Stand-In Sam Stands Out

EVERYTHING has its price. And for Sam Grove-White the price for all those Business Class flights to exotic destinations for Sevens competitions, all that time in four and five star hotels, well it had to be paid yesterday, when he got the last-minute call to referee the Toulon v London Irish Challenge Cup semi-final.

 

It all seemed like a nice weekend for Sam, (pictured above). An all-expenses-paid trip to the South of France, with an afternoon as an assistant referee to break-up the trip. Then Mikey Adamson injures himself in the warm-up and Sam the Understudy becomes Sam the main man.

OK, his afternoon wasn't helped by some of the messing about in the scrums, he got a couple of the calls wrong, but, on the whole, I think Sam did himself a world of good. The calm way he handled that spot of handbags, late in the first half, was almost text book. Mind you, I'd have been tempted to red car Agustin Creevy – for his own protection – after he grabbed a fistful of Eben Etzebeth's hair.

My first thought when I saw that was of big Martin Bayfield's great after-dinner story of Wade Dooley's reaction to being laid out by a cheap shot from a French player.

When he came round, 'The Blackpool Tower' told the referee, in no uncertain terms: “Ref, don't you dare send that fucker off.” I suspect Sam might have got a similar message, but, in a South African accent, yesterday.

My second thought was of the legendary Collopy brothers, wh played for Bective Ragners in the 1920s and are mentioned in James Joyce's 'Finnegan's Wake.' Legend has it, during an international in Paris, the referee was about to send-off a French player for thumping one Collopy brother, when the other intervened on the Frenchman's behalf and got the referee to allow the miscreant to remain on the park. Some ten minutes later, the Frenchman was removed form the game – on a stretcher. They handled arguments differently back then.

(To get back to the script): The highlight of the game, however, was that magical try for Irish by Henry Arundell. I said, after his performance for the England Under-20 team – he had the potential to cause us pain for years to come. I did not at that time realise – he is Scotland-qualified.

The chances of us getting him may be small, but, we have to have a go – that level of individual talent comes along about once in a generation. What an asset he could be to us.

I WAS not at all surprised by the reaction in the Borders to that hammering Southern Knights suffered at the hands of Ayrshire Bulls at tea time on Saturday.

Some of the below the line comments on social media – you could feel the pleasure being taken elsewhere in the supposed heartland of Scottish Rugby, at the hated Melrose being hammered.

That's sad, but, it's a Scottish thing – I have grown-up with that attitude in God's County, the heartland of Scottish Junior Football. I have previously used my story of asking Cumnock Juniors' sponsor, the late Jim Yates, what he wanted to happen at an Auchinleck Talbot v Glenafton Athletic Junior Cup Final.

“An atomic bomb dropped on Firhill as they kick-off would suit me fine,” said Yatesie. The same sort of thinking and love of the neighbours is about in the Borders, as the 'Rose wilts in the heat of the FOSROC Super6 Sprint Series.

I saw posts referring to the team as: “The Barren Knights,” with weel-kent characters from other Borders clubs positively relishing the Melrose pain. This is a particularly Scottish attitude – I have seen it often in Ayrshire Junior football, while, in certain Ayrshire rugby clubs there is a culture of: “Any club but Ayr,” when a gifted young player has to move up the ladder, such is the jealousy around the success of the Millbrae club.

The unfortunate fact for the Knights is, at the moment, several experienced players, particularly forwards are injured. In rugby, you just have to be missing a handful of players in key positions and what might have been a narrow defeat becomes a rout. That's what happened to the Knights on Saturday.

I strongly suspect, come the full Super6 season in the autumn, the Knights will have re-grouped and again be competitive. Those supporters of rival Borders clubs, relishing the current Knights' discomfort, could well be left with eggs on their faces.

We hear too of wider unrest in the Melrose club. One or two long-serving officials have stood down and, as yet, their replacements haven't shone. This happens in voluntary club situations – I could rattle-off the names of several clubs who have floundered on this situation. But, I am certain, the 'Rose will bloom again and that sea of empty seats in the main stand will again have bodies in them..

ONE OF the joys of being a rugby “anorak” is to read the English newspapers' websites on the Monday after carnage on the European stage. The howls of frustration from the English fans in the btl comments are always cheering.

It's like our papers after the Bigot Brothers slip-up: “the referee was disgraceful – they should have had two players red-carded and another three yellow-carded.” “We wuz robbed.” “The salary cap is killing our clubs.”

At least, if you're Scottish, you only have to blame TCD and The Junta for all the ills of the game.

FINALLY – What are we going to do about Finn Russell? His performance in Racing 92's win over Sale Sharks was the usual mixture of Finntastic and Finsanity. He's rugby's version of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo – a fantastic individual talent, fated, at international level to be surrounded by team mates who are simply not up to his standard.

He's a diamond and we are fortunate to have him.