This Birthday Boy Has Been Thinking Again

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me. Mind you, I never thought I'd be spending part of my 76^th composing this pish for my adoring public. Any way, since this is a fallow week in the Guinness Six Nations, it is maybe a good time to reflect on where we are, where we could have been, and where we might end up.

There is, to me any way, a strange look to the 6N table – with England right on our tails and above France in the standings. I know the French occasionally hit a mental wall when they go to Twickenham, but, surely, this year they will end their long run of disappointment there. They beat us, we beat England, therefore, France should also win on the Cabbage Patch.

The other game when hostilities resume, is now a definite Wooden Spoon Decider, and, with home advantage and the Welsh in total disarray, I fancy an Italian win.

But, before then, we have Round 15 of the BKT United Rugby Championship to get out of the way. I fancy Glasgow Warriors to get back to winning ways when they face Zebre at Scotstoun on Friday night. It will be interesting, however, to see what formation Franco Smith sends out, this will depend on who gets released by Scotland.

Edinburgh face a much-tougher task in hosting Leinster at the DAM Health Stadium on Saturday. Even before Mike Blair announced he would be standing down as their coach, I fancied this one would be damage limitation for the capital outfit.

It will be interesting to see who gets the Edinburgh gig, also, where Blair goes next. I would like to think there was a Scottish coach ready to step-up and replace Mike, but, I cannot honestly think of a potential home-grown candidate, which has to be yet another failure of the SRU management model.

A WEE BBC-style Interlude.

I have never been a fan of sports writers awarding marks out of ten for a performance in a game. First of all, that's an opinion and opinions are like erse-holes, we've all got one.

I remember working on one paper, where the Editor wanted marks out of ten to be awarded in games involving the local senior football team, coverage of which was my main priority at the time. Reluctantly, I obeyed orders, but, it was funny to see how these marks were viewed, particularly by the players being marked.

One or two used to get chippy if they didn't get at least a seven. One particularly under-performing striker once queried why I had only given him a five for one performance. “Because the Editor will not allow me to give fewer marks,” was not perhaps the response he was looking for.

On another occasion, the Club Chairman took issue with me, because I gave Man of the Match and 9/10 to a centre half who, to be fair to him, was quite happy to be described as: “The donkey's donkey.”

Mr Chairman felt the award should have gone to the sweeper and Club Captain and was not at all placated when I told him, the 'donkey's' nine was the equivalent of the seven I had given the sweeper – he got at least that every week, but, in this particular game, the 'donkey' had exceeded expectations.

Well, I get the impression the fact several journalists only gave Finn Russell 7/10 in Paris on Sunday should be tempered with the knowledge – a 7/10 from Finn is the equivalent of 9/10 for the other Scottish players.

I KNOW and appreciate the game of Rugby Union has a long and proud history, but, really, more than 25 years into Open Rugby, which has given us, an elite-level game where entertaining the paying public has become a priority, it is past time that we tweaked the Laws of the Game to reflect this reality.

I have been beating this drum for years, but, the sound of my distant drumming has not yet reached the leafier suburbs of Dublin, natural habitat of the guys who run the game – more's the pity. I again repeat the call I have been making regularly since I started this blog – it's past time we had a root and branch reform of the laws.

A couple of friends of the blog have been in touch, since Sunday, with particular reference to the two red cards brandished in Paris in the France v Scotland match. Under the present interpretation of the law on contact to the head, and the lengths the game's custodians are going to attempt to cut-out high hits, both red cards were justified.

However, given the circumstances of Grant Gilchrist's red – where the tackle, a split second before, of Matt Fagerson, dunted the French player into Gilchrist – a yellow card to either, or even both Scottish players might have been a more-fitting sanction.

The later red card for the French tight-head was another matter. His challenge was stupid, reckless and a definite red. Mind you, he perhaps needs lessons in the correct application of what is known as: “A Glesca Kiss,” his one of Ben White was as poor a case of “Pittin the heid oan somebody” as I have seen – but, in spite of poor technique, still a clear red.

One of my blog contacts yesterday made the fair point – the game perhaps needs to look at separating “technical” offences – the Fagerson/Gilchrist incident, where the problem is poor technique, and “foul play” offences – which is what the French red card was.

Technical offences would then be punishable by the non-offending side getting a free kick. Although, I would be willing to consider a Basketball-style law, whereby, after a set number of such offences – each subsequent offence is punishable with a penalty, which can be kicked at goal.

