Now Is The Time To Build For The Future

YESTERDAY'S news from Scotstoun, that Jonny Gray had signed a new three-year deal to remain with Warriors, has been quickly followed by the announcement that the younger Gray is the new Warriors' captain. A post he may well fill for as long, if not longer, than his distinguished predecessor, Al Kellock.

 

This is a cracking double whammy for Scottish and particularly West of Scotland rugby. With JG, Josh Strauss and Finn Russell all signed-up on long-term contracts, and, presumably Warriors and the SRU beavering away in the background to try to get some of the other stellar names in the Scotstoun squad to commit long-term, well, things are looking good for Glasgow.

 

Now, if the Murrayfield Mandarins could just get a permanent suitably-sized home set-up for Edinburgh, and get a young Scottish coach in to under-study then succeed Alan Solomons, how much better-off would Scottish rugby be?

 

I still think, we need to get a few more exciting SCOTTISH backs playing regularly in Edinburgh, however, and, this should be a priority.

 

Some years ago, there was a proposal in the public domain which would have seen Edinburgh and Hearts ground-sharing a purpose-built 20,000-seat stadium to be built somewhere in the west of Edinburgh.

 

Of course, aye-beenism, that perennial curse against sporting progress in Scotland reared its head, and nothing came of what seemed to me to be perhaps the best answer to the problems of both Edinburgh institutions.

 

Now that Anne Budge is running things at Tynecastle, a lady who does not appear as hide-bound to the traditions of aye-beenism as a man might be, perhaps this albeit initially costly scheme might be looked at again.

 

But, that is perhaps for a year or two down the line, of more-immediate concern to me is that, in their de-brief of our Rugby World Cup campaign, and in deciding what lies ahead, the SRU makes the correct decisions.

 

I would like to see an early decision on a third pro team, otherwise, we risk losing talent to the big-money English and French clubs. I would also like to see more use made of a Scotland A team, for the guys who are not in the Six Nations squad - or who are hopefully training-on from the Under-20 squad, but, are not yet ready for the full team.

 

We used to go off on end-of-season tours to face Tier Two countries, let's get back to this as a way of developing the next bunch of talented players. Or, how about an Under-23 team paying in the European international series - what used to be the FIRA Championship.

 

Scottish coaches have quietly and with little fuss, worked widely on the continent, helping to bring through the lesser lights - why not have a Scotland Under-23 team playing the likes of Portugal, Spain, Netherlands and Germany. This would help these nations, and, at the same time help our young players develop away from the pressures of the Six Nations. Or even, heading off to South American to play Uruguay, Chile etc, or to the Pacific Islands.

 

Also, with rugby becoming a more-global game, you can never have enough friends when it comes to diplomacy in the game's political corridors. The Home Nations, after they rejoined FIFA, thought they could if not run things, then certainly have an eternal big say in things, but, they, and in particular England, didn't forge alliances and look at where that got them.

 

After the Rio Olympics, at which I am sure Rugby Sevens will be a hit, you may find some of the lesser nations waking-up to rugby and, in the long run, World Rugby will not continue to be the Old Boys Club it sometimes seems today. best to get ready for this ASAP.

 

And finally, it will do the SRU no harm to remember, the (amateur) clubs remain the heart and heart-beat of the game. These clubs have been side-tracked a lot lately, they will bit back soon enough. Time to give the clubs their proper place at the centre of things.

 

We could start by grasping the nettle of a semi-professional BT Premiership, which, in the case of a small handful of the clubs, it already is. Even if we immediately formed a third professional side, we would still have some talented players playing in the club game - they, and the clubs they play for, need more support than they are currently getting.

 

For a start, we MUST have our top four clubs back in the British & Irish Cup next season.

The Party's Over - Now, Let's Get Ready For The Six Nations

THE three-ring circus has left town, and we can get used to the lesser local circuses for the remainder of the season.

 

Farewell then Dan Carter, a clutch of other lesser greats and maybe even the Great McCaw. Steve Hanson can look forward to his knighthood, the ABs will have a beer or three, then start planning for Japan 2019, when they will try to make it three-in-a-row; and, who is to say they cannot.

 

Meanwhile, back here on Planet Scottish Rugby, where are we? Well, Glasgow will this afternoon start to re-introduce their World Cup players to the Pro12, while bemoaning the loss to injury of Henry Pyrgos and Fraser Brown.

 

Edinburgh, have started their league campaign so well, sadly, seem to be reverting to type, although, it is no longer that much of a calamity to lose at Connacht. They really need to get their big guns back and fully-functioning before the European games start later this month.

 

Speaking of Edinburgh: what a bummer that Ali Dickinson and Wilem Nel never made it into too-many Teams of the Tournament, in the final analyses of RWC 2015. I see the Australian scrum, which the Edinburgh front-row plus the Gray brothers did a really good job in taking apart managed to get a goodly representation in more than one selection.

 

Mind you, most English journalists, from weaning, are brought up on a diet of: Scottish rugby bad. Boy, are they in for a shock come the Six Nations.

 

I enjoyed the final, terrific game. What a shame some people were less than generous to Nigel Owens, who I thought refereed it as well as anyone can, particularly when they have that useless twat Barnes on one line.

 

We all know, in Wayne's World, forward passes are not always what they seem, but, come-on - how did he miss that one. Nigel, by the way, was in no position to rule, it was Barnes's call, and, true to form - he got it wrong.

 

If the Australians felt bad at that, I think the decisions evened-out, I think the chaser (Beale?) who got to the kick-ahead and fed Kirandrani for his try, was maybe a wee bit in front of the kicker. Maybe not as obvious as the forward pass, but, still a contentious issue to me, swept under the carpet somewhat.

 

 

 

MEANWHILE, to domestic matters. The BT Premiership has reached the half-way stage, with Ayr seven points clear of the field. But, this is such a tight competition, as can be seen from how close the teams from third place to eighth place are, even that big a lead at the mid-way point is no guarantee of the title.

 

Of course, it isn't over once the 18-games have been played; there will still be the play-offs to be negotiated, so, this thing will run and run.

 

I was at Millbrae on Saturday to watch Ayr and Hawick. Ayr didn't play particularly well, while Bruce McNeil, as ever, got away with murder all over the park. He really is the Willie Miller of Scottish rugby, in the way he "referees" games, although, Graeme Wells wasn't always listening to him!!

 

Interestingly from an Ayr perspective, they introduced another two youngsters, hooker Lewis Anderson and scrum-half Jack Preston, both teenagers, who did well.

 

Hawick, meanwhile, under the guidance of Nikki Walker and Scott McLeod, are again beginning to look like a Green Machine of old - which bodes well for the game in the Borders.

 

It hasn't been easy in Hawick of late, but, they are coming back - beware.

 

 

 

AN INTERESTED spectator/water boy, at Millbrae on Saturday was Robbie Fergusson, who has quietly been loaned-out by Glasgow Warriors to London Scottish.

 

This is evidence of how much he has come on this season. Obviously, with his old mucker, Mark Bennett, Peter Horne, Richie Vernon and Peter Murchie ahead of him in the Scotstoun midfield pecking order, games were going to be hard to come by for young Robbie; but, at Richmond Athletic Ground, he will have a real opportunity to improve. I wish him well.

 

Come on SRU/London Scottish - here is the cheaper option towards a third pro team. I know the RFU has this rule whereby English professional sides have to have 75% of their players "England-qualified", but, all those Watsonians, Fettesians and Academicals making big money as corporate lawyers in the City of London can surely come up with a way round this which would see Scottish as the de facto third pro team - we have enough players now. 

Southern Comfort At Twickenham, But, Up Here The Scotch Isn't So Bad

WE KEN NOO - either Quantas or Air New Zealand will have to reserve a first-class seat for "Bill", on a flight out of Heathrow on either Sunday or Monday of next week. The Webb Ellis Trophy will head to the Antipodes at the conclusion of Saturday's little neighbourly battle at Twickenham.

 

We will be watching events in the final with, deep in the back of our minds, the feeling that: it could have been us, but, it wasn't to be. One bit of me wants the Australians to win - it would be nicer to be able to say, we lost, controversially, to the eventual winners. However, that said, I still think the All Blacks are the men who matter. It would be something of a shame if such a fantastic dominant run by this squad were to end in defeat. After all, Saturday will be the swan song for so-many wonderful world-class New Zealanders. It has to end in victory.

 

Meanwhile, back here in Scotland, we have much to look forward to. I think, well though the stand-ins have performed, Gregor Townsend has to get most of his World Cup Warriors back onto the paddock ASAP. If they are to successfully defend their Pro12 crown, they have to start putting together a run of bonus-point wins, and that means getting the big guns firing.

 

Edinburgh are, I think, in for a heavy week. Coach Alan Solomons was not a appy bunny in Italy at the weekend, he will be demanding a much-better performance to make amends this week.

 

In the BT Premiership, Ayr have suddenly opened-up a six-point gap at the top, and, the way they are racking-up bonus-point wins, they will not be easily caught. The Millbrae men have the outstanding half-back/midfield pairing in the division, and pace and flair out wide - even with the Gossman brothers injured. They are going ominously well.

 

The rest are beating each other up on a weekly basis. Aside from poor Selkirk, who for all the good rugby they produce, are finding the step-up from the National League to the Premiership just too big a step, anything can happen on any given Saturday.

 

I repeat something I have said before - the BT Premiership is a wonderfully-competitive league.

 

Right now, life on the rugby pitches of South Ayrshire is good, with Marr continuing to head the National League, who'd have thunked it. 

Another Taqele Brainfart

TAQELE NAYARAVORO might yet turn out to be a masterly signing for Glasgow Warriors, but, after a yellow card - which might have been a red - on his debut, and a "brainfart" which coughed-up a penalty try and earned him a second yellow in his second outing, well, early doors, he is proving to be something of a liability to Warriors.

 

Against these, the Fijian/Australian does know where the try line is and how to get there, but, if "Toony" had simply wanted a big lump with nae brains who would run through a brick wall, well he could have got one of those in Barlanark, far less Brisbane.

 

Mind you, I always get the impression, watching Ian Davies referee a match involving a Scottish team, he is simply looking for the next excuse to penalise the Sweaties.

 

I still say, we will never get a fair deal from the referees until we have one, or better still more Scottish referees operating at elite level. It is easy to penalise Scottish sides, when you know, Scottish referees cannot similarly handicap sides from your country. Or, am I simply being paranoid? Which doesn't mean they aren't out to get us.

 

I watched the Scarlets v Munster game on the red button on Friday night. A good game it was too, with Scarlets snatching it right at the death with a monster of a penalty goal. A nice birthday present for the watching Phil Bennett, who is 67 today. Enjoy your day "Benny".

 

 

 

OF COURSE, two matches overshadow all others this afternoon, with the Rugby World Cup semi-finals at Twickenham.

 

Leaving aside the feeling, it should have been us, rather than Australia, facing the Argentinians tomorrow, let's enjoy the games as the spectacles we hope they will be.

 

Mind you, semi-finals in any competition are rarely stand-out games, there is too-much at stakes for the fancy stuff.

 

Today's encounter between the All Blacks and Springboks will be a true clash of giants. This is a 15--a-side Ali v Frasier all the way. They don't like each other, each side is capable of inflicting real harm on the other; no quarter will be asked or given and, while we may have favourites, the outcome is far from obvious.

 

I still feel, the All Blacks have that X-factor which the Bokke lack, but, they will know they have been in a game by the end. The All Blacks to win, narrowly.

 

Tomorrow's game is also hard to call. Past form tends to favour the Wallabies, but, Los Pumas have shown themselves to be a much-more-rounded sides than Argentinian XVs in the past. Both sides have a good "all-court" game. I find it difficult to separate them, but, in this instance, I am leaning, just, towards the Pumas.

 

 

 

 

A Third Pro-team - Now

IN the past year, no less than 52 different players have represented Scotland in capped rugby internationals. Of these players, Euan Murray and Jim Hamilton have since announced their retirement from international rugby, leaving us with 50 current internationalists.

There are also a further 16 players, capped by Scotland in the past three seasons, or still getting a regular game for either of our two professional teams, Edinburgh and Glasgow, playing top-flight rugby. Of these 66 players, 15 play outwith Scotland, which, regardless of the fact, as things currently stand, Glasgow has the greater proportion of the home-based players, we should have enough guys playing in Scotland to not need Exiles.

 

That, of course, overlooks the fact that, quality will always attract big money, and we have to accept, we will always have special players who will be attracted away by big-money offers from the cash-rich French and English clubs, able to offer them wages which the SRU and the two home-based teams cannot.

 

However, surely, with Scottish Rugby riding high in the wake of our good Rugby World Cup showing, Glasgow being reigning Pro12 Champions and Edinburgh at the sharp end of that competition, now is the time for the SRU to consider restoring a third professional side.

 

The cheap option might well be for Murrayfield to strike a deal to make London Scottish the de facto third professional side, however, given the Aviva Premiership, to which Scottish aspire to play in, requires that something like 75 per-cent of any competing side's squad must be "England-qualified", this would be well-nigh unworkable.

 

Unless, of course, the guys who run Scottish could be persuaded to switch to an extended Pro 12.

 

I maintain, if the three Celtic Unions got together and got London Irish, London Scottish and London Welsh to switch to a larger Pro15, it would be to the benefit of the three nations.

 

I reckon, between the current internationalists, plus the former Under-20 caps in their ranks, plus one or two exiles who might fancy coming back home, if the SRU could put together the right player welfare and development processes, we have enough players to put three competitive teams into the Celtic/Italian League set-up; or even, do what the Irish did with Connacht and, until the club finds it feet, make the new team a Development side - a "spine" of experienced capped players as on-field coaches to our best young talent.

 

Every player wants to play, every week. Of course they have to be protected from this, and player-rotation is an inexact science; but, the day cannot be too far-off when we see players we would prefer to keep inside Scotland, inside a system, managed by the SRU with the aim of putting the best-possible Scotland team on the park is put in jeopardy. We could see players who feel they are not getting enough game time, going out of Scotland. Perhaps to clubs whose attitude is: "we are paying you well, so you will play when we tell you" - and to hell with player welfare.

 

These are interesting times and I hope, once the SRU's post Rugby World Cup de-brief is concluded, they seriously consider a third pro team for next season. The talent is there.  

 

 

We Wuz Robbed - So Let's Not Get Fleeced Again

OK - it's official: We Wuz Robbed, by an incompetent/corrupt (delete according to your prejudice or lack thereof) referee.

 

Does it make me feel any better? No - we're still oot on our earses.

 

Where do we go from here? Well, in 15-weeks' time, we will open the 2016 Six Nations against England. That is something to look forward to. Given their awful Rugby World Cup campaign, we may well find our oldest international rivals still in turmoil.

 

They will probably be bedding-in a new coach; fine man though he is, I cannot see Stuart Lancaster surviving the English mainstream media's strident demands for his head. This could mean a change of direction and emphasis.

 

Any way, the RWC has shown, under Vern Cotter, we are more-ready to play a modern, high-tempo, off-loading brand of attacking rugby than England. At club level, for all the example being shown by Bath, England is still wedded to having eight white Orcs up front, grinding down the opposition, before they trust the backs.

 

If we cannot beat England, at Murrayfield, on 6 February, we might as well chuck it in. We will seldom have a better chance to send them homeward to think again.

 

Ireland will face the huge task of replacing Paul O'Cnnell, and maybe one or two others, while, I feel "Warrenball" was exposed badly in the RWC. Sure, Wales will probably have most of their injured stars back, but, with a half-decent referee, we would have beaten them in the 2015 Six Nations, why not in 2016?

 

France and Italy also face major rebuilding jobs. Aye, maybe we are in-line for a Golden Age of Scottish Rugby, to equal the 1920s.

 

 

 

IT WAS good to see John Hardie signing for Edinburgh. The prospect of a back row with twin sevens, in Hardie plus one from Hamish Watson or Roddy Grant, is an intriguing one. Add Mike Coman, David Denton and Cornell du Preez and the "Gunners" have tremendous back row resources.

 

I was thinking, after the World Cup, that, it is maybe time the SRU splashed the cash and put a third professional team in place.

