SOME 40 years ago, the team for which I then played used to arrange Saturday morning fixtures in Edinburgh and the Borders on international mornings. This usually involved leaving the West on the Friday night, spending an uncomfortable if drink-fuelled night in some flea pit Borders hotel, before being systematically kicked off the park on the Saturday morning.
The South of Scotland Referees Society official supposedly in charge of the game would use neutral statements such as: "Oor baw" to indicate which team had the put-in at a scrum. The first time you were thus screwed, you said nothing; the second time, you moaned; the third time - you took preventive action.
I recall one morning, at Philiphaugh, the Soutars' 16th man was having a blinder for them, so our veteran number eight decided to do something positive about it - picking-up at the base of a scrum, he ran straight over the top of the official, the rest of us in the pack followed and we rucked him out through the "sausage machine".
Said official, when we picked him up, was most-indignant. Then our number eight apologised: "Sorry ref, it was that blue shirt you're wearing, I though you were one of them".
We still lost to a good Selkirk team, but we got a bit more even-handed treatment after the ref was rucked.
It would be harder these days, what with real rucking now banned, but, I offer this scenario to big Al Kellock, for the next time his Warriors come up against the combination of Nigel Owens and Irish opposition, in Ireland.
Sure, Glasgow didn't play him as well as Munster did at the weekend - and paid the price, but, Owens is a "homer" and sometimes, "homers" have to be hurt to alter their ways.
I WATCHED the English Premiership Rugby programme on ITV4 on Monday night. Some good stuff was played, maybe that's the best way to watch English rugby, stick to the highlights. But, I thought forgotten man Alex Grove did some good things for Worcester in their match against Exeter. The timing of his passing was excellent, while he defended well.
This summer we've got a tour ont he go, I hope Grove gets picked, likewise, I have been impressed by the late season form of Warriors Murchie, Dunbar and Stuart Hogg. We now have options in midfield. Once Robbo realises it has to be Duncan Weir at ten, we might go places.
I also saw Ally Hogg score a cracking try for Newcastle on Monday night - another forgotten man who still has, I believe, something to offer Scotland, albeit in an area where we have riches aplenty.
KUDOS too to BBC Scotland, who emerged from their fitba obsession to broadcast the Melrose Sevens live on Saturday too. With Sevens becoming an Olympic sport from 2016, just as Twenty-20 and One Day games have superceded three and four day County/Provincial play and even threatened the integrity of five-day Test cricket, I can see Sevens threatening the 15-a-side game once it becomes an Olympic event.
I remember, some 25-years ago, an American rugby high heid yin telling me that, once rugby got into the Olympics, it would take-off Stateside and that, given the huge fall-out rate of good class college American Footballers who didn't make it into the professional NFL, USA Rugby would pick-up some class acts who could drive them to the top.
He just might, finally, see his forecast come true.
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