I again repeat my long-held support for Alan Hosie's suggestion, made many years ago, whereby serious foul play (i.e. an offence which merits a sending off) should be punishable by a penalty, to be, regardless of where on the park the incident happened, taken from a penalty spot in the middle of the offending side's 22 metre line.

There is also, I feel, a case for making individual players responsible for their behaviour. Thus, a red card becomes a “full game penalty,” the player is out of the game, but, he can be replaced and a disciplinary tribunal then decides if expulsion from the game was sufficient punishment, or if further game suspensions should follow. Red card – off goes the player; ten minutes later – he is replaced.

Regardless of the above, we really have to lower the tackle height and, as a matter of urgency, World Rugby needs to sort this out – if not before the Rugby World Cup, then certainly to take effect immediately after it.

 

An Exciting Week-End, But, In The End - Disappointing

I MISSED Friday night's Under-20 match, but, I always fancied this was one we were fated to lose heavily. Take it on the chin, accept it as a learning experience and move on – that's my opinion.

Our young player development system in Scotland is so skewed towards what suits a handful of private schools and, in any case is so under-funded, unless there is a major switch of direction, I can only see disaster for Scotland for the next decade or so.

SATURDAY'S diet of back-to-back rugby kicked off in Durban, with Cell C Sharks v Ulster, and an excellent win for the Belfast Boys. It was cracking entertainment, featuring two teams wanting to win and kudos to Ulster for winning it.

This game was a view of the future – the crowd, in tee-shirts or skimpy vests and shorts – quaffing lagers pitch side. A pitch side swimming pool for the kids – that's the sort of summer rugby I could embrace and I hope somebody influential at Ayr was watching. There are some ideas there for the re-development of Millbrae.

A bonus from the match was the excllent performance of match referee Sam Grove-White, who was at the top of his game. I also enjoyed his chats with “Meners” as big Andy McMenemy, the TMO, (pictured),  is now apparently known in refereeing circles. I reckon Andy is one of the better “van men” in the game and he doesn't get the credit he is due.

 

NEXT up was Lions v Warriors and acute disappointment. This was a game Warriors could and should have won. For long periods they played the better rugby but, a plethora of silly errors proved their undoing.

The Lions swooped on these mistakes to score some long-distance breakaway tries while too-many Warriors' attacking surges withered on the vine of a lack of support.

Still, in any lengthy campaign, there will always be setbacks and, if as they should, Warriors get back to winning ways next time out, this speed bump will be forgotten. At least, they escaped with one losing bonus point.

If you look at their remaining fixtures, Glasgow's visit to Thomond Park to face Munster on 25 March now has the look of a cup final about it.

It was good to see Allan Dell back in action on Saturday. He could be a handy guy to have around in the run-in.

FROM Jo'burg it was on to Cardiff, for Wales v England and proof, these just might be the two worst teams in the Guinness Six Nations. Warren Gatland's face whenever we got a shot of the coaches' boxes seemed to say: “Why did I ever agree to come back here.”

Wales really are in a bad way, while England are little better. That England full back Freddie Steward should get Man of the Match, for catching high balls said it all. This was mince.

IF ENGLAND v Wales was mince, France v Scotland was Filet Mignon. There is no shame in losing in Paris to a French team that is that good; however, it was disappointing that we didn't get at least a losing bonus.

It was a game we might have won, but not perhaps, one we should have won. OK, the Grand Slam has gone, however, with home advantage, against the Irish, we can still win a Triple Crown.

In the end, our mistakes were more-costly than their errors. We gave it our best shot, but, in the final analysis, the better team won.

 

I thought Huw Jones had arguably his best game for Scotland. OK, the home television station gets to award the Man of the Match, so they give it to a home player. However, had it been a British decision – 'Shuggie' would have got the call.

The Gallus One was just himself. He didn't let that interception put him off, he kept trying things and made amends with his try. We are lucky to have him.

FINALLY, a veteran former player turned administrator, whose experience of top-level Scottish Rugby goes back to the 1960s has never deviated from his belief that: “Scottish Rugby needs a strong Hawick.”

Gone are the days when excellence in a green jersey leads to getting to wear a navy blue one, but, to old-timers like me, it was great to see The Green Machine going through the Tennent's Premiership season unbeaten, along the way setting a new record for successful defences of The Bill McLaren Shield.

I can now see The Robbie Dyes clinching a league and cup double between now and the end of the season.

