection announcement is the choice of back-up stand-off, should anything bad befall Duncan Weir, who seems certain to be handed the number 10 shirt for the game v Italy.

James Lang has been the regular “finisher,” to use the English term, for Harlequins, taking over the ten shirt from young Marcus Smith, so, we might expect him to fill this role too for Scotland. Or, might we see, as happened at Llanelli, skipper Stuart Hogg stepping-up at first receiver.

There might also be a case for Blair Kinghorn as the second ten, a position he is familiar with from his younger days. It will give us something to talk about in the weeks ahead.

LEWIS BEAN could, tomorrow, become the 316^th player to pull on a Glasgow Warriors shirt. Lewis Who? I hear you ask. Well, this Mr Bean is a big lump of a lock who arrived on Glasgow this week, on-loan from Northampton Saints.

 

 

Lewis Bean

He's 28 and a big boy, six foot eight inches tall and weighing-in at just under 20 stones. He's a former soldier who has also played for Moseley and Worcester Warriors.

Now pardon me, but, no harm to this Mr Bean, he is, I would suggest, at 28, unlikely to get any better. He is at best Warriors' sixth-choice lock; he will only be there for a short time, as injury cover.

Why are we bringing up a journeyman from England, and ignoring the claims of the many young Scottish locks playing in Super6, who might benefit from a short spell with Warriors?

These sorts of short-term, loan deals, do nothing for the two professional teams, even less for Scottish player development and, regardless of Jim Mallinder's long connection with the Saints – I don't think they do anything for Scottish rugby.

Time, in fact way past time, we encouraged young Scottish players rather than bringing-in short-term English journeymen.

 

 

Robbie Fergusson

Better news is the selection of Scotland Sevens Captain Robbie Fergusson at outside centre for Monday night's visit to The Kingspan Stadium, to face Ulster.

Having watched him since he was a 16-year-old schoolboy, and admired his battle to beat Cancer and come through to captain the Sevens squad – I am a big Robbie fan.

In fact, having seen them playing together for Ayr, I would love to see a Scotland team lining up in midfield with Ali Price, Finn Russell, Robbie Fergusson and Mark Bennett. They are all pals, who have shone together in the past, they gel, worth a look Toony.