This Rugby World Cup Has Been Worth The Wait

DISAPPOINTED, of course I am, it is ever thus when Scotland loses. However, I don't think there was much else we could have done in Marseilles today. Sometimes, you just have to hold your hand up and admit: “We were beaten by the better team.”

There is no shame in losing to the defending World Champions; today South Africa looked worthy of that status. They did what we expected them to do and we didn't have the answer.

Rugby Union is a simple games, forwards win it – the backs decide, by how much and as we feared might happen, we could not hold the South African pack. This was one of those games in which, to win, we needed every single one of our players at their best. We had no failures, but, one or two of our guys will look at themselves in the morning and hopefully admit: “I wasn't at my best.”

Now, we have to take stock, recover from the thumps and bangs which are part and parcel of a very-tough game. Hopefully, we don't have any serious knocks to worry about. We now face the two alleged minnows of the pool, Tonga and Romania.

We need to regroup, win these two games and, hopefully take bonus points from both games, to giv e us the best chance we have had in years of beating Ireland and hopefully still qualifying.

FORGET THAT result, Sir Clive Fuckwit and 'Fleet Street' has already decided – England are going to win the whole thing, so, we can gift-wrap the William Webb Ellis Trophy and deliver it to Twickenham. The ITV Sport team has already gone into full-on “Engurland, Engurland, Engurland” mode. It's going to be a long and painful tournament until they go out.

I have long held the opinion that the biggest drawback faced by English sides, both club and more-especially national ones, is “England Expects.” In spite of long experience, such as one win in 19 attempts in football's World Cup, and one win in nine attempts in the Rugby Union equivalent, every four years, egged-on by a febrile mass media – England Expects victory.

We in Scotland have our own problems with our media. For a start, we don't really have a domestic media. For sure, north of the Highland Line is DC Thomson country, but, elsewhere, the media landscape is dominated by “Scottish” titles, who take their orders from what used to be called “Fleet Street” or from overseas. Particularly when it comes to coverage of sport – which in Scotland means Fitba.

Well, back in the 1950s, watching the massed ranks of Scottish football writers arriving at Wembley for the bi-annual clash with England, the urbane Times Football Correspondent of the time allegedly quipped: “Here they come, the fans with typewriters.” Rather than being offended at this slur on their professionalism, the men concerned and their successors – today's “Lap Top Loyal” have worn the slight like a badge of honour.

Thus, no victory is greater than a Scottish one. Similarly, no defeat is more catastrophic. However, I fear my erstwhile colleagues in the pr and propaganda arm of the Tartan Army have had to surrender our title, in this 21^st century, the English sporting media has usurped our position – they, today, are the real Fans With Lap Tops.”

If you seek proof, look no further than the media's reaction to England's 27-3 win over Argentine, in Marseilles on Saturday night. England's victory was greeted with an outpouring of joy, with even supposedly sensible writers in 'The Quality Press' getting carried away by success,

Even someone like me – a lifetime Vice President of ABE (Anyone But England) can appreciate that to play all but three minutes of the game a man short and win, has to be celebrated – kudos to the England squad. However, the reality was: a poor team beat a good team who simply didn't turn up. If that's the best England has to offer, even with a friendly draw, I cannot see them going deep into this tournament.

You don't win a global tournament by kicking goals, you need a try-scoring threat and that's something England hasn't had for some time. That victory will not unduly concern the nations ranked above England.

Mind you, I have great faith in that fine English tradition of “muddling through.” I can envisage the currently banned Captain – Owen 'No Arms' Farrell serving his sentence and coming back into the team, at which point the wheels come off England's chariot.

Finally, before anyone accuses me of being vehemently anti-English (Guilty as charged M'Lud) – in my view, that red card for Tom Curry was never a red card offence. England were done there, but, they got out of jail.