 

It Could Be Funny - If It Wasn't So-Serious

ONE OF the funniest sports books I have read was called: 'Atkinson for England.' A tale of mistaken identity, it revolves round a Machiavellian FA Chief Executive engineering the resignation of the England football team manager, ten days before a vital World Cup tie against Germany. The FA mandarin wants to shoe horn Ron Atkinson into the job, but, somehow it ends up being offered to Nottingham plumber and Sunday League pub team manager Reg Atkinson.

The England players all go on-strike, the top Premiership teams refuse to co-operate but, somehow Reg Atkinson gets a team onto the park and they beat Germany. It's great fun. I know 'Mike Bassett – England Manager' starring Ricky Tomlinson was a hoot, but, I think a film version of 'Atkinson For England' would have been even funnier.

I can actually see a real-life version of the above this weekend, when Wales entertain England in Cardiff. I appreciate, the Welsh squad are due to announce today (Wednesday) whether or not they will carry through on their threatened strike, however, I honestly believe there is too-much money involved in this one for the game not to go ahead. Like the fictional Reg Atkinson, the fabled Warren Gatland will put together some kind of Welsh team, and I wouldn't bet against them beating England, probably through Sir Gareth Edwards scoring the winning try in the same corner where he scored against the All Blacks, half a century ago.

In a rare excursion into actually doing some research, instead of this blog's normal approach of seat of the pants thinking, I listened to the BBC Sport Rugby Podcast special on the current travails – working title: 'How Fucked Is My Valley?' It made for grim listening. To an outsider, it seems Cardiff are The Capulets; Dragons are The Montagues; Ospreys are The Hatfields and Scarlets are The McCoys.

The point which most struck me, was when Tom English brought up something that the dear friend of this blog – Sodoff Baldrick TCD, oor ain Mark Dodson had said to him: “We (the SRU) cannot afford three full-time professional sides, so how can Wales afford four?” Unusually, on that one – I'm with TCD, it doesn't make sense.

I appreciate, the SRU gets pelters, particularly from the club game, for a seeming lack of an overall strategy, but, compared to the in-fighting in Wales, we seem to be doing OK – for now.

As ever, it's all about the money, except the WRU appear to have more problems than Captain Smith of the Titanic had to deal with – they have apparently hit a bigger iceberg.

The players are apparently fearful of not only salary security, but also job security. This could come to a head next week. With uncertainties over funding for the four regions, the fear is that at least one might be closed down. Under employment law, I gather the players might be due to receive 90-day redundancy notices on 1 March, which is 90 days before the URC Grand Final – the end of their season.

Unions love to produce glossy “wish lists” - visions of how they want things to look five or six years down the line. Wales last produced such a listing in 2017, for the six years up to this year's World Cup. They don't seem to have a plan for between now and 2030.

As Tom English pointed out on that BBC podcast, on every counter bar geographic size, Leinster is the same size as Wales. That's interesting. What is also interesting, and worrying, is that there is a body of opinion in Welsh Rugby that each of the regions should have a guarantor – an English rugby-style “sugar daddy” to guarantee the survival of that region. Aye, that's working well in England.

If that's their answer, they have misheard the wrong question. Wales are in a proper moger, let's be happy Scotland has not yet gone down the same road. The problems in the Principality are also discussed in-depth in an excellent article by Jonathan Liew in The Guardian. Read it and weep for Wales, while being glad it's not Scotland.

AT LEAST one Welsh Region professional player has sorted-out his next two years, with the news Javan Sebastian is leaving Scarlets for Edinburgh at the end of the season.

 The thrice-capped Scotland tight-head is clearly being lined up to succeed WP Nel at Edinburgh and, since I have known Javan since his spell with Ayr a few seasons ago, I am delighted to see him back in the land of his father.

Mind you, some Edinburgh fans are not enthused about Javan arriving, since Murray McCallum will be departing Edinburgh for Newcastle Falcons at the end of the season. I must admit, I have never been convinced about McCallum, but, in truth the guys making the keep him or let him go decisions around Scottish props have been, to my mind, getting things wrong for a while.

I rate Darcy Rae more-highly than I do either Javan or Murray, while I think the often-criticised Simon Berghan is a better prop than he is given credit for. I had my doubts about Simon when he first showed up in Scotland, but, to his credit, he really has put-in the hard work and today, obviously older and more-experienced, he is, to me an under-rated prop.

