Let's Boost This Wonderful Premiership

THERE is an impression that some of the hired hands inside Murrayfield are only interested in the two professional sides and the national sides. I have definitely never seen Scott Johnston at an RBS PRemiership game, for instance - although since I only rarely get sent to a game in Edinburgh, I might have missed him. That said, when I mentioned the vitality and entertainment value of the Premiership to him at the Macron kit launch, he had that glazed look in his eyes.

 

The Premiership is developing into a rather good competition. As things stand today, there are four clubs: Melrose, Gala, Heriot's and Ayr who have broken away at the top and seem set to conduct a season-long batle for the title. Edinburgh Accies are in close proximity, but, one-third of the way into the campaign, they are slightly off the pace.

 

The other seven clubs are, already, in what looks like being a season-long battle to avoid the drop. The thing is, any one of the 12 clubs is capable of, on any random day, hurting the others - which is great for Scottish rugby.

 

The trouble is, the mainstream Scottish media (the MSM) is obsessed with fitba, or to be more-precise, the old SPL, now re-branded, but no better, as the Scottish Premiership - the most one-sided competition in Europe.

 

With some 30 of the 38 games to go, and with due respect to league leaders Inverness CT, we all know, Celtic will win the league. I do not believe there is anyone in Melrose, or Gala, who truly believes their side will cruise on at the head of the RBS Premiership to take the title.

 

But, the competition is not getting the respect or recognition it deserves. What can we do about this?

 

Well, we could bombard the BBC high heid yins in Glasgow with protests. Not that that will do much good, they will probably respond pointing-out their commitment to professional rugby on BBC Alba and feel that is sufficient.

 

We could copy London into the protests, and scare the guys at Pacific Quay. However, to London, Scotland is a small, far-away country of which they know nothing.

 

What we could do, is become more-professional at club level. It doesn't help when you turn-up at a game to find that the second rows have switched numbers, for instance.

 

The clubs should be selling themselves better; we, the rugby media, should be badgering our sports desks to give us more space; and we should all, even the fans and ordinary club members, be writing to the BBC and to the MSM, saying - We Want More Rugby Coverage.

 

It will take time, but, together, we can do it.  

The Lisbon Lions Re-born

AM I alone in thinking Glasgow Warriors are rapidly becoming the Lisbon Lions of Scottish Rugby?

There is something uplifting about the way Toony's team go about their business in the Rabo. Their willingness to run the ball from behind their own line is refreshing. Sure, better teams than the Italians might well embarrass such enterprise on occasions, but, there can be no doubt, Glasgow has the backs to play an expansive and entertaining game.

One thing which did impress me in their beating Zebre was the play of Master Jackson at fly-half. Of course he makes mistakes, however, there is something about the play of his club coach in his ability to take the ball right-up to the tackler before off-loading it to good effect. The way he concentrates the minds of the back row makes it easier for his centres to make line breaks.

Stuart Hogg still seemed a little under-cooked, after his Lions exploits, but, last night, Sean Maitland hit the ground running - he looked exactly what he is, a top-flight player. I wondered about the length of time he took to get back playing, but, had forgotten, his last outing for the Lions came at the end of two full years of rugby without a break. He has now had that break and looks all the better for it.

Praise too for the Warriors' tight five. The new scrummage laws - although Dudley Phillips, like most Irish referees, is weak in his policing of it - have swung the pendulum in favour of technically-sound scrummagers, and, even without Ryan Grant, Gordon Reid is starting to show what a terrific prop he is at doing the basics; while Jon Welsh again impressed.

Then, when Jerry Yanuyanutawa and Moray Low came on, the Glasgow pack stayed solid. That said, things began to drift a wee bit when Big Al went off, we write-off the big man at our peril still.

Winning in Italy is a necessity if you are to harbour Rabo title ambitions. The performance tailed-off, but - it's a case of job done, next please.



ALAS and alack, things seem to be going from bad to worse across in Edinburgh. Let's face it, at club level, the Welsh really are not that good, while they travel as well as Belgian wine - so to lose as heavily as Edinburgh did last night. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear - tragedy for Scotland, as my old football frield David Francey might say.



