AFTER Saturday's thumping 14-76 thrashing by Leinster, the 'Warrior Nation' is not best pleased. Hey, this is Glasgow, we've been here before: Leicester Tigers 90 Glasgow Warriors 19, back in 1997, being perhaps the worst beating Warriors have had to take, but, this latest Dublin disaster is merely an addition to a too-long list of European hammerings.
The thing is, the Warriors' match-day 23 included no less than 17 capped players, including three British Lions. Yet they conceded 12 tries and were left utterly outplayed. OK, indiscipline and two yellow cards didn't help – but, this has been a season-long problem which hasn't been addressed. The squad has quality, but, it clearly isn't working – in which case, the fault must lie somewhere, and, the obvious place to look when apportioning blame for such an abject display has to be at the Coach.
I said, when he was appointed to replace Dave Rennie – Danny Wilson wasn't the right man for the job. He was the cheap option. Sean Lineen, then Gregor Townsend took Glasgow forward. After these two positive appointments, we have had two poor appointments – which have taken the team backwards.
This time, the SRU high heid yins have to get the appointment right – or the team will be in real trouble. But, before then - if Wilson is still in-post at lunch time on Monday, then that is total dereliction of duty by the Glasgow board and their masters at Murrayfield.
WELL, I NEVER saw that coming. That was Ayrshire Bulls' remarkable second half comeback, after being seemingly dead and buried at the break of Friday night's FOSROC Super6 Spring meeting with table-topping Watsonians.
Bulls had been so out of sorts as to be largely anonymous in the opening 40 minutes, and I honestly felt at the turn round: “If Watsonians score first here, this could be embarrassing for the Bulls.” The visitors did score first, but, having been a poor second for the previous 65 minutes of so, Bulls suddenly woke up in the final 15 minutes to turn a gaping 24 point deficit into a narrow 21-24 defeat.
It might be simplistic to say this, but, Bulls' second half comeback owed a lot to the arrival of Kiwi playmaker Tom Jordan, who took the game by the scruff of the neck and got the Bulls' backline moving. Jordan this week signed a contract extension with Glasgow Warriors – for whom he has yet to step onto the field. We hear, however, he will be given his chance at Scotstoun in the new season, particularly after he qualifies as 'Scottish' – by residency, in the autumn.
I look forward to a revival, for Glasgow, of the Ross Thompson/Tom Jordan midfield axis, which proved so strong for Bulls, back at the start of Super6. If they can operate as well for Warriors as they did for the Bulls – win-win for the club.
This Sprint series has been interesting, I think we are learning, we maybe don\'t have as many professional quality players as we need, while a few players, given their chance to show if they can step up from club rugby to the semi-professional game, and show there: they might have the potential to make it to the Edinburgh and Glasgow ranks, have been found wanting.
I feel we are finding out, the six teams all have reasonably-strong first XVs, but, the problem is in positions 16-30. I also feel, too few of the 1-15s have, in this short season, made a case for replacing the guys who are generally ranked 24-46 with the two full-time professional outfits.
I also would suggest, the season 202-22 Sprint Series could well be a one-off. Murrayfield has yet to say: “There will be no cross-border games in the future,” so I expect, this time next year, we will be watching the likes of Bulls v Cardiff or Pontypridd v Watsonians.
We will also, I feel, see, come the start of the 2022-23 “full fat” Super6 competition, see each of the sides going with a central core of guys with professional experience, and even-better co-operation between the six teams and the two full-time pro outfits, when it comes to player release. This will present an even-harder challenge to the young talent coming through from the age group system.
If we accept, the required third full-time professional Scottish team in the United Rugby Championship isn't going to happen any time soon, if ever. The SRU cannot afford it, they are such control freaks, no sensible private investor would get into bed with them and, in any case, pure financial pressures will make it unlikely to happen.
The constriction in budgets, team rosters and the recruitment of Non-English-Qualified players into the Gallagher Premiership and the English Championship means some players, released by Edinburgh and Glasgow, if they wish to continue to be paid to play, will have to take semi-professional contracts with the S6 clubs.
This, I suspect will see the leading S6 clubs recruiting a central core of former professionals, augmented by the best players emerging from our age group system. Some of the S6 clubs are already going down this route.
Maybe five years down the line – always assuming in the interim we get an outbreak of common sense within the Murrayfield administration, I can see Scottish Rugby's management model looking something like:
Tier One – the full national team
Tier Two – the Sevens squad and age group teams, perhaps a return of Scotland A
Tier Three – Edinburgh and Glasgow teams playing in the URC, or maybe even a European League
Tier Four – Super6 or perhaps Super8 – a development tier for Tier Three
Tier Five – Two National Leagues at most
Tier Six – Regional rugby, possibly playing to a slightly different Law book than the tiers above.
THE SUPER6 SPRINT SERIES will conclude this coming weekend, with Watsonians v Stirling County and Boroughmuir Bears v Heriot's. That latter match leaves me with a major problem. If Boroughmuir win, they will go above Ayrshire Bulls in the table.
So, for that reason, I will be hoping for a Heriot's victory. However, how can anyone with a modicum of self-respect support the “Nails?”
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