I would also like to see the plan to turn Oli Kebble from a loose-head to a tight-head reinvigorated. Does Glasgow really need three capped Scottish loose-heads?

The full picture, for me is, whoever is making the decisions about which players we keep inside the SRU tent, and which ones we release, they've been very uneven in their decision-making. I think we could do a lot better.

 

Franco Smith Is Currently The Best Coach In Glasgow

THAT WAS a smashing win for Glasgow Warriors, over Ulster, at Scotstoun on Friday night. I have to admit, I was worried about that one; the red hand mob are always difficult opponents and I thought, with them losing fewer players than Warriors to the Six Nations squads, this would be a real test of Warriors' squad depth.

I am convinced, under Messrs Rennie or Wilson, Glasgow would have lost that one, but, the team, under Franco Smith is a more robust beast and it says much for the Coach's skill that they won this one.

 Smith's use of his bench, deploying the guys released from the national squad to get Glasgow over the line, was exemplary, while the journeymen – guys such as Johnny Matthews, Lewis Bean and Tom Gordon, who did the heavy lifting to give them that target to aim for, once again proved their worth to the side.

Sadly, between conceding that very-late penalty, and not quite getting a bonus point, Warriors failed to overtake Ulster into third place, however, with both sides off to South Africa this weekend, and Glasgow having, certainly on-paper, the easier game, maybe they can still overtake Ulster.

IF WARRIOR'S win over Ulster was a week-end highlight, Edinburgh's pathetic collapse against Scarlets was the polar opposite. Edinburgh were woeful, from start to finish, offering very little as an attacking force and lucky not to lose by more than they did.

Their abysmal performance was a sad return to the bad old days of Scottish rugby.

Edinburgh does have some very-good players, but, with most of them held back in the national squad, the lack of true depth over the whole squad was cruelly exposed in Wales.

Mike Blair is now under real pressure, to demonstrate his coaching qualities. It's a results-driven business, and right now, his side is not getting the results its talent perhaps should. Indeed, several long-standing squad members are, this season, starting to look as if they are past their sell-by date – which is always a difficult position for a coach.

CONGRATULATIONS to Hawick, on winning the regular season part of the Tennent's Premiership season. It is good to see the Green Machine back at the top of the club tree.

Mind you, other than guaranteeing home advantage in the Play-Off semi-finals, and, if that match is won, home field advantage again in the final, topping the table after all 18 regular season rounds doesn't amount to a hill of beans – and, you can bet defending Champions Marr will be keen to go to Mansfield Park and put one over on the Robbie Dyes.

While they were celebrating in the Station Bar and the other watering holes of Hawick Last night, commiserations have to go to GHA, who were relegated after their loss to Hawick.

Now the big unanswered question is: who will replace them in the top flight? As things stand, with at least five rounds of games still to play, Kelso have a three-point advantage over Ayr, and seem set fair for a return to the top flight.

The promotion race is even tighter in National League 2, where Newton Stewart are three points clear of the field, but, second-placed Falkirk and third-placed Glasgow Academicals – a further two points behind the league leaders, each has a game in hand.

Hawick are unbeaten in the league this season, a feat they share with National 3 leaders Gordonians. However, while Hawick were held to a draw by Selkirk, the boys from Aberdeen have won all 15 of their league games thus far, and, with an 11-point lead, will take a bit of catching over the seven remaining fixtures.

FINALLY – While enjoying a laugh at the expense of our Welsh cousins, I have got to admit, it is somehow typical of rugby life in the valleys that there should be discord and talk of strike action.

The players have never mattered in Wales, they have always been a commodity to be used. For instance, I recall an entry in the Rugby Memories Scotland page of Facebook. It was one of those end of season group photographs, of a Cardiff RFC team; the thing was, in the picture, there were 17 players and 19 committee-men.

This confirms, that in Wales, the blazers have always come first. I know it's a different game, but, there is the legendary and true story – I knew the player who was affected - of the Welsh FA party to go to an away European Championship game, arriving at Cardiff Airport, to discover, they had cocked-up the bookings and there was one less seat that members of the party. One of the players had to stay back and travel later, since it was more important that all the blazers got on-board.

At least, the SRU has never been that stupid. I hope that is not a “hold my beer” challenge to The Junta, however.

 

On The Bright Side - We Could Be Welsh

OK – Being Me, I could not miss the opportunity of recycling a quip I saw on Facebook, this week: “Strike – I thought they went on-strike two weeks ago.” But, not-withstanding that one, the Welsh players downing tools now is maybe the worst bit of timing of industrial action, since Arthur Scargill decided to fuck the NUM all those years ago.

It also makes Louis Rees-Zammit into a 21^st century Nostradamus, after his comment: “All the problems they have to deal with, and they do this first,” after the Cardiff-based branch of 'Old Farts Are Us' decided, banning the singing of 'Delilah' was top of their 'To-Do' list.

Makes you proud to be Scottish and have Sodoff Baldrick TCD running our Union. Compared to the in-fighting among the Taffia, the Scotia Nostra in EH12 are playing a blinder.

The Junta has also shown-up the original Old Farts in South-West London, by actually consulting the congregation on lowering the tackle height. OK, it might be typically, dourly Scottish to question the time-scale. The decision to consult the stakeholders is announced on 14 February, with the first such meeting due on 22 February.

Eight days' warning might be a tad short for some clubs, but, at least, they have consulted, so it would be a bit unfair to be too critical.

The tackle height HAS to be brought down, so perhaps a one-handed bout of applause for the game's high heid yins in accepting this and doing something, quickly.

It goes without saying, some will be unhappy – whatever the final decision, but, the clubs cannot say they were not consulted.

MIGHT WE perhaps, over the next decade or so – see Super6 finally vindicated as the way forward?

And before the usual suspects around the Premiership point out that that is simply more bullshit from me – reflect on this statement: “there is “no room for manoeuvre” on the budget for player contracts in Wales despite the threat of strike action.”

Or, how about this, from the same article, in The Guardian: “The new agreement offers a complete funding package to the professional game in Wales, but it does come with financial limitations which will directly affect salary negotiations,” said the PRB chair, Malcolm Wall, in a statement on Wednesday evening. “The cold facts are that the WRU and clubs have been paying salaries that their businesses cannot afford, so the new agreement establishes a new framework for contract negotiations.

“There is a stipulation that all current contracts will be honoured, but these businesses must return to a sustainable footing in order for the success we all crave to follow.

“The average salary of a Welsh professional rugby player under the new framework will be around £100k per year. We are confident that our salary packages are in line with the UK market. The PRB accepts that some better-funded English and French clubs are paying more, but this is where we must set the mark of sustainability in Wales.”

I would argue with the use of the word “average” for salaries, it ought perhaps be “median”, but, that's semantics. The fact is, the WRU is recognising that their model for professional rugby hasn't been working and they will need to change.

This might mean a reduction in the number of professional teams in Wales from the current four to three, or maybe mirroring Scotland, two. But, if Wales, where Rugby Union has traditionally been the people's team sport of choice cannot afford full-time professional rugby – where stands Scotland, where our game trails a long way behind round ball football in popularity?

Yes, some English and a lot of French clubs are able to pay their players well, but, particularly in England – how much longer will this last? The professional game in England is a huge loss-making entity, bankrolled by rich “sugar daddies”. This is not, in the long term, a sustainable business model.

Might the SRU be forced to allowing our best players – the Finn Russells, Stuart Hoggs and Jonny Grays of the future, to decant to English and French sides who can pay them what they are worth, while the other players back home have to, as so-many did in the past, balance real jobs with playing rugby – albeit now being paid to play?

It is fairly well-known, although not accepted in England and France, the only level of Rugby Union which makes money is the International one. So, international-class players can make a living from the game – everyone else has to be, at best, semi-professional.

Thus, we can maybe afford two full-time teams, say a maximum of 60 to 70 players, on central contracts – everyone else will be semi-professional. That's the way ahead.

TO BRING the above two parts of this post together; rumours are abounding that Ealing Trailfinders, who last week signed big Andy Davidson from Gloucester, are set to join the Welsh Rugby Union, amalgamate with one of the Welsh Regions and play – IN LONDON - in the United Rugby Championship.

Now, the suggestion has been bouncing around Scottish Rugby for years – even before Super6 was thought of, that London Scottish should become the third Scottish Region, playing in the URC.

Wouldn't it be typical if, after The Junta has dithered and dallied for years, the WRU grasp the nettle and get the URC the London presence which could make all the difference to that league.

FINALLY – I had to laugh this week, when I read a Guardian article which informed us, Steve Borthwick and his coaching team have been bringing-in the likes of Wayne Barnes to try to help them sort a “reckless” England scrum.