STILL, on the brighter side, I'm off to Old Anniesland this afternoon for Hawks v Ayr. Melrose v Gala might well be the pick of tghe fixtures in the RBS Premiership, but, with Glasgow District bragging rights to be settled and some former Hawks returning in pink and black, this one should be a tasty encounter.

The hospitality at OA is never less than first-class, the atmosphere great, I am looking forward to a cracking afternoon.

We Need A Workable Long-Term Professional Plan For Scottish Rugby

GIVEN his age, I don't really see Alan Solomons as being a long-term acquisition for Edinburgh Rugby. I might be wrong, he could go on for as long as Sir Alex Ferguson in football - but I cannot see him still coaching Edinburgh past his 65th birthday.

 

Which means, he's probably in there as a short-term fix. Is this the correct way forward for professional rugby in the capital?

 

Murrayfield has made mistake after mistake in how it has run the game in Scotland since professionalism came in in 1995 - 18 years ago in case you haven't noticed. We are now recruiting the second generation of professional rugby players in Scotland, and still we haven't come up with a solution which, if such a thing is possible, suits all parties.

 

Some things have been done properly. I honestly believe, like Scottish football, Scottish rugby can only afford two big teams. That said, perhaps Creamy, Hughie McLeod, Derek Grant, The White Shark, Johnny Rudd and Jim Aitken should have been locked in a room within Murrayfield and told not to come out until they had hatched a plan which they could sell to the rest of the Borders for a Borders team which had the backing of each separate toon.

 

A sort of Travelling Wilberries, incorporating the best of the Borders players, but without a set base and with a sort of old-fashioned Hawick management approach - where the clubs set-aside their individual interests for the guid o' the toon (or in this case the region) would work and broaden the player base.

 

The same sort of approach just might concentrate minds wonderfully within Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen - hey presto, suddenly we would have lots of good Scottish players and would not be so-dependant on foreign  imports.

 

We have to grow the game in Scotland to survive. I appreciate rugby rather than football is THE game in New Zealand; but, if we learn from how they work and implement a long-term strategy, we can thrive and grow.

 

EDINBURGH'S biggest problem, other than the mental ones, which are, I assume, being worked on, is the lack of a competent number 10. I still feel one or other of Jackson or Weir should be transferred to the capital club as a matter of urgency, or, failing that, the boy at Bath should be brought home. With the right playmaker, the Edinburgh backs would thrive.

 

 

A Big Job - Yes; But, Are Solomons' Methods The Best For Scottish Rugby?

IF Alan Solomons was unaware of exactly how big a rebuilding job he was taking on at Edinburgh - well, he kens noo. Beating the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium was never going to be easy, but, to lose that heavily to a team which, for all the talent at their coach's disposal, tends to blow hot and cold in the bread and butter games - well, that was bad.

 

I am not, therefore, surprised, that Mr Solomons has gone back to his old club in South Africa and brought in a few tried and trusted players with whom he has worked before. However, is this what Edinburgh needs right now?

 

The two professional sides have always, to me and I think, to most of the Scottish rugby community, as a half-way house between the club game and the international one. Given our paucity of playing numbers and consequently of top-class talent: it makes sense to have most of our eggs in two baskets, as it were; getting used to playing together, to a pattern which will be carried-on into the national side.

 

Of course, since it is Murrayfield which is implementing this management plan - they've got it wrong from the word go. There has been too-much central control over some things, not enough over others and, in consequence, we have still to find a professional pattern which works in a Scottish context.

 

Bringing in a clutch of hard-nosed Saffers just might bring about better results for Edinburgh. However, this does not guarantee that Scotland will have the strength-in-depth we will need to win the Six Nations. Bringing-in a bunch of big Saffers, might get Edinburgh up the Rabo Pro12 table - it does not guarantee a good run in Europe.

 

Better perhaps if Mr Solomons and his men, particularly the under-performing players, put in the additional skills and mental attitude preparation which will lift them out of their current slough. Turning Edinnburgh around is a long rather than short-term problem.

 

 

 

I SEE the Anglo-French club attack on the Heineken Cup continues unabated. I am not too-worried about the RFU's seeming inability to stand-up to their clubs; I am sure, once they realise that the Celtic fringe, while willing to discuss changes to the Heineken qualification rules - I mean, can anyone justify automatic Heineken places for both Scottish sides, given their comparative current league form; the Amlin Cup is surely more Edinburgh's current level - will only countenance such discussions at inter-Union rather than inter-club level, and they had better defer to the RFU on this one; then, we can make progress.