I HAD (honest), even before RWC '23 kicked off, a feeling that Eddie Jones' Australia would defy expectations and go deep into the tournament. The way they side-stepped the potential Georgian banana skin to win their opening game was uplifting for Aussie fans. Wee Eddie has picked one or two impressive youthful athletes, while skipper Will Skelton has bought into the cause and is keen to impress in front of his French club fans.

SIMILARLY, don't be in a rush to write-off the All Blacks. OK, losing their first pool match wasn't in the script, but, they too will still be around when the tournament reaches the sharp end. However, while beating the ABs has done nothing to dampen local expectations, it did underline, not for nothing are Les Bleus being touted as potential winners.

IRELAND in general, and Johnny Sexton in particular showed why they are ranked Number One in the world, with a huge victory over an admittedly limited Romania. You cannot argue with scoring 12 tries and a generally-impressive all-round display.

Beating Ireland is going to be tough, very-tough. However, we knew that already.

THE BEST was saved until last, with a wonderfully-entertaining meeting between Wales and Fiji, won by Warren Gatland's men, with, for me, a great deal of help from referee Matthew Carley.

I have been saying for years, Carley is not an international-class referee; he should be nowhere near the World Cup, and in this game, he demonstrated why. Carley was easily Wales' most-influential player as he let them away with murder.

A Fijian player clears-out a Welsh player to several metres past the breakdown – penalty to Wales. Two minutes later a Welsh player does the same thing – no action.

Wales concede a stream of penalties on their own line, warning but no further action. Fiji give away one penalty on their own line – yellow card. No, for me, Mr Carley's display was unacceptable.

And, by the way, Dan Biggar makes Owen Farrell lovable.

 

The Wait Is Over And The World Cup Is Here

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.

Club Rugby Is Back, But, It's The Calm Before The Storm

I DON'T SUPPOSE it matters much; the saying has been around since Ancient Greek times but: “Those whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad” continues to resonante down the years So, regardless of who came up with it, we should still pay attention.

I do not suppose it will immediately make a difference, but, I cannot help thinking, in signing-off on the recruitment of Tim Swiel and Mitch Eadie, our Beloved Leader TCD has perhaps shown, he has finally lost it. There has long been whispers around the game that He Who Must Be Obeyed has a rather cosy relationship with one or more of the big rugby player agencies – when you look at some of the many failures who have passed through the ranks of Edinburgh and Glasgow – arriving with a big reputation which they failed to justify.

But, these two. OK, I had heard of Eadie, since he has played for some years in the over-hyped Gallagher Premiership. Swiel has apparently played for new Edinburgh Coach Sean Everitt before, so his signing is maybe another demonstration of how professional Rugby Union is following professional Football's lead – a new coach gets to bring-in a player he likes, who may, or may not cut the mustard. But, is signing two guys who have in some eyes gone from 'Never Was' to 'Has Been' without passing Go, the best way to spend the SRU's hard-earned mullah? Ah hae ma doots.

By the way – for the benefit of those apologists, keen to tell me these signings were made by Edinburgh and no blame/comments should attach to The Great Leader – nobody at Edinburgh can go to the toilet without first of all obtaining permission from on-high.

OK, as well as Edinburgh signing these two old lags, Edinburgh and Glasgow have also this week announced partnership deals for eight young Scots. For this, they deserve some praise. However, I still feel, the way the SRU's Performance Department – which ultimately has responsibility for the paid players, from Super Rugby up – is managed is wrong.

As things stand, at a time when the professional tier of rugby is suffering from a bit of a financial squeeze, the way the SRU runs things: we are effectively producing players who, at the highest level – the international game – will have to go to one or other of the two big-money leagues: France or England, if they wish to best cash-in on their talent, or, lower down, will struggle to make a living from rugby.

OR – and this may be the trickiest one to pull off, the SRU gets serious about really looking after Scottish talent. I believe the time has come for The Junta inside Scottish Gas Murrayfield to really grasp the nettle and look after our best players.

