Different Games

EDINBURGH ARE in Munster tonight, Glasgow entertain Ospreys tomorrow and quite honestly, I'm not that bothered about either match, important though both are to our two clubs. I've got my international head on at the moment and reverting to club games for a week, rather gets in the way to me.

I simply feel it is part of the piecemeal way we have allowed the season to be organised, particularly since the advent of Open Rugby Union. In the Amateur Era, there was a timeless rhythm to the season:

• You could not officially play before 1 September

• The season opened with a series of friendlies – though how friendly the big Glasgow clubs' September Weekend visits to the Borders were, is a matter of opinion

• In October, you had the first tranche of League games

• In December, the better players went into District mode, as preparation for

• The internationals in January, February and into March

• The rest of March saw the completion of the Leagues

• In April, we played Sevens with the season officially ending on 30 April

• This gave us time for Cricket, Golf, Athletics and other sports, before we rinsed and repeated again come 1 September.

Those of us who weren't potential internationalists, well, on International Weekends, we would arrange morning games within easy ttavelling distance of Murrayfield, or we would go off on tours to England, France, Ireland and Wales, with the International as the icing on a rich cake. Such trips were legendary, such as the time it took the Irvine RFC worthies such as Bill Nolan and Joe Hobson over a week to get back from Dublin!!

If Alex MacLeod, one of the stalwarts from the days when the Daily Record had standards, ever gets around to writing the history of Ayr's McEwan's Marauders and their Welsh trips – well he's got a best-seller on his hands.

I still have a laugh about the Monday morning I went round to see Teacher-In-Charge Brian McNally at Ayr Academy, for a report on the First XV's Twickenham Trip, which included a game against Windsor Boys School. My opening question was: “What did Frew and Adair get arrested for?” (Richard Frew and the legend that is Tony Adair were the second row pairing).

“How did you find out about that?” was big Brian's incredulous response. Even back then, Tony was a riot waiting to break out.

We had fun back then, the clubs and the teams mattered. But, that was before the sports administration professionals took control, to guide us towards spending our money in the manner they want, on what they want us to purchase. Now the game is geared towards that tiny percentage at the very top – and is the poorer for it.

Let's face it, we now have two different games:

1. Professional Rugby Union

2. The Club Game

They can and must co-exist together, because each would collapse without the other – we just haven't got the balance correct, and we badly need to.

PERHAPS it was driven by some newspaper executive who left the Valleys for “The Street of Shame” half a lifetime ago, but still has pictures of Barry, Gareth, Phil, JPR. Gerald, Merv and Grav up on his bedroom wall. Certainly, following Bundi Aki's brutal cameo and Jamieson Gibson-Park's master-class in Ireland's win over Wales, but the timing of The Guardian's piece, in their weekly online Breakdown blog this week is suspicious.

The subject was Rugby Union's nationality eligibility rules. Now it ill-becomes a Scot to draw attention to these, after all, we have been benefitting from these rules for years. Why not, thousands of our brightest and best, their families driven to the verge of poverty by English Colonialism, shot the craw to the greater opportunities and freedom of places such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA.

Why shouldn't we call their descendants to the colours in our time of need? Mind you, capping members of the global Caledonian or Hibernian diaspora isn't seen as a problem – no, the dispute is about so-called “Project Players” - men such as Aki, Gibson-Park and our own Pierre Schoeman, Tom Jordan Duhan van der Merwe – who have qualified to play international Rugby Union via residency.

I reckon, just about the only major nation which doesn't at the moment have a project player is England; I mean, honestly, would any right-thinking person want to be English? I know in the past, one or two poor beknighted souls, such as Stuart Barnes, opted for England when they had other, better choices, but, that's human nature for you.

I know I frequently point-out areas in which Association Football and Rugby Union, the two most-popular professional team sports within these islands do things differently; but, when it comes to the nationality of project players – I think Football does things better than Rugby Union.

An explanation: The leading clubs in the UK all have, in their Academies, youngsters from all over the world. These are true Project Players, hopefully they will train-on, get into the First Team, become Internationalists and in some cases be sold-on for big money. However, thought they may have been trained and developed by the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Celtic or Rangers, and be counted as “home developed” for certain European eligibility rules – they can never play for England or Scotland internationally.

It is possible for a player who moved to a different country as a child to play for that country, however, Football does not allow adults who moved countries to play for that new country – although, this did happen in the past: eg the great Alfredo de Stefano represented both his native Argentina and his adopted Spain internationally.