 

Deep down, the French don't really trust Perfidious Albion and will be loath to do everything the English clubs want them to. That said, my main worry is, as ever, the Welsh. Fortunately, their finances are almost as perilous as ours, so, this time, they may not go to their default position of huffing and puffing, then doing exactly what England wants and expects.

 

When you see the dog's dinner which football's once magnificent European Cup competition has become since it became the greed is good, "Champions League", you have to hope and trust that the Unions stand firm.

 

After all, the English Rugby Premiership is merely another general financial collapse away from going under, with so-many clubs in hock to single corporate benefactors, who will, should hard times happen, look after number one and let their clubs suffer.

 

 

 

FINALLY today. Isn't it about time real pressure was put on the mainstream media in Scotland to get the magnificent RBS Premiership a bit of a higher profile. Unlike its football namesake, our Premiership is a genuinely entertaining and close-fought competition.

 

We all know that Celtic will win the Scottish Football Premiership this year, next year and probably the year after - this assumes Rangers come back as they were before. We cannot at this stage say who will win the RBS Premiership; what with five points separating the top five clubs.

 

Edinburgh Accies v Melrose was a cracker on Saturday; as, apparently were Aberdeen v Ayr, Gala v Hawick  and Stirling County v Hawks. There are further potential belters to come this weekend too. Add the sheer entertainment value currently on offer around Scotstoun and Scottish domestic rugby deserves more coverage than it is getting.

 

I have said before, an alternative Lallans commentary on the BBC Alba coverage of the Pro12 would be no bad thing - more Scots would understand it and higher fgures would ensue. We'll never wean the Teuchters off shinty in any case.

Can Henning Tippe The Balance?

I MUST admit, my first thought when I saw the name Tippe Henning was - Tippe Who? This was followed by: what has Tipi Hendren got to do with rugby and why was her name mis-spelled?

 

Aye well - ah ken noo. Mr Henning is a South African refereeing "guru" - who has been charged with getting our referees through the glass ceiling into the top flight of international referees. Not before time too. For too long our referees have been treated like second-class citizens by the IRB. They still are (just a thought, in his position as Honch of the IRB's refereeing committee - should not JJ - aka the White Shark - be biting a few bums to get Scottish whistlers appointed.

 

After all, we have to put up with some gie useless Welsh and Irish whistlers in the Rabo Pro12, and in internaitonals.

 

I know I have been hard on some Scottish officials working in the RBS Premiership, but, over the past couple of seasons, I have seen a definite rise in domestic standards and I am sure, with a hard nosed Saffar in charge, our referees will, like Edinburgh, in somewhat similar circumstances, soon begin to recover.

 

It is too-long since we have had absolutely top-drawer officials such as Messrs Hosie, Sansum and Fleming operating out of Scotland.

I WATCHED the highlights of the weekend's Aviva Premiership matches on ITV4 last night. I don't see the English league as being any better than the Rabo. The top English sides might have more depth of playing pools, but, as the television programme demonstrated - they've got a few guys in there who truly seem to have mince for brains.

Once the Rabo gets regular Sky exposure, I can see that league's credentials being even more appreciated beyond the Celtic fringe. Warriors' crowds are up, the team is flying, Edinburgh are beginning the long haul back to parity with their near-neighbours, I see a bright future coming.

 

The All Blacks Are Still The Benchmark

SO, there I was, on Saturday morning, e-mailing my mate in New Zealand, raving about Glasgow's resilience in coming from behind to beat Ulster in Belfast. Unabashed, back he came with the retort - forget that, just get a look at the ABs v Boks game.

 

Trumped again, for all our liking for unlikely Glasgow wins such as Friday's, we have to accept - when the ABs and the Boks knock heads, it's rugby from a different galaxy.

 

Poor old Mr Poite has been getting it in the neck for his double yellow-carding of Bismark Du Plessis - I still haven't seen the footage, too-busy elsewhere, but, Bismark does have previous in pushing the envelope of what is and isn't acceptable; so, by the law of averages, he has to pick up the odd heavy yellow card.