I don't see them paying Finn Russell the £1 million per year he is supposedly getting at Bath, but, finding a way to keep our next superstar fly half, whoever he may be, playing in Scotland and happy, is a challenge they should face up to.

My suggestions:

• Wales is struggling even more than us financially, so, persuade them to go down to three Welsh teams inside the United Rugby Championship, so that Scotland can go up to three teams.

• Have a 33-man National Squad of Scotland players, divided equally among the three URC teams, but, only to be used by them in Europe and against the elite URC teams such as Leinster, Munster and on the South African trips.

• Below the centrally-contracted players, have three squads of “journeymen” players, who will carry the main URC workload.

• They are in turn backed-up by three squads of mainly Under-23 players, who will spend most of their time playing in Super Rugby.

• Sort-out Super Rugby: drop one Edinburgh side and transfer that franchise to Caledonia. Make it a generally Under-23 competition, but, allow a limited number of over-age players for their experience.

SPEAKING of Super Rugby – and I throw this in in-part to upset the Usual Suspects around Fullarton – that display from Heriot's in putting Watsonians to the sword on Friday night surely proved beyond doubt, this grade of rugby is at least two steps up from the Premiership.

OK, it wasn't perfect, but, Super Rugby is starting to pay dividends and the performance of young Sam Wallace was a joy to behold. Mind you, speaking from an Ayrshire perspective, I reckon, if the Bulls could repatriate Matt Davidson to play alongside Bobby Beattie they would be dynamite.

Watsonians didn't do much wrong, but they were blown away by a team at the very top of their game and the match was great entertainment.

MEANWHILE, the club game kicks-off this afternoon, and I hope everyone enjoys themselves. The real pressure will, I feel certain, be on Hawick, to try, in their 150^th year, to replicate last season's successes, against a bunch of challengers who will be trying even-harder to dethrone them. The challengers should be aware, however, this will be no easy task, more-so if this much-rumoured Superstar signing actually happens.

The place to be today, however, will probably be Millbrae. It's Ladies Day there, that annual spectacle when over 300 of Cutty Sark's descendants take over the ground and the big marquee.

It is normally carnage, with the National League One clash between Ayr and Glasgow Accies as the warm-up at 3pm, before Ayrshire Bulls take on the Futures XV at 5pm.

I fear for the sanity of young Iain Hay, who is on-duty for The Offside Line; it will be a remarkable feat of concentration if he can follow the game with all the pitch-side distractions.

FINALLY – between starting this post and posting it, Edinburgh showed even-greater disdain for the rest of Scottish Rugby, by signing yet another player to have gone from Never Was to Has-Been in the blink of an eye.

So well done Cameron Neild's agent, in getting him the gig. Since nobody in a supposed position of influence at either Edinburgh or Glasgow is allowed to take a toilet break without the Great Leader's say-so, can I ask – how much of a back-hander did he get for okaying this deal?

 

Don't Worry England Fans - Steve Borthwick Has a Cunning Plan

THE FLIP, throwaway line is easy: “If Carlsberg did months, August 2023 would be it.” The reality is a bit more complex. Yes, the out of town try-outs have gone reasonably-well for Scotland's World Cup squad; they are in a good place. We investors, for whom how they will do in the big show next month really matters, we are happy. However, might it be our happiness is being magnified because The Common Enemy is making such a dog's dinner of their preparations for Rugby World Cup 2023?

I bow to nobody in professing ABE – Anyone But England. I honestly feel sorry for the many good men and women in English Rugby, being badly let down by a jingoistic press corps, England expects and a governing Union who in many instances make our own Murrayfield apparatchiks appear competent. But, the reality is, we are unlikely to have to face England in France, so, why waste time thinking about them.

Our principal concerns have to be South Africa and Ireland. In mentioning them, I use the word concerns with good reason. On the KPIs (Known Performance Indicators) we are in line to finish third behind them in our group – that's the reality.

