WHAT WE DO with Sevens has suddenly become “The talk of the Steamie” in Scottish Rugby. I suspect, for as long as it remains talk, The Murrayfield Junta will be happy, Heaven forfend they actually had to make a decision on what to do with the abbreviated form of the game.
As I have long opined, the English do not do or understand Sevens. I think it's something in their psyche; for all they have invaded, subjogated, or gone to war with most of the countries or tribes of the world, the only memorable military tactic which the English ever came up with was The Infantry Square.
The English don't do élan, another mark against them when it come to the short form of the game – so, since they have so-little time for or interest in Sevens, why should the Rugby Football Union be the game's lead organisation as regards relations with the British Olympic Association and the global International Olympic Committee?
In past blog posts regarding Sevens, and in particular its place in the Olympics – the once-every-four-years festival when Sevens really gets noticed, I have said, the only way Scotland could fight for its rightful place in the short form would be to become Independent, a full member of the Olympic family and able to qualify a Scotland Seven for the Olympics.
That is not going to happen any time soon, and certainly not while the current crew of careerists and grifters are picking-up their nice fat salary plus expenses packages in London and Westminster.
But, Sevens may be small potatoes south of Carter Bar – and yes, I accept is not as big as it used to be, or maybe still could or should be up here; however, reduced in influence it may be, but, there is still a Sevens programme in Scotland.
I have also written before, about how, even though there is little or no Curling played elsewhere in the United Kingdom, the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, that game's equivalent of the SRU, managed to concoct a body – British Curling – to run the Olympic programme, and deliver a regular supply of medals.
If the RFU is unwilling to run a Sevens programme, then why shouldn't the SRU take on the job? After all, if what is currently the world's number one ranked curling rink – skipped by Bruce Mouat – can switch seamlessly from being Team Scotland at the European and World Championships to being Team GB at the Olympics, why could not the same thing happen with a Scotland Sevens squad?
That, I appreciate might be a bit of a jump, but in reality, the biggest obstacles to my notion of the SRU running a Sevens programme are three-fold:
Money – or rather the lack of it
Intelligence – the lack of said talent within the Murrayfield Junta
Strategic thinking – again an ability sadly lacking within the Junta and, in the particular case of Sevens, also within the Dublin Murphyia running World Rugby – where the Sevens programme is one huge mess.
As I have said before, Sevens has shown it has “Podium Potential” when it comes to Olympic medals, therefore, a Sevens programme ought to be getting more money than it currently appears to, from central BOA funding – this needs sorting.
It doesn't help either that today's rugby adminstrators appear to be following the lead of Football, rather than a game which is well-run and makes money. In Rugby Union, the lunatics have total control of the asylum.
We need a properly-constructed seeasonal programme for Scottish Rugby, covering everything from Mini-Rugby through to the National Team, with a place and a plan for Sevens in there. We have indulged “It's Aye Been” for far-too long, it doesn't still need to aye be.
RUGBY UNION clearly has a problem with penalty shoot-outs – not that this affectation from “Wendyball” comes up too often in the handling game. You might not have liked how it unfolded, but the shoot-out in Durban on Saturday night was great entertainment.
Even if it was against the unlikable Munster, that twat Jaden Hendrikse did himself no favours with his antics. If I was him, I would find a handy injury if and when they come up against the men in red next season – Tadhg Beirne has a long memory. By the way, his one v one with Etzebeth was epic.
Mind you, in blaming Hendrikse, the Munster fans, not for the first time, are getting it wrong; they should rather, blame their own team for not controlling the controllables and getting the job done.
But, the matter in hand is that shoot-out. What I would do, for added entertainment value and jeopardy, would be go with the three positions, but as regards penalty-takers, start with number one in each side, and work through until number 23, until one side is two successful kicks clear – let's make it really entertaining.
THIS MORNING, Scottish Rugby Memories posted a match programme from the 1950s on their Facebook page. It took me back to my childhood, with some wonderful names, including those of two or three of my All-Time Greats. I print the teams below, with the observation, that is some London Scottish back division:
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