For instance, Kasper Schmeichel grew up in Manchester, speaks English with a Mancunian accent and attended Hulme Hall Grammar School, but was never destined to weat the three lions. Is the difference because Football's eligibility rules are better than Rugby Union's, or might it be because FIFA is a more-egalitarian body than World Rugby, wherein rules are framed to suit the Tier One nations?

Perhaps we should enjoy the benefits of the likes of Schoeman, Jordan and van der Merwe while we have them, because, the day will come when the Project Player will be a thing of the past – those nations losing talent will simply grow the administrative muscle to stop it.

That said, if the day ever comes when Scotland cannot dip into the Caledonian Diaspora for a South African-raised prop, or a Kiwi back rower, we could be in a bit of bother and Private Frazer would be right.

 

I've Slept On It - Twice - And It Still Hurts

A JOINT family birthday party for myself and Number One Grandson, who turned 30 – jings Ah'm getting' auld – to some extent lifted the gloom which that Twickenham loss had planted on me; however, out-scoring Them three tries to one – which was the Rugby Union equivalent of that third goal in 1966 – ach! I'm fair scunnered.

This latest in a too-long list of matches in which Scotland has managed to claw defeat from the jaws of victory hurt just as much as all the others I have suffered in my long years in the Tartan Army.

Mind you, I have to put-in a wee aside here, how much tougher was it for the extended Elliot family. Tom Elliot MBE propped for Gala, The South, Scotland and The Lions. He went to his grave, convinced he was robbed of a match-winning Calcutta Cup try, between the posts, at Twickenham, in 1955. Max Boyce might with to note, it was a: “blind Welsh referee” who failed to award what, to everybody else looked like a perfectly-good try.

Insult was added to injury on Saturday, when Tom's grandson, Fin Smith, playing for England, kicked what proved to be the match-winning penalty, at the same posts. A penalty which was never a penalty in the history of Rugby Union. I am honestly still trying to decide which useless French policeman to reference in relation to Pierre Brousset's terrible refereeing performance.

Was it Inspector Clouseau level of incompetence, or was it Officer Crabtree level of impersonation? Discuss.

Sadly, ther whole “Disaster For Scotland” came down to a Scottish team, not for the first time, and I fear probably not for the last, failing to abide by one of ther principles of winning at sport – by “controlling the controlables.”

OK, Clouseau/Crabtree's officiating was not up to international standard; doubts will for ever more last over that English try and the award of their crucial penalty. However, we didn't control the controlables:

• Had Finn kicked even one of the three conversions he missed – we win

• Had we shown greater composure in England's “Red Zone” we turn chances spurned into tries scored – we win.

• Had we clocked, the referee was on our case when we were defending, far more than when England was under the cosh, adjusted our positioning accordingly, we concede fewer points and we win.

• Had our props adjusted their positioning, so we presented a better picture to the match officials of what was going on in the scrums, then we concede fewer penalties when they guess wrong, and – we win.

I regularly bring-up Jock Stein's warning to his star-studded Celtic team: “Do not give the referee an oportunity to make a decision which could hurt you.” That statement is as true in Rugby Union as it is in Association football, or indeed any team sport where there is a match official – on Saturday, again not for the first time, Scotland didn't pay heed to the Great Man's wisdom.

I don't like it when we lose to the Auld Enemy, but, there have been occasions when we have had to, no matter how reluctantly, accept that a particular England teram could play a bit, were better than us and deserved to win.

That lot that beat us, for all the excellence of the Anglo-Scottish Smith were a shite team, we were the better team, we beat ourselves and that really hurts.

ENGLAND'S wasn't the only big win on Saturday, up here, in the Arnold Clark National League One, Biggar's home win over Stirling County might have passed most people bye. However, I dare say it was met with unbridled joy in Clarkston, one of Glasgow's leafier southern suburbs.

Because that win meant that GHA could not be caught at the top of the table, and will be back in the Premiership next season. I am delighted for some of the many good guys around Braidholm; guys such as Head Coach Calum Forrest and Director of Rugby Ranji Jericevich; while up there in the Great Press Box in the Sky, Bill McMurtrie and Glen Stirling will be chuffed to bits.

A lot of people have put an immense amount of hard work into getting GHA back to the top and if nothing else, the battle for Weegie bragging rights between “The Mexicans from south of the Rio Grande” and the West End sophisticates of Glasgow Hawks, assuming they survive, will be an added bonus on the 2025-26 Premiership calendar.

 

Just Another Saturday

SATURDAY AFTERNOON found me attempting to embrace my feminine side, by multi-tasking: watching the BBC broadcast of Wales v Ireland in the Guinness Men's Six Nations, from Cardiff, while simultaneously listening to Heriot's v Ayr in the Arnold Clark Premiership, from Goldenacre on Borders Rugby Radio.

Kudos to Stuart Cameron and his team for their coverage. They could well have pandered to the Borderers sense of entitlement and concentrated on Hawick v Melrose, but, they knew what was the big game and went with it. Kudos too to commentator David Ferguson. We know David has long been one of our top wordsmiths – he writes a mean Rugby Union piece, but, on Saturday he talked a good game too.

David had a good day all round, his precious St Mirren even went to Ibrox and beat the team we should now apparently refer to as “The Glasgow 49ers.”

With Ayr leaving Edinburgh with a full five-point haul, it now looks as if the Premiership title is theirs to lose – well, at least the honour of being regular season king pins now seems like heading to Alloway. With home advantage in the Play-Offs, Grant Anderson's men will take a bit of stopping.

Ayr's win was something of a precursor to events at Twickenham later that day, like Scotland against England, Ayr at Heriot's left some tries and a few points out there, but, unlike Scotland, they got the job done. I have long held, since the days of Super Rugby, the secret to much of Ayr's success is the defensive systems put in place by Pat McArthur; it's awfy hard to score against this team.

We are now getting to the interesting stage of the season. Musselburgh are effectively relegated; in theory, they could match fourth-bottom Kelso's points total, but not perhaps the Borders team's 100-plus points difference advantage. However, the battle to avoid the other two relegation places still has some distance to run. Indeed, at this late stage in the campaign, you could almost make a case for saying the only teams who are out of relegation danger are the top four; but, that would call for some crazy results in the weeks to come – whatever happens, the battle will be intense and will go to the wire.

Marr did their survival chances a lot of good by marking the influential Colin Sturgeon's 200^th game with a much-needed win at Raeburn Place. Sure they have games in hand, but a final three game run-in against Heriot's, Hawick and Currie, even with home advantage at Fortress Fullarton will be crucial to their survival hopes. Edinburgh Accies' trip to Troon will be another huge game.

I MENTION David Ferguson above. I now return to his work here, in particular the Talking Point he came up with in his excellent piece on the Goldenacre game for The Offside Line.

I quote: “Why are talents like Cammy Scott largely unknown in Scottish rugby? It’s great to see Edinburgh releasing this youngster for valuable game-time, but they and Glasgow need to be doing this more often – it benefits the player, his team and the club game in Scotland?”

That paragraph is a Homer Simpson Doh! Moment. It is such basic common sense, you wonder why it doesn't happen; then you remember, it's the SRU andf the Murrayfield Junta that can make it happen – The Junta, the place Scottish common sense goes to die.

We need a Jean Luc Picard at the top, saying: “Make it so.” But, on second thoughts, perhaps first we need to recruit Captain McConnell from 'Taysiders In Space', prepared to “set phasers to malky” to clear-up the dadwood in EH12.

FINALLY - I AM AGAIN wondering – is it incompetence, arrogance on the part of the host club; that the same club has some bad losers in high places; being posh boys, they don't want the great unwashed to know they lost. Or, is it as I have long been suggesting – the Scottish Rugby Union's Comunications Department is staffed by numpties and not fit for purpose.

OK, a tad unfair there; everyone and his brother knows the guy running the department is the annual favourite and serial winner of the Sports Numpty of the Year competition, but, one or two of his underlings give the appearance of competence.

I include this burst of vitriol because, while I knew the result before 5pm, once again a single result – that of Edinburgh Academical v Marr, was still not up on the SRU website when I checked at 10.30pm on Saturday night. That is unacceptable.

 

Renton Was Right

I HAVE been – ever since I exceeded expectations by making it to 75 – and giving myself the impetus to make it to 80 – been dropping hints to The Coven, as my four daughters are referred-to, about the music I want played at my funeral.

Their Sainted Mother, had she survived me, would have insisted on 'My Way' being on the play list. If the girls do go with their Mother's wishes, I'm coming out of my box to protest. For my part, I have threatened to demand my theme song: Mac Davis's classic: 'Lord It's Hard To Be Humble' be played.

Mind you, if somebody – such as Billy Connolly, who used to pen terrific parodies, could re-write Mac's big number as: 'Lord It's Hard To Be Scottish' it would hit the mark. Certainly, as I here review the disappointment of that agonising one-point Calcutta Cup loss this evening, it most-certainly is hard to be Scottish.

Mind you, at my age, I have somehow survived more than my fair share of 'Disaster For Scotland' headlines, this was just one more in a long list. This result might also convince you of the influence of a Supreme Being – God must indeed be an Englishman. After all, they have now won two successive games, on the back of superior opponents having a nightmare on the day.

Like France in England's last game, we left three or four tries out there, while Finn Russell's failure to convert all three of the tries we did score, none of them easy kicks it has to be said, cost us dear.

A piss-poor refereeing performance from a French referee who just might be a descendant of Inspector Clouseau didn't help us. I felt he got one or two of the big calls wrong, to our detriment. He was certainly guessing at the scrums, allowing Ellis Genge for instance to cheat outrageously to avoid total embarrassment at the hands of Zander Fagerson; while that call, when he let the airborne Maro Itoje away with a blatantly illegal steal at a ruck, that one decision alone ought to bar him from ever refereeing another international.

I know it would not benefit Scotland, but, why is it incompetent referees such as Pierre Brousset gets to officiate in big games, when the far-superior Hollie Davidson cannot get past Assistant Referee duties at this level. She is a better referee than Brousset, Andy Brace, Karl Dickson and any number of Southern Hemisphere officials I could name.

The referee favoured England,but, we cannot use that as an excuse – we shot ourselves in the foot – Again. You'd think I'd be used to such disappointments, but, in truth, you never do.

Now, I am really worried about facing Wales. We really have to stop handing victories to our opponents and I don't think changing the Head Coach is the answer.

Once again, those wise words which Irvine Welsh penned for Ewan McGregor's Mark Renton came back to haunt us – it really is: “Shite being Scottish”.

 

A Calcutta Cup Vote of Confidence

I CANNOT REMEMBER who it was, my increasingly suspect memory tells me it was Yugoslavia; but there is the legend of how, back last century, the Head Coach of a European country's football team, absultely pig sick of criticism from his nation's “Fans Wwith Typewriters” challenged them: they coul have first dibs on the nation's players for a game – Their Selection v His, to prove who knew most about picking international teams.

I believe - but this could be another variation on 'The Liberty Valance Rule' – when the truth disproves the legend, print the legend – the Head Coach's team won convincingly.

I publish this legend in the wake of Gregor Townsend ignoring truck-loads of advice from the fans with lap-tops whose natural habitat is the Bill McLaren Gallery at Murrayfield. The Intelligence Corps of the Rugby Division of the Tartan Army, almost to a man, wanted to see the long-established boiler-house pairing in the national team of Grant Gilchrist and Jonny Gray broken-up, after their disappointing outing against the Irish.

Toony has kept the pairing intact for Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash, at Twickenham. He named the following match-day squad at lunch-time on Thursday:

Kyle Rowe fills the vacancy caused by Dfarcy Graham's head injury during the Irish match. However, to the relief of the entire nation, Co-Captain Finn Russell, who was involved in the incident which saw Darcy incapacitated and who failed his Head Injury Assessmen during the game, has gone through the Concussoion Protocols and is fit to play.

In another change, Pierre Schoeman and Rory Sutherland swap the numbers 1 and 17 jerseys, reversing their status for the Irish game, with Schoeman starting this time.

The Head Coach has delivered a vote of confidence to the team, following the last international, let's hope he's got it right.

 

What A Wind-Up

WELL, WE DIDN'T light a fiery cross and send one of the foot soldiers charging through the glens, to rouse the troops, but a couple of English-based hacks: “Chris – Who the Fuck is He” in the Daily Heil and in the Sunday Times, Welshman Stephen Jones, or “Jones the Wannabe Englishman” as he is referred to in his native valleys village of Aberflyarf, have come on firing on all lap tops this week – suggesting that English forward power will do for the Scots on the Cabbage Patch this weekend. If they were looking for a reaction from “The Sweaties” they could well get a shock come on kick-off time.

Old cynic that I am, I always think these sorts of noises-off, from the back or cheaper benches of the press area are as much aimed at the writer's home team than the perceived target. It goes with the territory of writing about England, that their tame mainstream media is required to talk them up at every opportunity – unlike the Scots, our southern neighbours don't do: “We're shite, but we know we are.” English exceptionalism and “England Expects” means their lillywhite yeomen must be talked-up at every opportunity.

Scotland will not win this year's Guinness Six Nations, but, I still reckon, even crippled by injuries to key men as we are, we are better than the over-hyped opponents they will encounter on Saturday.

Yes, England had a good ten minutes or so against Ireland – when the game was already won. Certainly they scored more points than France, but, in that game, it wasn't as much a case of England winning, as France losing it. Yes, with the numbers and resources they have, compared to what we can field, England ought to beat us every time, but, each side comes into this game with a one from two record, and I reckon we have not been as near our best in either game as they have – we've got more to give, and if we find what we've been missing – we will win again.

When it comes to England v Scotland, we need every player playing at as near as possible nine out of ten, and one or two of them to be “off”; I can see that happening on Saturday.

The English fans with lap-tops may go on about the bulk in their pack; yes, they might have bigger beasts, but, in certain areas, we are technically better. You never know how many scrums there will be in the modern game, but, if there are a few – we win, because technically, England's front five is not as good as ours.

Their back row will try to distrupt the fast ruck ball we thrive on; if the referee is any good, this will not happen and Finn Russell will torture them. We need not fear this England team, and we should certainly ingnore the fevered slavvering of their hacks.

In any case, old Jonesie, who I have known for over 40 years, is well-known as being, along with Kiwi Chris Ratuie, one of Rugby Union's two “Shock Jocks”, willing and able to scribble down some toxic click bait at the drop of a hat. His Sunday piece was such an article. If nothing else, it stops Jonesie from fretting unduly and taking to the bottle as he considers the disaster zone that is his precious Wales.

INTERESTING CHOICE of opponents for Scotland's Autumn Tests. We open by welcoming the USA Eagles, before taking-on the New Zealand All Blacks, followed by Argentina's Pumas, before the series closes with a match against Tonga.

So, an opener against Tier Two opponents – a return match for last summer's game in Washington, then another chance to break that duck against the mighty Abs, followed by what will be another stern test against the Pumas, before a potential banana skin encounter with the Pacific Islanders.

The USA game will perhaps be a case of re-introducing any Lions we have in Australia, alongside those who impressed on our own Summer Tour. This will give Gregor Townsend, or perhaps a new Head Coach, a chance to fully assess the best squad for what is sure to be THE game of the Autumn, against the ABs.

OK, we never have great expectations against the men from The Land of the Long White Cloud, but, fine we ken, we will have to battle to hold off the Pumas. Of course, after at least two hard games, there might well be the temptation to try some new combinations against Tonga, although, as we all remember, we have lost to them, in Scotland, before.

THE GUARDIAN'S weekly Rugby Union blog: “The Breakdown” is, like much of that newspaper's output, far-too English-centric for me. Robert Kitson & Co are still harbouring the delusion that London is the centre of the universe, poor dears.

However, this week's offering, based around the troubles befalling the grass-roots clubs inside a Rugby Football Union, which seems increasingly to be operating principally to suit the ten Premiership clubs.

That is the huge difference between the RFU and the SRU; I think, for all the doubts I have about some of them, the Junta inside Murrayfield is more in-touch with the true heartbeat of the game than their counterparts inside Twickenham.

But, that said, just as, economically, if the USA catches cold, the UK gets pneumonia, if times are tough in South West London, they are even harder in the Western part of Edinburgh.

Rugby Union is facing challenges, and while I have my doubts about the ability of The Junta to over come them, I have a lot more faith in them than in the “57 Old Farts” and their apparatchiks to solve English Rugby's problems.

I suggest you have a read of this week's Breakdown.

 

Chiefs, Indians, Organ Grinders And Monkeys

IN THE WAKE of my critique of Edinburgh's abject display against Zebre on Friday night, 'Club Fan' – one of the more-regular reader of these ravings – got in touch. Club Fan is an official with a Scottish club, I know his identity and I greatly value his opinions, although, both of us being Scottish, we do not always agree. This is what he had to say:

“A very bad day at the office AA for Edinburgh. But my plea would be more specific in your criticism.

I accept that the Board structures are confusing. But it’s the SR Limited Board that covers the professional game. Ie John McGuigans people. I hesitate to call them blazeretti as trey are all NEDs usually from corporate backgrounds with the exception of the board club reps. They are supposed to look at these things with a detached view unencumbered by allegiance to rugby per se.

Though my experience is that NEDs tend to leave their business brain at the boardroom door as we saw with the previous incumbents of those chairs. What idiots thought extending Dodsons contract a great idea after Russellgate?”

Fair comment I would say, so, let's have a go at answering his points.

Confusing Board Structures

We know that Edinburgh and Glasgow are both wholly-owned subsidiary clubs, their ultimate owners are The Scottish Rugby Union - SRU, but they are operated by Scottish Rugby Limited, SRL

According to Companies House, Edinburgh Rugby has two “Officers of the Company” - i.e. responsible directors. They are listed as Robert Howat and Shona Bell.

Glasgow Warriors' Companies House record also shows just two Officers of the Company – again responsible directors. These are listed as the same Robert Howat and Shona Bell.

Both Ms Bell and Mr Howat are listed as members of the SRL Board.

The only other Officer of the Company listed in both the Edinburgh and Glasgow entries in the Companies House register is Mark Dodson, who resigned on 30 April, 2024. I think it is safe to assume, Alex Williamson, his successor as Chief Exectutive Officer of the SRU will very-quickly be added to the Companies House listing.

As far as managerial responsibilities are concerned, we learn from the main SRU website:

The SRL Board is responsible for the ongoing management and operations of the Scottish Rugby Union Group. It reports quarterly, through the SRL Chair, to the SRU Custodians on the main aspects of its operating role, including strategy and financial and various other significant topics.

So, it's all clear – day-to-day management is the responsibility of the SRL Board, who have to, four times per year, justify their operations to the Custodians of the main SRU Board.

But, you go to Google and type in the question: “Who runs Edinburgh rugby?” and you find:

• Listed as Managing Director – Douglas Struth

So, the bold Dougie is listed as such, but, he is not listed on the Companies House record as a Director – is he a real MD – or just a glorified Office Boy?

Counting the five listed Coaches, Edinburgh rugby has a full-time staff of 28 persons.

Glasgow Warriors' website lists Al Kellock as Managing Director – the same points as I made above regarding Douglas Struth hold good for big Al.

Warriors has a full-time staff of 37 (including two vacant posts). But, what Glasgow has and Edinburgh does not have is an “Advisory Group”

To quote from Warriors' website:

“The Advisory Group provides guidance and support in line with the Scottish Rugby Strategic Plan. It offers introductions to the local business community in Glasgow to assist with the development of the club.”

Under the Chairmanship of Charles Shaw, the Advisory Group members are: Al Kellock, Walter Malcolm, Douglas McCrea, Alan Lees, Paul Taylor, Frank Mitchell, Scott Mathieson.

Thus we have:

• Two competing clubs

• With the same owner

• The same two directors named at Companies House

• “Managing Directors” who do not appear to be Board members

• One has 60% more off-field staff than the other

• One has an advisory board, the other doesn't.

• One wins things – the other struggles

Given the ownership of both clubs is in the hands of the national governing body, it looks a wee bit as if the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. We all know the Murrayfield Junta is huge on Control Freakery, that's why they run both clubs, because they don't want anyone else trying to run professional rugby in Scotland.

Fair enough, if they were doing it well, but, for all Glasgow's recent success, that is not the case as seen from the body of the kirk.

OK, I can accept, no two coaches will think alike, although they might well have the same basic ethos. But, while the coaches should be allowed to set-up their teams to play as they see fit, and as best suits the players they have – surely, when the same body owns both teams, the off-field management structures should be the same. Isn't such standardisation and adopting common practices one of the basic principles of running a multi-company group?

You find a way that works and you stick with it until you find a better way. Maybe if we had better management inside Murrayfield, the game of Rugby Union would be in better shape.

Looking at things, I feel the Chiefs are not giving the Indians the right lead.

FINALLY – I return to Club Fan's closing point:

• “What idiots thought extending Dodson's contract a great idea after Russellgate?”

TCD is now a blot on the history of Scottish Rugby, but, “Howzat” the other numpty we all know ought to have been booted down the Water of Leith after “Russellgate 1” is still in situ, one of the two Directors of our two professional clubs. You could not make it up. Mind you, I do agree with Club Fan's opinion on Non-Executive Directors.

Under-Strength Warriors Win With Style

IT SAYS MUCH about the confidence the Warrior Nation has in Franco Smith that, even with a lengthy injury list and the best part of a full XV held back in the Scotland camp, there was still a firm belief that Smith's patched-up squad would win at Newport.