 

However, to finish with 13 men and still win, again underlines just why the Blacks are the benchmark against which every other team is measured. No McCaw, Carter crocked, a man down - they won. Respect.

 

 

 

MEANWHILE, Saturday took me to Old Anniesland for the Hawks' game against Gala. This was an absolute classic, believe me. Ten tries, some of them pearlers, total commitment from both sides, this was all you could ask for from club rugby.

 

There was a wee bit of an under-current, with Gala passing on the chance to field some of their drafted pro players, while Hawks got that wee bit extra out of their draftees - Scott Wight, Finlay Gillies and Jon Welsh.

 

That said, Hawks are quickly adapting to the extra needs of the Premiership; Ally McLay is doing a great on-field coaching job at inside centre, they have some very promising kids and, they are fit - very fit, as they showed to salvage a draw at the death.

 

For Gala, Ewan Scott is doing a fine job in replacing the now London Scot, Lee Millar, from the kicking tee, while George Graham Junior worked a great line-out ploy for Chris Weir's fourth Gala try - one which looked to have won the day for the visitors.

 

Also, both three-quarter lines, particularly Gala's ran some great lines in attack. Much to admire and enjoy about this game.

 

Looking ahead, some of the Braw Men - they were a wee bit long in the tooth to be Braw Lads, were concerned when they heard the half-time score between Melrose and Hawick. They want a good crowd on Saturday when the Teris make the short trip up the road for what has long been THE  Border Derby, but didn't exactly fancy the Greens coming calling on the back of having beaten Melrose. So, they were a lot happier at the end.

 

This season's Premiership is shaping up to be a cracker. Ayr are on the wane and face a really difficult task in retaining their crown; Melrose are managing to conjour-up wins from potentially losing positions, while Gala are developing the annoying habit - not least for George Graham - of failing to close-out games from sinning positions.

 

Currie are already struggling, hardly surprising for a team in transition, but, otherwise, you could throw a blanket over the sides. The title battle may well go right to the wire this season, which is great for Scottish Rugby.

Should Glasgow Sign Jesse James? After Friday, Do They Need Him?

AFTER watching Glasgow beat Ulster on BBC Alba last night, I can only suggest there is a design fault on the new Macron kit - they forgot the Western bank robber-style masks.

 

If ever a team was mugged it was Ulster. When Moray Low had another of his too-frequent rushes of shite to his tiny brain and got himself yellow-carded, I thought: "Oh shit! We're deid noo."

 

But then big James Eddie - surely the most-under-rated pro player in the land, scored that very late try and Hoggie kept the heid to convert for an unbelievable win - rapture.

 

To be honest, Ulster should be on bread and water and double training all week after losing that one. Ravenhill is a hugely-difficult place to go to to win, so, hats off to Glasgow, but, Ulster lost that one rather than Glasgow winning it.

 

However, it is such unlikely victories and the ability to conjour them up which is the difference between winning a title and a hard luck but well done story.

 

And, good it was too to see Edinburgh snatch another late win at the expense of the Dragons. The Newport boys are never going to win the Rabo, but, as I used to say about the old Clydebank FC in the second tier of Scottish football. If you cannot beat them, you've got problems; and, the Dragons do have a track record when it comes to de-stabilising Scottish ambitions.

 

Alan Solomons knows turning around Edinburgh will be a long haul,he needs time and patience, but, he will, I am sure, get there and, it was good to see Harry Leonard do the business last night.

 

To return to Glasgow and Hoggie. He was a bit quiet last night, easing himself back in. I know he wanted to have a run out with Ayr against Currie last week, but Toony vetoed the plan.

 

I know there is a fine line between risk-taking and properly managing prized assets, and Al Kellock's misfortune against Cardiff again underlined the ever-present danger of injury, however, I feel, had Hoggie and Grantie had the chance to ease themselves back into action in the Premiership, they might have hit the ground running rather than jogging, at Ravenhill.

 

 

The English Money Men Don't Care About The Game

HERE we go again - the money men at the top of the English club game are once more, somewhat reluctantly I feel backed by their Gallic equivalents, sabre-rattling about their share of the Heineken Cup pot.