No need for that, it has been obvious to many among the Celtic fringes, for years, that no English prop can scrum properly. The likes of Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler and Maku Vinupola are very-good ball carriers.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the basics of their job, scrumming, they are, to a man – shite. They cheat outrageously, and, in the English game, they get away with it.

Teaching them to scrum properly would be a good place for Borthwick & Co to start.

A Good Week Fort Reflection

IF YOU ARE Gregor Townsend, how might you be feeling this week? Played two, won two; try bonus points racked-up in both games; second in the Guinness Six Nations' table – that's a happy place to be.

Now, would you rather be going to face a French side, smarting from their defeat in that Dublin classic on Saturday; knowing you had a wee bit of momentum, while your opponents had some ground to make up – or would you rather take the breather offered by this fallow week – while you worry about the health of the fringe squad members you will release to get much-needed game time, plus those shoo-ins who will be pressed into action by their non-Scottish clubs?

The fallow week also gives Fabien Galthié and Shaun Edwards time to study the game footage from Dublin and decide how they are going to make the necessary slight tweaks, which will make what was always going to be a difficult trip for Scotland even harder.

Decisions, decisions – who'd be a coach? For instance, Townsend already knows Finn Russell, one player he would surely prefer to wrap in bubble wrap and tell to: “Go back to Paris, stay out of harm's way and play happy families until we need you back;” will, instead, be called into action for Racing '92 against Brive this weekend.

Mind you, aside from Ireland's Andy Farrell, Oor Toony is probably the most-relaxed Head Coach of the six involved in this tournament. It is a results-driven business, and these two are the only pair for whom results are, for the moment, going in the right direction.

THE GUARDIAN came up with some interesting statistics (and yes I am aware of Winston Churchill's take on statistics) last week, which showed clearly just how fine are the margins in international rugby.

The figures showed how the 11 Tier One rugby nations fared over 2022, and, from a Scottish perspective, they were mixed.

• In Attack, we rank sixth when it comes to scoring tries in 80 minutes, with a figure of 3.1

• Our average ruck speed (time it takes to get the ball away from a ruck being formed) is 3.6 seconds, which places us eighth

• In Defence, however, we are the top nation, with a tackle success rate of 90%

• We are also second in the Turnovers chart, averaging 6 per game

• Our scrum is ranked tenth out of the top 11, only England's being lower. Here we have a success rate of 87%, against top-ranked Ireland's 95%

• We are ranked seventh when it comes to line-out steals, averaging 0.9 per game in a table topped by Argentina, with 1.3 per game. However, these figures were before Richie Gray returned to the team.

Averaging out the six sets of statistics which The Guardian looked at, ranking the 11 nations over the six tables published we find the following pecking order

France – average position 3.1

Ireland and New Zealand – average position 3.3

Scotland – average position 5.8

Japan – average position 6.1

Argentina and South Africa – average position 6.5

Australia – average position 6.6

Italy – average position 7.1

Wales – average position 8.5

England – average position 8.6

That order is not too far from the official World Rugby rankings and probably reflects how most observers would rank the countries right now – with France, Ireland and New Zealand that bit better than the rest; the next four closely ranked and the bottom three hanging-on.

Of course, these are incomplete figures, merely a snap shot, but, I am sure the rest of the world is relishing The Common Enemy languishing in bottom spot and justifying new coach Steve Borthwick's quip about his side being not much good at anything.

Well, after these figures came out, the English fans were certainly good at quoting old Winston Spencer Churchill.

RUGBY UNION politics is like real world politics. The guys making the decisions are usually out of touch with reality and will always seek to defend their current positions. That is why these much-vaunted Laws Trials in Super rugby will be a waste of time.

I have been saying for years, World Rugby and “The Establishment” - the Tier One nations will be the main stumbling block to this – really need to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and rewrite so-many of today's Laws, and, perhaps more-importantly, how they are applied. If they don't the game will die. These trials down under are little more than shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic.

I think we should bite the bullet and agree – the time has come for a division within the game, between the grass roots 'Community Game' which people want to play for recreation and the business end of the game – the 'Professional end' where guys and girls are well paid for putting their bodies and health on the line.

It's at this end of the game that the biggest changes are called for; root and branch reform of how the game is organised and played. Get it right, we've got a game we can play for another 150 years, get it wrong and, once the law suits come in, the game is dead at this level.

