You Don't Upset A Rugby Mum Who's A Tight-Head

WE SCOTSMEN have long known, the biggest mistake you can make in life is to upset a Scotswoman. Thus, when, yesterday morning, I received a missive criticising my failure to adequately cover the Women's game on this blog, action had to be taken.

 

 The writer of the censorious letter was Louise Mclauchlan (pictured above) – the Fourth Lady of Scottish Rugby, (Behind The Princess Royal, Dee Bradbury and Mary Inglis of Selkirk). As with the three ladies ahead of her in the pecking order, you don't knowingly upset Big Lou-Lou, still, as she has done since the team was formed, turning-out at tight-head for Ayr Ladies, as well as being Vice President at the club, where she is known as: “Rugby Mum”.

Lou-Lou's elder son, Jamie, although currently on the Injured List, is a member of the all-conquering Ayr First XV squad – can there be another contemporary case of a club vice-president and their son both being first team players at their club? Younger son Aaron is in the Ayr/Wellington Under-18 team, who have a Youth Shield Final meeting with Hawick Youth coming up on Sunday night.

So, let's look at the current situation in the Women's game.

THE WOMEN'S PREMIERSHIP is, barring a couple of still-unplayed games, done and dusted. Watsonians have won the regular season with a near unblemished record; only a draw with Corstorphine denying them a 100% record.

They will meet second-placed Stirling County in the Final, at Myreside, on Saturday.

CALEDONIA MIDLANDS/EAST LEAGUE sees Dundee Valkyres sitting four points clear at the top, with just one fixture to play. Arithmetically, they could be overhauled by second-placed Broughton, should the Edinburgh girls beat Kelso and the Valkyres lose their final game, at home to Grangemouth Stags. (Pardon me Grangemouth RFC, but, while I appreciate there is a stag on the town crest, should your Women's team name not be Grangemouth Hinds?)

That wee aside reminds me of the bravest/most-foolhardy quip Iever heard, when former Marr President David Paton, finding himself at the Ladies table at a pre-match lunch at Millbrae, enquired if, given the name of the Millbrae Super Rugby franchise – Ayr Ladies should not be renamed Ayrshire Cows. Fortunately, Lou-Lou wasn't at the table, so David lived to quip another day.

CALEDONIA MIDLANDS/EAST 2 has reached the end of its first stage, after which the sides are split – top four and bottom four to play off. Dunfermline have a healthy lead in the Top Four group at the start of Stage 2, and are 11 points clear of second-placed Perthshire, with Lismore and Kirkcaldy a bit off the pace.

In the Bottom Four, Bannockburn have a 9-point lead over Leith, with Dundee Valkyres 2 and RDVC trailing.

CALEDONIA NORTH 1 is one of the tightest leagues in Scotland, with Shetland Valkyres leading Aberdeenshire Quines by 30 points, in points difference, both sides having collected 30 match points in their identical 6 wins from 7 games record. Everything down to the final games then.

HIGHLAND have already won CALEDONIA NORTH 2, finishing the campaign two points ahead of Caithness Kraken, with both teams having a five wins from six games record.

CALEDONIA NORTH 3 will not be formally completed until next month, since there are several unplayed games to be got rid off. As things stand, however, Turriff cannot be caught; they are eight points clear of Lochaber, with both clubs having just one game to play.

THE PLACE to be this weekend for a real pre-Christmas shindig may well be Millbrae. On Saturday, the Ayr First XV face GHK, knowing a win will see them promoted back into the Premiership. Then, on Sunday, Ayr Ladies (really – surely with a nod to Burns, that team name should be Ayr Lassies?) face Oban Lorne in their final game in WEST 1.

Ayr go into the game with a slender one point lead over Biggar, but, since the second-placed team has the better points difference, Ayr may need a bonus point win to be sure of the league title.

Biggar will have to wait until 14 January, before they play their final fixture, against Greenock Wanderers, so, it is in Ayr's interest to put the title issue to bed on Sunday.

WEST 2 is done and dusted, with all six participating clubs having completed their ten-game schedule. Unbeaten Hillhead-Jordanhill 2 have taken the honours with an unblemished record, ten bonus point wins from ten games, 50 points and an 18 point wining margin over Bishopton – a real sign of the strength-in-depth in Women's Rugby at Hughenden.

Clearly, I have been remiss in ignoring the Women's side of the game, there is a lot going on – official Glasgow and Edinburgh teams being formed for the Celtic Challenge - and a lot of interest out there. Well done Ladies.