Dragons might well be the strongest team in the BKT United Rugby Championship – propping-up the other 15 teams – but, at home, they are never likely to roll over and let their visitors win; more-so when those visitors have some unfamiliar groupings in the various pods within the overall team system.

Thus it proved, with Warriors struggling to impose themselves in an entertaining first half, which ended with them leading 24-20, following a half in which Glasgow played most of the rugby, but repeatedly fell foul of referee Peter Martin, the latest in that long line of what Max Boyce dubbed “Blind Irish Referees”.

A second minute penalty and an 11^th minute converted try was a great start for the home side, before a Johnny Matthews try converted by Dunky Weir cut their lead to thre points. But almost immediately, Warriors conceded a second penalty goal, but they wasted little time in getting it back to a one-point game, courtesy of a cracking try by eventual Man of the Match Jack Mann.

Warriors now had impetus and when Sebastian Cancillere put George Horne over to give Glasgow a lead they would never lose.

With half time fast approaching, Warriors clinched the try bonus point when another burst from Mann initiated an attack which ended with skipper Weir touching down, then converting. However, Dragons had the final word on the half with their own second try, right on the break.

Referee Martin had taken a dislike to the way the Glasgow props were operating, so, when the play resumed, Matthews, an early replacement for HIA victim Grant Stewart, was joined in a totally recast front row by Nathan McBeth and Patrick Shickerling – whose scrummaging found more favour with the referee than that of Jamie Bhatti and Fin Richardson had in the first period.

McBeth got the scoreboard turning over again with an early try, after some good combination rugby, but perhaps the try of the day was the sixth, scored by George Horne in 57 minutes, breaking clear after a superb line-out take by Jare Oguntibeju.

That try wrapped up the points, but Dragons refused to lie down and Warriors' vaunted defensive systems were tested for a time before, inside the final ten minutes another [iece of inventive rugby was finished off by Cancillere for try number seven and an encouraging victory 45-20.

Jack Mann's powerful running and some great line breaks, not forgetting some impressive metres after contact won him that MOM vote, however, he wasn't the only Warrior who impressed. Indeed there were no failures in what, after a somewhat sticky start, unfurled into a very-good victory for the under-strength squad.

WITH NONE of the featured television matches on Saturday afternoon floating my boat – and having been given a heads-up on the broadcast by Robin Purdie, one of the commentary team – I opted to listen online to the Borders Rugby Radio broadcast, which was based mainly on the Melrose v Ayr game, at the Greenyards, in the Arnold Clark Premiership.

The coverage was impressive, good, concise commentary, with the score flashes and updates coming from other games around the Premiership and the Borders was a credit to the commitment and professionalism of Stuart Cameron and his team.

Stuart has, over many years, done a sterling job in promoting club rugby, on a virtual shoestring and in the face of considerable opposition from the ruling Junta within Scottish Gas Murrayfield. We all know control freakery is a fact of life in EH12, but, when you see the great job the BRR team does, you have to wonder at the thought processes inside HQ; or indeed if there is anyone in there capable of rational thought.

My old sparring partner, the late and much-missed Ron Evans was always good company when having a rant about how poor the “Indians” inside HQ were at promoting our game – hardly surprising given most of the “Chiefs” were and still are, wired to the moon. “Buddy the Elf” - Rugby Union's answer to the chocolate tea pot is still calling the communication shots at HQ, so, things on that front in EH12 are still in as bad a state as Gaza.

We all know, the mainstream media in Scotland doesn't give a fuck about Scottish Rugby below Edinburgh and Glasgow, and even those two clubs don't come anywhere close to Scottish fitba when it comes to the msm publicising our game. So, it's up to the game of Rugby Union in Scotland to do the job the msm will not do.

I refer to the heading on the “About Scottish Rugby” section of the official Scottish Rugby Union website, this reads “Scottish: Rugby is the governing body for rugby union in Scotland. We work hard to grow the game and inspire Scotland through rugby.” Might I suggest they work a bit harder at this primary aspect of their remit, to better sell our game.

If BRR can put the SRU to shame in covering the game, just what might the governing body, with their financial muscle and advantages be able to do – if the commitment to getting it right - not to mention the personnel to see things through - was there.

A sensible governing body would be speaking to Stuart Cameron and making him an offer to take on the job of really selling Scottish Rugby over the airwaves. Is there nobody inside Murrayfield able to see the rewards this could bring – or is the deadwood obscuring the view?