At the elite “Professional” level, the game is not about the players, it's about making money from providing an exciting, skilful spectacle, which the public wishes to pay to see. There will always be a section of the paying public who want to see 20-stone wrecking balls running at each other, however, I suggest a bigger section of the potential audience would rather see exciting, running rugby in which the ball is kept alive.

The audiences at the top level, pay a large wedge to watch the international game – here are the prices being quoted on the official SRU website, assuming you can get tickets there, for the two remaining games at BT Murrayfield in this season's Guinness Six Nations:

• Ticket prices are as follows
  (please note: a £1.50 per ticket order processing fee is included in the ticket price)

• Scotland v Ireland
  £69.50 / £89.50 / £116.50 / £131.50
  Tickets are limited to four (4) per person for this game

• Scotland v Italy
  £56.50 (£31.50 U18s) / £76.50 (£61.50 Students, £41.50 U18s) / £101.50 / £111.50
  Tickets are limited to six (6) per person for this game

If you go to Viagogo.co.uk – the SRU's pet ticket agency, however, you see a different pricing structure. There, prices start at £247 for a ticket and go right up to £475.

That's a lot of money for maybe 45-50 minutes of “ball in play” time out of the 80 minutes. For that price, I want to see some running rugby, rather than scrums being re-set, or mass meetings before lines-out, or Johnny Sexton taking forever to take a conversion.

Interestingly, the hospitality packages for the Irish game are sold out. These start at £898.80 per person for access to the cheapest Thistle Suite, going all the way up to £1350.00 per person for access to the Centenary Club.

IF and yes, I know it's a huge IF, we can beat France and ireland to set-up a Grand Slam Winner against Italy, well, you might still get in.The Murrayfield Boxes, at £750.00 per person are sold out, but there are still places available in the Thistle Suite, at £610.80 per skull and in the Centenary Club, at £948.00.

These prices are still up, in spite of the official website assuring us both remaining games are already sell-outs.

However, I digress. For that amount of prior financial lay out, I want to see rugby, rather than faffing about. And for that reason, I welcome the antipodean laws trials. However, I would go further.

I would take a leaf from North American professional sport and make certain the paying customer got a guaranteed amount of “Ball-in-play-time.” That would mean, every time the referee blew his whistle to halt play, the match clock stopped. However, to prevent time-wasting while the clock is stopped, there ought to be a 'game delay clock' which ensured the players did not take advantage.

The Super Rugby plans are calling for:

• 30 seconds for the side with the ball to be ready to put it into a scrum

• 30 seconds for the side with the ball to be ready to put it into a line-out

• 60 seconds in which to kick a penalty

• 90 seconds in which to kick a conversion

Fair enough, but, bring in a game delay clock; if play is not ready to resume after a break – other than when the medics are on to deal with an injury, then the side which has possession loses it; with the opposition getting a free kick.

To stop conveniently-timed injuries. If the “injured” player is not ready to resume within a minute of going down – he or she has to go off, but can be replaced temporarily, but cannot return for five minutes.

That would speed play up no end. Also, when it comes to place kicks, I would not be averse to the time allowed being cut, say to 30 seconds for penalties and 45 for conversions.

Rugby Union has a lot of offences which are punished by penalties. I would prohibit kicks at goal from “technical offences” - offside and the likes. However, I would think seriously of something like the basketball rule where, after a team has conceded a pre-set number of technical offences, each following such penalty is kicked from a penalty spot in the middle of the opposition's 22 metre line.

I would also love to see Alan Hosie's idea of “a ten-point penalty” for serious foul play – again kicked from that penalty spot on the 22. Scrum and line-out offences, other than serious foul play, would be “technical” breaches of the law, so, hopefully an end to sides trying to milk scrum penalties.

I would also prohibit the ball being held in the scrum, other than at a five-metre attacking one.

The five seconds to use the ball at rucks, I would enforce much more-strictly, similarly, we really do need to get back to scrum feeds being down the middle of the tunnel rather to the side with the put-in's second row.

Let's get real about speeding-up the game and making it one the public feels they are getting value for money from watching.

And finally, in American Football, the team with possession has four “downs” in which they have to advance ten yards – or lose possession. In Rugby League, there is the “Six Tackles Rule” whereby, if a team hasn't scored in six lots of possession, they lose the ball.

Might it be time to introduce a similar rule into professional rugby – if only to do away with all those unsightly pile-ups on the defending team's goal line.