 

They simply don't get it - the game is more important than their bank balances and IF, they are allowed to re-structure the Heineken Cup, to suit Us - The Big Boys, as they see it, the game of Rugby Union will suffer.

 

Professional rugby will be like professional football in England, and will go backwards. England and France are not the game in the northern hemisphere, when will the English get this?

 

The Celtic nations must be resolute, they have to stick together in this - WALES PLEASE NOTE - given their penchant for rolling over and doing what the English want, this is a must.

 

We must also hope that the men of vision for rugby in the English game, the old farts such as Fran Cotton and Bill Beaumont, MUST stand up to be counted. 

 

 

 

I WAS on chauffeur duty for my grand-daughter last night; picking her up from her athletics club training. When I got there, a former Scotland rugby cap was amongst the parents watching, so I joined him and his mates.

 

They were discussing the Warriors and their good start to the season by beating Cardiff. Now this shows the progress which is being made at Scotstoun, since this conversation was taking place a good 40 miles from there and it shows, interest in the Glasgow side is growing.

 

A couple of the guys travel up to every game to use their season tickets, so my ex-international friend will have good news to impart to Toony and big Shade when they join him on the golf course this morning. That news is: you re getting there and winning-over fans in football-made West of Scotland.

Tight-Head Strikes - I Remember Them

I RETURN to the new protocols on the scrummage, which I touched on briefly in my last post. The organised howls of anguish which are coming from the English Premiership I have found funny. English forward play has long been about machismo - we hit harder, we are bigger  -maybe so, but, technically, English forwards have never been as good as Scottish ones in my view. Now, our guys have began to combine gymn culture with technique, we are starting to worry the dinosaurs in white.

 

Yesterday, at Ayr v Currie, we had a taste of what the law-makers were looking for when they finally grasped the nettle of engagement and ensuring straight-down-the-middle scrum feeding.

 

In the second-half, Ayr had finally tamed the youthful enthusiasm of the visitors and, with Denford Mutamangira and Dougie Hall joining Nick Cox in the front row, they were turning the screw. Richard Snedden fed a defensive Currie scrum, Ayr snap shoved, Hall hooked quick Channel One ball, Dean Kelbrick made a half-break and Ross Curle was left with an unopposed run-in for a try. Simples.

 

Several grizzled silverbacks, making rare visits to Millbrae for a reunion, from as far away as British Columbia and Caithness, smiled and nodded sagely. Quick ball from a tight-head strike, still works.

 

Dougie Hall, however, later admitted, he couldn't re-call ever having to actually hook one against the head. Certainly, he had been in packs which had pushed the opposition off their own ball, but, not since his youth, had he been forced to actually strike-for and win an opposition put-in.

 

The Ayr fans missed a possible treat yesterday. The rumour around Millbrae was that Stuart Hogg, who has been drafted to Ayr this season, wanted to stretch his legs in this match, prior to his return to the Warriors ranks - but Toony vetoed the plan.

 

Fair enough, if I was Toony, I'd be keeping my prized asset wrapped-up in cotton wool until needed; but, this raises a point we still haven't, I feel, fully addressed in Scotland - keeping our pro players fully tuned-up.

 

Al Kellock was injured on Friday night, in his first run-out of the season. Might he not have benefitted from easing himself into the new season in the Premiership, ditto our Three Lions.

 

Mind you, I remember, back in 1971, Wee Beastie McLauchlan eased himself back after the Lions with a run-out in the Jordanhill 2nd XV.

 

"He ruined the game," said one Jordanhill team mate. "He was trying things we hadn't encountered before, and remember, back then, we were ahead of the rest of Scotland in tactics, but, there are limits."

 

Our home-based pro players are, effectively, on central contracts with the SRU. Perhaps Scott Johnston should be having a word with the cricket authorities at Lords about how to properly manage such contracts - finding the balance between the national intereest and keeping the players tuned-up.

 

 

 

I DIDN'T expect Edinburgh to do much more than they did at Munster on Saturday. This will be a long, difficult season for the club, but, if Alan Solomons can maintain his track record, the long-term results should be worth while, and, worth the wait.

 

 

A Load Of Balls

THIS current Glasgow squad just might - and I always hesitate to build-up any professional Scottish sporting squad - years of experience with false promises, become a very good one.