 

Friday NIght Fiasco

THAT LEGENDARY FOOTBALL MANAGER Alistair MacLeod used to say that a Manager at a club was largely immune from fans' criticism leading to the sack, when it was he and he alone who was getting pelters on a weekly basis.

“But, as soon as they starrt chanting 'Sack the Board' – the Manager is toast”, was Ally's take on things – he wasn't far wrong. In which case, since we apparently don't know who within Scottish Gas Murrayfield makes the big decisions around hiring and firings – thus not knowing which Board we want sacked, Sean Everitt will probably survive that Friday night horror show, at least until the end o?ȅf the season.

It was bad; the timing didn't help either, coming on the coat tails of that abject surrender of the national team against Ireland. OK, replacing the Head Coach appears to be the panacea for the sort of repeated disappointments which come the way of the Edinburgh supporters, but, to be fair to Everitt – he cannot exactly do what a beleagured football team coach might do and buy a ready-made replacement team.

He has to work with the squad given him and Friday night, it it proved anything, showed that several of the players are just not up to the required standard for the BKT United Rugby Championship. Edinburgh's starting XV against Zebre contained 11 full Scotland caps – just ask yourself, how many, on that performance, would get an international game for any other Tier One nation?

If we take one of the oldest of Rugby Union clichés: “forwards win matches – backs decide by how much” and extrapolate it onto Friday's result – I would say, Edinburgh got off lightly – they were terrible.

Do we put it down to: “a really bad night at the office,” after all, (and this will come as a shock to some of our South African and English friends) no team has the right to win every game, but, for all one of the perks of following Scottish sport is: you get used to regular disappointment, after all, The Tartan Army's motto is: “It's the hope that mkills”. Even so, that was a particularly hard one to take.

Do we really still think the two Italian teams are in the URC to provide us with guaranteed bonus-point wins? If we think that then we are guilty of Old Firm level expectation and entitlement. The Italians have been getting better season on season and if Edinburgh failed to note that Zebre recently went to Belfast and won, well, more fool them.

Desire is a basic component of winning in a profvessional environment and on Friday, Italian desire seemed greater than Scottish. The High Heid Yins inside the Murrayfield Junta were given food for thought on Friday and it was a bitter meal to swallow.

Let's hope, for the sake of Scottish Rugby, lessons are learned. The learning curve is clearly a steep one.

To return to my original point and the wisdom of Ally MacLeod. Rugby Union people don't congregate outside the front door of the stadium chanting: “Sack the Board” - that's not their way. They simply refuse to turn up to watch dross and on the basis of what was presented on Friday night, there are going to be a lot of empty seats at The Hive for the rest of the season.

If any of Ther Junta bothers to read the BTL (below the line) comments on The Offside Line they will quickly realise – the natives are restless. The Blazeratti have, over the years, become very good at riding public criticism and thinking long and hard before making necessary changes – in the case of Edinburgh, this is no longer an option.

FINALLY – on reflecting on the Capital Club's travails, I am reminded of an article in The Times, written by the great Simon Barnes. Simon was the first journalist I saw to mention the phenomenon of “training-on”; this is usually a reference to a race horse, which perhaps shows great potential as a two year old, but does nothing when sent out against older horses: “it hasn't trained-on”.

Simon reckoned “training-on” was also relevant in human sport – the outstanding youthful prospect who doesn't break through when exposed to playing with the grown-ups. I looked at one or two of the Edinburgh team against Zebre; players who had won Under-20 honours, and impressed in off the bench cameos, But, as they showed on Friday night; when asked to start and really influence a game – they were found wanting.

If you look back over the years, we've had too-many such players who were and still are the epitome of “not training-on”. Failures in coaching, player management and development, rather than recruitment, just might be a big part of Scottish Rugby's problems.

I DID NOT have to be Mystic Meg to predict that Eddie Jordan's notion of taking the re-born London Irish into the United Rugby Championship would not sit well with the 57 Old Farts along the road at Twickenham.

I don't suppose Bill Beaumont and the lads take much cogniscance of history; after all, the last time London told the Irish they couldn't leave – well that didn't end well. Eddie knew how to navigate the murky waters of Formula 1, he will find, money might talk in that sport, thingsd work a bit differently in Rugby Union.

However, from his time in the pit lane, I suppose Eddie might have friends in the CVC boardroom, in which case, he may well have some leverage on Twickenham. This one could be very-interesting as it unfolds.

Or, could moving Irish into the URC perhaps be the first move in an elaborate dance, leading to a single Pan-European League. Watch this space.