The way South Africa put New Zealand, albeit an All Blacks team reduced to 14 men before the interval, to the sword at Twickenham on Friday night has to be a worry for us. That was a World Champions' performance, however, the haka always lifts the Saffers a couple of notches. If they cannot bring Friday night's intensity to Marseilles, if they come with the attitude: “It's only Scotland; they're good, but we're better,” we have a chance of catching them out.

Ireland's scrappy victory over Samoa also gives us hope. They didn't send out all their front-line troops and struggled. Imagine, by the time they come to face us, in what already looks like being a winner takes all game, they have had one or two injuries to key men – then this might be the night when recent results turn around and we win.

It's all up in the air. We have emerged from the out of town try-outs stage of our preparations in a good place, we need not fear the opposition when it all gets very real next month.

I was pleased with our performance against Georgia. Even when, in the first half, it wasn't happening for us, we trusted our systems, stuck to the script and, after the break, we clicked. We were then able to show, even if we take Finn Russell off early, we can still go through our options and get pay-off. For once, we are going into a big competition in a good place.

We have a settled team, playing well, and with no injuries. The rest is up to us – go well Toony and the Boys.

FOSROC Super Rugby latest. You have to give Buddy and the Elves within the SRU Media Bunker their due. They really do treat the press and the public with a level of disdain which is breath-taking.

I am writing this at 9am on Sunday morning. The Heriot's v Futures XV match finished 16 hours ago, and the fact Heriot's won 45-14 is still not up on the SRU's website. It's been up on the BBC Scotland website since Saturday night. You know, BBC Shortbread – the station which thinks “Sport” means The Old Firm.

It's not as if the elves weren't in the office on Saturday night – you cannot usually move in the Bill McLaren Gallery on international days for SRU apparatchiks. How long does it take to input a result and update a league table?

Let's face it, they've got a cushy number, which calls for little effort – working for a quarter wit. Many of the elves will struggle if they ever go out into the real world. We punters deserve better.

FINALLY, how good it was to see wee Hollie Davidson strutting her stuff so effectively and well at Twickenham on Saturday. Even the Prime Sports team acknowledged her as: “one of the top referees in the game;” she's a better referee than at least four of the guys who will be working at the World Cup.

The day cannot be far off, when Hollie takes charge of a Men's Tier One international.

Chortling though I was at the English pain on Saturday, I had to laugh out loud at one below the line comment on The Guardian's below the line comments on Fiji's win.

It came from an England fan, who assured the world: “England Coach Steve Baldrick has a cunning plan.” Kudos to that fan.

 

Steve Borthwick's Saturday press conference

 

Relax - These Games Are The Phoney War

BACK IN the day, when I covered Football as well as Rugby Union, I used to be criticised for my efforts to get the round ball Tartan Army to “Keep the heid” after yet another “Disaster for Scotland,” as our finest footballers lost some meaningless friendly against a nation the TA viewed as “inferior.”

I simply struggled to get it across – in “friendly” internationals, Scotland had a winning record of something between 35% and 40%, but, make the game competitive and meaningful – in a World Cup or European Championship for instance, and our wins percentage shot up to closer to or above 50%.

For this reason, I am not reading too much into Saturday's results; the reaction to which have largely been driven by how hysterical each nation's rugby media feels about the outcome.

These summer games are sports' equivalent of the theatre's out of town try-outs. Why do you think France are doing a tour of more-local stadia, before they come into Paris for the real deal – hosting a World Cup?

I accept, The Aviva or the Principality might not be the Municipal Theatre, Smallville, Kansas, or the Civic Auditorium, Hicktown, Connecticut, but the idea is the same: iron out the kinks and be ready to hit Broadway with all guns blazing. And here's another pearly of wisdom from the world of stage make-up and footlights - “poor dress rehearsal – great first night.”

I suspect that's what Warren Gatland and Steve Borthwick are seeking.

Enjoyable though it is to see Our Colonial Masters suffering, best to say little or nothing – we've got our own potential banana skin looming come Saturday.

One thing we did learn over the weekend is – World Rugby really needs to grow a pair and bring-in the lowered tackle height, now being imposed in the amateur game, into the professional one – or somewhere down the track, they will be paying-out a lot of money for head trauma.

It's simple damage limitation. The game's high heid yins surely realise, the big pay-outs are coming, and, if they don't do something to mitigate this, the game is finished.

OK, I can see a season of turmoil while the players and coaches adapt and modify their behaviour, but, in the end, all the pain will, I am sure, be worthwhile. I am also, not stupid enough to believe that lowering the tackle height to the sternum will solve every problem – there will still be high shots, but, at least, the damage will have been limited – more-so if repeated offenders, such as a certain stand-off, know each subsequent offence will see them sitting-out a longer ban.

IF A GAME gets the administrators it deserves, then Rugby Union in Scotland is in a mess – a big mess. OK, the fact we have perhaps as good a national squad as we have ever had is perhaps papering over the cracks; but, if we look below that, we've got problems right across the board.

OK, I've been getting pelters for years, particularly from the dafties end of Marr RFC, for my support for Super Rugby. We need a “bridging” tier between the club game and the performance one – Super Rugby is that bridge, unfortunately, I suspect the SRU got a descendant of Sir Thomas Bouch to come up with the concept of Super Rugby.

The SRU fucked things up from the start, but, TCD and The Junta cannot help themselves, they are in a hole and they keep digging. Their latest boob being the half-arsed way they have integrated the Futures XV into the competition.

Their timing is wrong. The squad make-up is wrong. I shudder for the boys as they prepare to take on the big guns – Heriot's, Ayrshire Bulls and Watsonians – I predict carnage.

• Make it basically an Under-23 competition

• By all means, allow a limited number of older, more-experienced players in each squad, but, ensure the bulk of each squad are Under-23 and, more-importantly: SCOTLAND QUALIFIED

• If we have to have a squad of mainly Under-20 players, then make sure their more-experienced players are drawn from the ranks of the two professional sides – to give them a fighting chance.

• If we were to make it a mostly Under-23 competition, why not make it up to eight teams, by including a Scottish Universities squad – just a thought.

When the great brains at Scottish Gas Murrayfield came up with this notion of a Futures XV, I pointed-out the disastrous precedent, the Gael Force team which took a few kickings in the Old British and Irish Cup.

What was that about madness being repeating past mistakes in the hope of a different outcome. Do the numpties inside HQ ever learn?

FINALLY – bad news for the RFU, who have the Farrell Appeal and the Vunipola sentencing to get through this week. I understand the FA has outbid them for the services of their favourite KC, who is needed in their efforts to get the Women's Football World Cup replayed – on the grounds the Lionesses didn't win.

You Have To Admit - As "Squirrels" Go, The Lionesses' Progress Is A Belter

RIGHT PEOPLES – time to get into Willie-John McBride mode. As the great man told some of the 1974 Invincibles, who wanted to waste good drinking time on a Sunday, by watching the television replay of their series-winning Test victory over South Africa, the previous day: “Forget it, that's history.” The RFU, the Six Nations and World Rugby have squandered their annual whitewash budget in exonerating The Liability, so the rest of the Rugby World should park its righteous indignation and move on.

One or two thoughts on the 2023 Rugby World Cup Squad announcement:

• Why trumpet – the squad will be announced at 8am on Wednesday, watch it on the SRU's You Tube channel – then slip it out on Facebook at 8.01?

• If you're going to do a big reveal – do a big reveal, you managed it fairly well in 2019.

• Why slip what I presume will be a sizeable wedge into Gerard Butler's back pooch, to read from a bad script, then underplay the real news?

• But, as I have been saying for years, Buddy the Elf couldnae run a gird, a bath or a minauge.

BACK on my favourite subject – the FOSROC Super Series: I finally caught-up with the highlights clip on You Tube on Wednesday. I am convinced, the commentary A team does the live match; the B team, does the Saturday game closest to the Borders and the C team does the last game – except, the B team are barely capable, while the C team, both commentators and cameramen, must be on work experience.

