I HAVE written in this blog before of my initial impression the first time I encountered Steve Diamond on a professional basis. This was at a pre-season game in Sale – Gregor Townsend's first game as Glasgow coach. I left Sale FC's old Heywood Road ground convinced of one thing: Mr Diamond was what we call in the West of Scotland: “a fanny.” Nothing I have seen since has caused me to alter that initial impression.
Ach! I suppose we are still a long way away from being rid of “The Scottish Cringe” - that impression so-many Scots give of us being incapable of running our own affairs and institutions. Too-many Scots appear to have swallowed, hook, line and sinker, the notion that we are not mentally conditioned to running our own affairs, so we have to import English experts to keep us right.
Ah hae ma doots about some of the imports currently embedded within the Ruling Junta at Murrayfield. Diamond, I definitely have doubts about, and I honestly cannot see Edinburgh going anywhere while he, as he seems to be, has what we used to call in the much-shifting world: “The Big Squeak.”
It might therefore be interesting to see how things pan-out with the appointment of Sean Everitt as 'Senior Coach.'
I honestly didn't know too-much about Mr Everitt. He is certainly not a coaching super-star, indeed, he doesn't even have the track record of Glasgow's Franco Smith. But, let's be honest, not many of us were impressed when Mr Smith was unveiled as Warriors' coach and we have had to eat humble pie – might lightning strike twice, this time at the other end of the M8?
Everitt is a Saffer, so, we can take it as read that he knows his stuff; personally I hope he has the self-confidence to tell Mr Diamond to go off and work on his golf handicap, leaving him to sort-out Edinburgh and the team's penchant for showing old Partick Thistle levels of inconsistency.
OF MORE CONCERN, however, is what might happen in the wake of Viaplay's announcement that they are pulling out of broadcasting in the United Kingdom.
As yet, we don't know the nuts and bolts of what will happen. Viaplay did say: “The United Kingdom.” Does this include the island of Ireland? It might be, the decision-makers back there in the company's Stockholm have got their UK mixed up with their British Isles.
I get my Viaplay stream on Amazon Prime, so it might make sense, given their increased interest in broadcasting rugby, for Amazon Prime to pick-up the United Rugby Championship coverage.
It might also make sense for TNT Sports to come after the URC coverage, after all, that league has the governing unions behind them, so there is less chance of clubs going bust during the season. With Stuart Hogg recruited into their team, they now have influential Irish, Welsh and Scottish pundits, adding knowledge and class to their long-running cheer-leaders for English rugby – might they be prepared to look outside their heartland for additional games to cover?
We are in for an interesting period while this matter is resolved.
FRASER BROWN'S new appointment as Assistant Coach to Nikki Walker with the Watsonians Super6 team is an interesting one. The chat at Millbrae on Friday night, for the new campaign's opening, should be good as Fraser pits his wits against old pal Pat McArthur.
The route into coaching in Scotland appears to be via the number two shirt at Glasgow, with McArthur, Brown and Heriot's Fin Gillies all having worn it. But, seriously, it is good to see another Scotland cap setting-off on a possible coaching career, except, with so-few full-time coaching opportunities in Scotland, we might, perhaps ten years or so down the line, find we have been producing coaches for our rivals. Unless, more of our top clubs are suddenly going to come into money and provide career opportunities for young coaches.
THERE IS an interesting name on the Ayrshire Bulls' squad for the new FOSROC SUPER6 campaign – that of Glasgow Warriors and Scotland fly-half Ross Thompson.
Fit again after his injury travails of the past season, Thompson will again be seen in the Bulls' number ten shirt. He has been drafted out to the Millbrae team from Scotstoun, along with Nathan MacBeth and Alex Samuel.
These signings strike me as a very-good way for Franco Smith to get guys who are not in the World Cup squad tuned-up for the new URC campaign. Young Ross will surely benefit from finding his feet in familiar pastures, and, it will do him no harm to have Frazier Climo on-hand to further mentor him.
Another new face at Millbrae will be Marcus Kershaw, (above) a utility back, late of Ealing Trailfinders and the Great Britain Sevens squad. I detect the hand of GB Sevens captain and player-coach Robbie Fergusson behind Kershaw's move to Burns Country.
Robbie, when not travelling the world on the Sevens circuit, will be assisting old mucker Grant Anderson, who has taken over from Stewart Fenwick as Head Coach of Ayr's National League XV.
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