DEAR READER – you must promise to delete this post immediately after reading it, because I am about to let you in on one of journalism's little secrets. OK, here goes. There is a belief abroad in the world that in today's dumbed-down society, most people only read the headline and perhaps the opening paragraph of any story – so, get the juicy details in there and you can pretty-much hide any unpleasant facts further down the story.
So, take this week's big rugby story – of how Nigel Owens has been appointed to a BKT United Rugby Championship refereeing panel, which will take the lead in match official reviews, appointments and selection. The new panel has been chosen for their independence, since its members: Owens, Stu Berry (South Africa), George Clancy (Ireland) and Neil Paterson (Scotland) who will join Refereeing Supremo Tappe Henning in the new group are not members of their home union's refereeing establishment.
Now, you see what happened there. Everyone concentrated on Nigel being given a role, the belief being that the best referee of the modern era being on-board will immediately improve the performance of the URC match officials.
However, while the best is on-board, so too is the second worst, given to most people, certainly in Scotland, only his compatriot John Lacey has managed to fuck-up more games than Clancy. To us Scots, putting Clancy on the team is like handing the Prime Minister's job to Liz Truss – it shouldn't happen in a well-run organisation.
Overlooked in the whole situation of new appointments, because it was placed “below the fold” as we say in the newspaper business, was the appointment of former Scotland hooker and current Romanian forwards coach Stevie Scott comes on-board as a dedicated set-piece analyst.
One of Stevie's first jobs will be to get referees officiating better at the scrum. Good luck to him on that. He could always start by insisting the referees penalise squint feeds. Make the scrum-halves put the ball down the middle of the scrum rather than into their own second row and we would have a much-better game.
IN TEN or fifteen years' time – when Aristotle Armstrong is but a fast-fading nightmare for the ageing Baldrick and Buddy the Elf and will not be around to say: “I told you it was a good idea;” and Super6 is seen as a very-good thing for Scottish Rugby, perhaps David Barnes – by then hopefully installed as one of the Custodians of Scottish Rugby will look back on season 2022-23 and say: “That's when things began to turn around.”
Of course, forward tho' Ah canna see – I can guess and fear that the sons of the stumble bums will still be insisting: “Aye,but we'd be better going back to the Premiership and Districts.”
Because, I still believe, having the likes of Duncan Weir strutting his stuff in S6, giving a live, on-field demonstration of what professional rugby is all about, will lift the standard far-faster than any God's amount of training sessions.
As, sadly, because theirs is a club and set-up we should all aspire to, I watched Stirling Wolves struggle this season, I knew, there was a good team in there, just not getting the breaks. The fact that Weir was the 48th player to pull-on a Wolves strip in just eight matches this campaign demonstrates the attritional nature of the competition, and helps explain Wolves' plight. Consistency of selection aids consistency of performance.
Wee Dunky was his normal immaculate self off the tee, and kicking from hand, but, some of his offloading and general passing were almost Russellesque. His example will hopefully lift the Stirling youngsters, to acknowledge: “this is the standard we must aim for.”
Good too to see young Murphy Walker and another couple of very- young, in front row terms, guns in Angus Fraser and Cam Norrie, involved in the Wolves win. Mind you, I have to question how they are bringing-up tight-heads at Strathallan School. Young Master Norrie showed an alarming touch of the elder Fagerson, another alumnus of the Perthshire school, in wanting to trade handbags when it wasn't necessary.
Friday night's was another good S6 game, albeit one of two halves and as they review the video, Graham Sheil, Ben Toolis and Co will probably be regretting the first half chances their men scorned – a case of the Bears shitting in the nest rather than the woods - before being overhauled by that superb four tries second half from the Wolves.
One question for the great and good of Scottish Rugby, however. What is Walter Fifita (or Fajita as Vougie Dipond called him at half-time) bringing to Glasgow?
Weir, Walker and Fraser – all full-time with Glasgow Warriors, added value to S6 on Friday night. I have yet to see evidence of Fifita being worth whatever Glasgow is paying him. He's been with the club for a while now, and has barely featured.
As things stand he is Glasgow's fifth-choice winger, indeed he gets so-little game time it almost reminds me of Craig Brown's great explanation of his place in the Rangers' pecking order when he was at Ibrox: “Fourth-choice left-half, behind Baxter, a cripple and a Catholic.”
I WAS looking forward to back-to-back BKT URC games, featuring Edinburgh and Glasgow, on Premier Sports this afternoon. However, I've got to go and have my Covid and 'Flu jags – good to see Wee Nippy and the SNP taking such good care of us auld yins.
So, if it stays dry, I might make an afternoon of it and go and watch what is sure to be the Game of the Day in Scottish Rugby, the West Division One clash of Cumnock and Carrick, at Broomfield.
The clubs haven't met in the league for a few seasons now and if the past record of such clashes is any guide, there will be blood and snotters aplenty this afternoon.
I recall one fixture in the past where Jim Lees, one of the great srvants of the Cumnock club, who was refereeing, called an early halt. He had earlier asked the players if they wanted to play rugby or fight. After they decided they preferred to fight, Jim just said: “Well, get on with it,” and walked off.
Hopefully, things will be a bit calmer this afternoon.
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