Their coverage of Heriot's v Stirling Wolves missed one or two scores, lost commentary in the second half and simply wasn't up to scratch – and they had a whole day on Sunday to sort-out the errors and omissions. Not good enough.

By the way – I do like the new Heriot's change strip.

THE AYRSHIRE POST has a big online story this week, about Ayr Rugby Club's £11,5 million Millbrae redevelopment. In fact, the story was the “Splash” in the paper's print edition – a rare case of that particular rag putting the correct story in the prime spot.

Phase One will see the long-awaited new access road, from the Robert Burns Centre side of the ground, built. This will be accompanied by new car-parking, for 126 cars, plus parking for two coaches (the buses which bring the visiting team to the ground, not preferential treatment for Pat McArthur's car)..

A new clubhouse, with enhanced facilities, a new stand, uprated floodlights and a synthetic pitch will follow as the re-development is rolled out. Clearly, things are going to be hectic around Alloway over the next two or three years.

YOU HAVE to be patient, and to know where to look, but, a forensic examination of the SRU website throws up some belters.

My interest piqued by what happened to The Liability I decided to have a look at what a club player, from youth rugby up to Super Rugby is liable to cop if he sees red or yellow for a high tackle.

The SRU website lists 241 disciplinary decisions over last season. Of these just 29 were listed as “high tackles”; 3 of the offenders got their “crimes” expunged, leaving 26, who copped a total of 86 games in suspensions, with the time varying from 0 games up to 6. That's an average of just over 3 games per sanction.

The tallies were:

• card expunged – 3 players

• 0 games – 1 player

• 1 game – 1 player

• 3 games – 16 players

• 4 games – 4 players

• 5 games – 3 players

• 6 games – 1 player

The biggest sentence handed out was a 30 week ban, to a club spectator, for “referee abuse”. Second-biggest shock was that a High School of Glasgow pupil copped a ban for referee abuse. Cad deserves a severe caning,

But the biggest shock was that one of Scottish Rugby's best-known refereeing characters was warned as to his future conduct and ordered to undergo diversity and inclusiveness training, following some remarks he made at a Referee Society Dinner.

It's what I've always said, some referees do not have a sense of humour – to dob-in one of their own.

I also noticed, while the sentences for high tackles accounted for some 12% of the offences dealt with over last season, the same 12% of the offenders dealt with concerned youth players. Which makes me wonder at the quality of coaching we are giving our young players – some, it appears, are struggling with the spirit of the game.

I SAID I would not mention The Liability again. That was before World Rugby stuck their oar in. So, we might yet see the fly-half with no arms suspended out of some if not all of the World Cup.

Just a thought or two: has anyone checked how much the members of The Supreme Court, or since this is an international incident, perhaps the Court of Arbitration in Sport knows about Rugby Union. This one could run and run.

And, does Sir Bill Beaumont have the power to grant a Presidential Pardon?

 

The Squad's Oot And No Surprises

THERE IT IS, hot off the presses so to speak – the list of the 33 players who will carry a nation's hopes into the Rugby World Cup. Toony has gone for a 19/14 forwards/backs split, and, to be frank, there are no surprises in the party.

We appear to be coming nicely to the boil and while, with holders South Africa and world rankings leaders Ireland in our group, not to mention a potential Tongan banana skin, we are travelling with hope rather than great expectations. However, we have the talent to do well. So, let's get behind the boys – after all, Gerard Butler is our new cheer-leader, wonder how much he cost for his wee bit of voice-over work?

IN THIS daft trade of sports writing, you don't often get to enjoy those great: “I did that” moments which befall those we write about. But, and I make no excuses for banging my own drum here, I had such a moment on Tuesday, when the SRU announced that 56 players who had worn the thistle in war-time and non-cap internationals were to be retrospectively capped.

