LANG SYNE, I realised forecasting in sport is a mug's game, so I have tried to control my emotions in this wasteful occupation. Naturally, I would love Scotland to emerge triumphant from the Rugby World Cup, which kicks-off tonight, but, realistically, our victory is unlikely.
Mind you, I have always had this totally-daft dream, that, when we finally beat The All Blacks, as we surely must some day, it will be in the final of the RWC. Since, the squad we have sent to France is, by common consent, our best ever, why not this time?
Reality, however, tells us, in Rugby Union, Scotland is the Olympian team – , for us the glory is not in winning, but in having taken part. Given the draw, putting us in the same group as defending Champions South Africa and World Number One side Ireland, the odds are stacked against us. But, why not?
The tournament kicks off tonight, with hosts France taking on the All Blacks, in Paris. I would not be at all surprised if these same two teams are back in St Denis for the final on 28 October. But, no direct prediction from me, other than me again reiterating my default position in these global sporting tournaments – ABE, Anyone But England.
NOW I am in my eighth decade, I am used to receiving news of another of my playing contemporaries passing away. It is always sad to receive such notifications, but, since the one certainty in life is death, I am now well used to it.
I lost a major influence in my rugby life this week, with the news that Stuart Stobie had died. Stuart was one of the founding members and early stalwarts in Cumnock Rugby Club.
Like most of us from the early days of the club, in the 1960s, Stuart had been introduced to the game at Cumnock Academy, by Jock 'Stiffy' McClure. The “boot room” of the club in the early days was the Surveyors Department at the National Coal Board's East Ayrshire Area offices at Lugar Works.
Stuart was just one in a veritable scrum of mining engineers based there, or, as Stuart was, mainly working at local collieries – these guys were the Praetorian Guard at the club's formation in 1961 and they set us on right road at a time when we had no clubhouse and changed at a local school.
He was a hooker back then, and a bloody good one, particularly when he had his brother-in-law, the late David Ancell, at loose-head. Stuart was a leader on the pitch, and off it, where Saturday nights often ended back at Stuart and wife Barbara's house in Ayr Road.
However, Stuart moved to Ayr and joined-up at Millbrae, where he converted himself from a hooker to a stand-off and ran down his playing career with the legendary A2 team of veterans; a team who took the notion of playing hard and partying even harder to extremes.
Stuart also left the Coal Board, to join Wimpey, where he ran several productive opencast coal sites locally, then, in retirement, he and Barbara moved down to live on the Solway Coast.
Stuart's rugby legacy was continued by his sons Peter and Kenneth, who gave great service to both Ayr and Cumnock; Peter as a fine stand-off, Kenny as a combative hooker.
I will be at Stuart's funeral, at Ayr Crematorium, on Friday, 15 September, at 9.45am, where I am sure I will be joined by many of our contemporaries – Stuart deserves a rousing send-off. We have lost another of the good guys.
THAT WAS a lengthy wait – the South African team had been in the public domain for around two days, before Gregor Townsend finally revealed the Scotland team which will kick off our RWC 2023 campaign in Marseilles on Sunday night.
If we subscribe to the notion that the Saffers are as thick as shite in the neck of a bottle, delaying the team announcement was probably a good move by Toony – come kick-off, they will probably still be trying to work-out what our tactics might be. I hate to tell them, but, that would be a waste of time – Finn Russell doesn't usually decide what his next move is going to be, until he has the ball in his hands and has scanned what is in front of him. Rugby by numbers is not how The Gallus One plays.
Any way, we ken noo – the Scotland team v South Africa is:
I don't think that was too-difficult a team t0 select. OK, many of us in the Tartan Army might have opted for George Horne, rather than Ali Price as back-up at nine, but, it's Toony's call, and he appears to prefer the tried and tested Price/Russell axis, should, as we well might be, we are forced to chase the game in the latter stages.
The Saffers will start as favourites, but, we like going in as underdogs and we will take the field, not without hope. With Scotland, it's all about the journey, and, in this case, we do not travel without hope. Let's enjoy the ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment