We Are Losing A Legend

IT IS OFTEN said, the hardest part of sporting greatness is deciding when to quit. As the great Merle Haggard wrote: “Down every road, there's always one more city,” in sporting terms, another cup to win, another step to climb. Great sportsmen and women work so hard to get to the top, then even harder to remain there – it must be difficult to decide when to get off the carousel.

Few sporting greats ever get it right. We watched Ali, the greatest boxer ever, being extended and finally defeated by guys who, at his height, would not have got a job as his sparring partners. Today, Sir Andy Murray, who would surely be on the short leet of any contest to name Scotland's Greatest Sportsman, handicapped by a metal hip, still putting himself and us, his loyal fans, through the wringer, then losing to players who, at his peak he would have thrashed in straight sets; when he could easily have hung up his racquets and relaxed as a commentator.

So, in light of the above, I have to congratulate Stuart Hogg on announcing that, when Scotland goes out of the Rugby World Cup, in the Autumn, he will hang-up his boots. He knows his time has come. He believes he can still, if selected, do a job for Scotland, but, he knows he is no longer the Stuart Hogg was was twice voted Player of the Six Nations, and he will call it quits.

I certainly hope Gregor Townsend takes Hoggy to France. Yes, we appear to have the succession well in hand, via Blair Kinghorn and Ollie Smith, but, Hogg's experience and, even if he doesn't start, what he could offer off the bench, should ensure he goes to his third tournament.

Then what? He will be just 31 when he hangs-up his boots, which means, he's got at least 30 years of a real working life ahead of him, so, what will he do? As yet, he has given no indication, but, I would like to think, he could return to live full-time in Hawick, in which case, what an off-field asset he could be to that town and to its heartbeat – The Greens.

Hawick and that green strip means an awful lot to him. The first time I met him was at Old Anniesland. He was playing for Glasgow then, but, was injured and sitting in the stand, suffering untold agonies as a very-poor Hawick team was put to the sword by Glasgow Hawks.

Every point Hawks scored that day was clearly a dagger to his heart I get the impression, you cut Hoggy, he bleeds green. Whatever else his post-playing career holds, I sense Hawick Rugby will be in there somewhere.

We will miss him – he has been a towering figure in the Scottish game. The late, great Ken Scotland will always wear the 15 jersey in any Greatest-Ever Scotland Team that I select, Hoggy covers him from the bench,

PROOF, if it should be required, that is often safer to take ill at a rugby match than any other sporting occasion.

On Saturday, during the Mull v Hyndland FP match, on Mull, an elderly spectator collapsed. He was attended to and looked after, until the ambulance arrived, by four of the visiting team, all of whom are from the medical profession.

Well done the Hyndland guys.

I WAS not at all surprised at GHK withdrawing from the Tennent's Scottish Cup to allow Hawick to advance unchecked to the semi-final. Some seasons ago I watched the Old Anniesland side lose to Ayr in the cup. Some of the GHK 'Alickadoos' in the stand at Millbrae were not at all happy at the physicality of the Ayr team.

There is today certainly as much of a difference in the physicality between the sides, such as Hawick, at the top of the Premiership and GHK, from the bottom half of National League 1 as there was back then. In that case, there is a serious case of player safety to be considered.

With that in mind, I have to agree with Peter Wright, I would not have been comfortable taking a weakened GHK team to Hawick on Saturday.

However, we have now had two examples this season of teams withdrawing to leave their opponents with a walk-over into the next round. This suggests to me, the SRU needs to have a serious look at the format of the national cup.

I know I am holding a minority view here, but, the whole format of Scottish Rugby is wrong. We have too many National League. Yes, the clubs have repeatedly made it clear, they want to play National League rugby, even when they are obviously not equipped to do this.

Still, I await the day when good sense prevails, the SRU does get their “Fewer but Stronger” mantra accepted and we see the game splitting – to a small number of teams playing what I would call “Performance Rugby” - the full-fat version, paid by professional or semi-professional athletes, and “Community Rugby” - with amended, safety-orientated laws, played by strict amateurs.

FINALLY – after, in a recent blog, I waxed lyrical about the way April has gone from being a busy month playing-wise, to a period used for catching-up with unplayed fixtures, I received a missive from friend of the blog 'Left Field' who raised the issue of the demise of The Easter Tour.

Does any club still run an Easter Tour? Indeed, does any club still tour? I know there are still fixtures such the annual exchange visits between Hawick and Glyn Neath, and Ayr and Llanishen, but, I sense we are perhaps a bit more insular than we once were.