 

My ideal scenario would be for the SRU, IRFU and WRU to lock the CEOs of the three London-based "Exiles" clubs in a room, and didn't let them out until they had agreed to transfer from the Aviva Premiership to the Pro12.

 

Sponsors Guinness, would surely love it if they had these three teams on-board for their league, and the Celtic Diaspora in the Sudetenland could surely be coaxed into getting behind the teams.

 

Failing that, we could have a third team in Scotland. I am not sure if Aberdeen would be the ideal location, maybe Dundee. Certainly, if we were to try again in the Borders, any professional side based there would have to be prepared to move around the grounds, to deter the suggestions that Gala was being favoured which, to some extent scuppered the Reivers.

 

They would also have to have, a core of Borders-reared Scottish players.

 

We now have too-many international-class players for just two pro clubs. If we don't get a third going, and have the players SRU-contracted, they will be picked-off by the cash-rich English and French clubs, to the detriment of Scottish Rugby.

 

We hear the Irish government has come up with some novel tax incentives to keep the top Irish players playing in Ireland, maybe, with Income Tax being devolved to Holyrood - John Swinney could come up with something similar to help the SRU keep our big names playing at home.

Why Does It Always Rain On Us?

Management - she of the cupboard for nothing other than her shoe collection; the woman who shops for Scotland; well, even she got caught-up in Sunday afternoon's little bun fight at Twickenham.

She was in tears at the end, asking me: "Why do you put yourself through that every week"? If the occasion could get to her, well, it was special.

And, in the end we were left singing Scottish Rugby's theme song: 'Why Does It Always Rain On Us?' - again.

Now closer to 70 than 60, I have suffered more "Disasters for Scotland" than most. In football, I can recall - 7-0 to Uruguay, 7-2, 9-3 and 5-1 at Wembley, Argentine in 1978, winning at Wembley but failing to qualify in 1999.

In Rugby - the try that wasn't given at Twickenham in 1955, Hancock's try, same venue, Gavin Hastings' missed penalty, 'the hand of Andrew'; these still hurt. Craig Joubert now joins the likes of George Clancy and Glenn Jackson on my list of referees the SRU should immediately tell World Rugby: "No offence chaps, but, if he's appointed to officiate at one of our matches, we will not be playing".

But, even after all that, the stark fact, which we have to acknowledge, sooner or later, is - in the final analysis, we weren't good enough.

The late Jock Stein always maintained, it was a good idea to take the referee out of the equation - by NOT giving him the chance to make poor decisions against you. This we didn't do yesterday.

I do not blame the players, I have no idea of the particular mental pressure they are under in such big games, but, (and here I have my usual 20:20 hindsight) whoever called that last line-out long, boobed; when under pressure, don't call the risky play, play it short and safe, is always good advice.

That error having been made, it was compounded by a combination of a misjudged throw/jump/lift, or combination thereof. These factors we could have controlled, rather more than Joubert missing the two knock-ons (one each side) as the ball bobbled around prior to his fateful penalty call.

If, as we should have, we had got our kick reception problems solved before the semi-final, we could have lessened some of the pressures we were under prior to some of the Aussie tries.

Yes, Joubert was probably the worst man on the park, but, collectively, we probably made more mistakes than he did on his own, and, some of our mistakes allowed him to make his. So, in a way we were the architects of our own downfall.

Still, let's be positive - I fancy our chances in the Six Nations. I reckon we have come out of the World Cup in a better place than we went into it. We are well-placed to be the best in the Northern Hemisphere, so, onward and upward.

After the World Cup quarter-finals, we can look forward to two excellent semi-finals. Clashes between the All Blacks and the Springboks are always worth watching. The "Nigels" are in for a shock, I don't think they will ever have seen the sort of intensity at Twickenham that the two Southern Hemisphere giants will bring to their clash.

And, given the level at which Argentine played in beating the Irish, I don't see the second semi-final being any less hard-fought.

I can see the final coming down to yet another New Zealand v Australia battle, before the future Sir Richie McCaw collects "Bill" - the Webb Ellis Trophy - for the second World Cup in succession.