OK, huge credit to SRU President Colin Rigby and the guys who telt TCD and The Junta: “Aye, yer cappin' them”. They looked at my proposal that these guys deserved to be recognised, and they acted.

This one has been a long time coming. Wee Ed Crozier was President when I first suggested these guys should be capped. Ed took it onboard, but, for years nothing happened, before the 150^th anniversary gave the Union good reason to finally act – and, to their credit, they have done so.

It's great for all the recipients, more-so for guys like my friend Derrick McClure, whose Dad “Stiffy” was one of the now-departed war-time caps. I feel particularly pleased for those players with an Ayrshrie connection. Injury surely denied Ian Murchie a cap back in the 1970s, he's got one now. Dave Ashton is another to benefit, as has that great man of Stranraer, Hugh Parker, while, I can now say: “I told you so” to former Ayr and Marr Coach Craig Redpath, who didn't believe me when I said a campaign was under way to have him capped. They and the other 51 recipients all deserve their retrospective honours.

WARNING!!! - TCD, for my next trick, I might start pushing for this long-promised museum – don't say you weren't warned.

I DEFY any Scot to not be indulging in schadenfreude as we relished the self-proclaimed 'Master Race's' unhappiness in the face of upcoming World Cup pain for their captain. Some of the comments on social media were a joy to read. I particularly liked the suggestion that 'The Liability' as I shall henceforth call their captain, could well be the first man ever to receive a Masters or a PhD from World Rugby's Tackle School.

This suggestion overlooks the obvious – on Saturday, he failed the practical part of the examination schedule.

But, just to reinforce the feeling: there is one rule for the Captain of England and a different rule for lesser beings – after all, remember what happened to Alan Shearer after he kicked Neil Lennon on the head. Or the way we found out, Michael Vaughan was the only Yorkshireman who wasn't a racist The Farrell red card was overturned. What the Fuck!!! Surely the definitive case of England waiving the rules.

On second thoughts – all the disciplinary committee members were Australian. Maybe Eddie Jones had a word, along the lines of: “Look lads, he's shite; England play better without him, so, keep him available for every game.” Cynical – Moi?,

On third thoughts, the Summer Series internationals were being overseen by the Six Nations – headquarters Ballsbridge, Dublin. Farrell's Dad is based in Dublin, he could well have nipped-in and persuaded the guys there to go easy on his son.

IN MY capacity as one of the cheer-leading team for FOSROC Super Rugby, I enjoy reading some of the uninformed comments in the below the line comments section of The Offside Line. “It's aye been and aye will be” writ large.

We already know, from various sports, that on any random day, a supposedly inferior side can catch supposedly superior opponents “having a collective 'mare” and win – otherwise we wouldn't see results such as Berwick Rangers v Rangers, or Darvel v Aberdeen in football.

Super Rugby is flawed, and the flaws have all been caused by the gret brains within Scottish Gas Murrayfield. However, the case for a “bridging” tier between the amateur club game and the professional game has been made and cannot be disputed.

I understand the review into Super Rugby has started, we can only hope, unlike at the start, this time round they get things right. Since this is the SRU we are talking about – this is a worry, and far from a given.

THE GUARDIAN'S obituary on Welsh Rugby Legend Clive Rowlands generated an interesting letter, from former Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock.

The man Fleet Street dubbed: “The Welsh Windbag” mentioned sitting next to 'Top Cat' in the posh seats at Twickenham in 1990. England were putting the Welsh team to the sword and Rowlands, then president of the WRU lamented: “there goes my knighthood”; only to be assured by Kinnock that, when Labour got back into power, he would have his visit to the Palace.

The Labour Party, breaking promises to supporters for over 100 years.

FINALLY – and you can thank O'Malley, my ginger tom cat, who wakened me, demanding to be let out at 4am today, for this one coming into my head. Kismet, Karma, Justice – call it what you like, but, wouldn't it be great if Peter O'Mahony nailed The Liability this weekend, and knocked him completely out of the RWC?