There's Something The Matter Wi Glasgow

SCOTSTOUN – AND MURRAYFIELD: you have a major problem. Once again, on Saturday night, for the second European game in a row, Glasgow Warriors collapsed from a leading position, to lose badly. Their hopes of advancement to the last-16 then depended on Exeter thumping Montpellier, denying them even a losing bonus point, and Ospreys beating Sale – then Glasgow would have advanced, to face Leicester in the first knock-out round. But, as we now know, it wasn't to be.

I am not a natural fan of either Edinburgh or Glasgow; these are not rugby clubs in the traditional sense. Both are SRU-owned entities, whose raison d'etre is to prepare international class players for the international arena. Both teams are loss-making units within the governing body. Their job is not to win the United Rugby Championship, or The Heineken Cup – although any such success would be most-welcome. Their job is to keep our home-based international players up to speed for international duty, and get the successors to these players ready to take over.

I don't think they do this as well as they could. I doubt that the SRU has got the correct levers in-place and in the correct slots. That is regrettable and I feel we should do better.

The English and French clubs, such as La Rochelle and Leicester have different priorities – to win leagues and cups and bugger doing anything to assist the FRF and the RFU.

Sure, it would be great if either or both our teams were contending in the knock-out rounds of the two major European competitions. Such an outcome would be great for Scottish Rugby's self-esteem, and be confidence-boosting for our players.

But, if the Glasgow players learn from the last to results and lift their game to the necessary level, which sees us – beginning with retaining the Calcutta Cup – have a glorious Six Nations campaign, then I will feel a bit better about the results against Exeter and La Rochelle.

If next season, we could go into Europe with an all-Scottish squad (and I have nothing against Glasgow and Edinburgh's NSQ players when I write this), and with a bit better strategy in place for developing out younger Scottish players – then I will be even happier.

I honestly feel Coach Danny Wilson needs to be more-willing to give his fringe players a chance, some of the squad appear to think their places are assured, regardless of how they play – while I am equally sure, there are players at Scotstoun who might be thinking: “Why do I bother, he isn't going to give me a chance, regardless of what I do in training.”. Also, I think they need to find and employ a good sports psychologist as a matter of urgency.

It also might help if Gregor Townsend or even Jim Mallinder could discover their inner Jim Telfer and give an updated 'Everest Speech' to Scotland's home-based professional players; reminding them how lucky they are to be well-paid to play a game they love, and how much they owe the thousands of club members across Scotland who look up to them and support them, in a financial and spiritual sense. The Glasgow players at the moment are not delivering what their fans and Scottish Rugby as a whole, expects of them.

DOWN IN the depths of West Region Division Two, something is stirring. On Saturday, Cumnock Rugby Club travelled to Strathaven and won 15-6. This put Cumnock onto 59 points, from 13 games, at the top of the table. That's 14 points clear of Wigtownshire, who have a game in hand, and 25 points clear of Strathaven, who have four games in hand.

With Cumnock having just five games left, the chasers will need some assistance if they are to catch them, but, speaking as someone who first pulled on a Cumnock strip in 1963, I can tell you, if there is one club capable of not winning a league from this position – that team is Cumnock.

That said, I have every faith in the 2022 Cumnock crop getting the job done.

AFTER the weekend games, I will be gobsmacked if the current top four – Currie Chieftains, Marr Edinburgh Academicals and Hawick are not the quartet who contest the end-of-season play-offs.

Fourth-placed Glasgow Hawks are precisely 15 points behind fourth-placed Hawick, with only a maximum of 15 points available to them – so, sorry Hawks, the play-offs aint gonna happen.

An interesting quartet, I would not, as yet, be prepared to hazard a guess as to which two teams the Grand Final will come down to.

THE TOP of the Premiership may be pretty-well sorted-out, but, as is the case in most team sports, the league below – National One – is once again a complete dog fight.

Heriot's Blues – after snatching victory deep in the red at Millbrae on Saturday, are three points clear of Biggar, who do, however, have a game in hand. Gala are three points adrift of Biggar, but, have one game in hand over the Hartree Mill outfit and two in hand over the Nails. In theory, Gala are in the strongest position, but, at the end of the day, might points already gained trump points which still have to be acquired? It's an interesting table.

Biggar and Gala still have to meet twice, while Gala and Heriot's have also still to meet. The run-in is going to be very-interesting.