 

Let's be honest, there were guys in that Cardiff team last night who are a long way short of the standards the likes of Morgan, Bleddyn Williams, Edwards or "King" Barry John set, but, Glasgow always looked the likelier side to win; and this was some way short of being Warriors' optimum XV. Conditions were awful, and, there were suggestions that the Rhino ball, to be used in the Pro12 this season, isn't the best when wet.

 

We've been in the age of synthetic material balls for 40-years now - the original Mitre Multiplex football and rugby balls came out in the early 1970s - but in the wet, modern players can still look as ill-at-ease with ball in hands than a fat, unfit, 1950s prop asked to take a pass delivered with an original, leather, Gilbert ball with a lace, which had become sodden, heavy and mis-shapen in even the lightest drizzle.

 

You might have thought technology would have solved that problem lang syne. But, the relaionship between players and balls has long been a complex one. Again, back in the 1970s, France became the first nation to sell-out to the mighty Teutonic sporting empire that is Adidas. Beside the fact, this didn't sit well with their native Le Coq Sportif brand, it unleashed on the world of rugby the truly horrible Adidas rugby ball.

 

The Hun failed, somehow, to put the requisite three stripes on this ball, instead, it had black areas at each pointed end. It flew like a pre-Wright Brothers attempt at heavier-than-air flight and was universally despised by the non-French players, particularly the place kickers of the time such as Andy Irvine.

 

Around the same time, Gilbert - the firm which has been making rugby balls since back in the day before William Webb Ellis broke the rules of the time - came up with their synthetic ball. I remember these early efforts used to "sweat" at an incredible rate, there always seemed to be a sheen of moisture on the surface. Again the players of the time, brought up on real leather balls, took some winning over.

 

Mitre, based in Huddersfield, was the rugby ball manufacturer of choice for Rugby League, but, their rugby balls were (honestly), a slightly different shape from the Rugby Union balls made by Gilbert - not as-swollen in the middle and with a definite round end and pointed end. As a place kicker, when you encountered a Mitre ball, you had to make sure you were hitting the round and not the pointed end, otherwise, the ball didn't fly straight.

 

Mind you, the class acts of the time, such as Ken Scotland and before him Angus Cameron for Scotland, could punt an original leather Gilbert laced ball a lot further than today's players, at least up until the rain soaked through; although, somewhat perversely, I think some of today's place kickers, such as Duncan Weir and Mark Bennett at Glasgow, attempt kicks from distances way beyond that the old timers would try.

 

But, that's enough about technology and aeronautics.

 

To return to last night's Glasgow game. Am I alone in thinking the Welsh haven't yet worked-out how to deal with the new scrumming laws? Glasgow had them on toast, so, reverting to type, Cardiff tried to cheat their way out of bother and failed.

 

I note too, Glasgow's scrum got on top of Harlequins at The Stoop and, from the noises coming from south of Hadrian's Wall, it seems the English are still coming to terms with the new engagement rules.

 

Referee Dudley Phillips didn't have a faultless game last night, but, while some of his mistakes cost Glasgow dear, he was on top of the new scrum protocol, so well done to him.

 

Finally - Sean Lamont: Indian Summer or what?       

A Female Coach In Langholm - What Would Hugh McDermid Say

A WUMMIN coaching a Scottish male club - and in LANGHOLM!!! What is the world coming to? But, good luck to the lady concerned, and well done Langholm - who have, in one foul swoop disproved all the bad things the rest of us think of them.

 

I have always held that the best advertisements for that self-contained Border town come from two stories told by Gala men. The first is the esteemed former Herald Rugby Correspondent 'Kaiser' Bill McMurtrie - who used to tell of covering the Borders Schools Rugby Sevens Tournament, when the final came down to Langholm Academy A v Langholm Academy B. The organisers suggested to the B team that, for the final, they change jerseys.

 

"Naw," said the captain. "We're Langholm, we play in red."

 

"But, so does the opposition, nobody will know which side is which and who's who."

 

"Aye, but we'll ken," replied the skipper. Both teams in the final played in red.

 

Then there was the Gala forward who, as we watched the results come in - back in the days when BBC Scotland knew there was a sport called Rugby Union, remarked: "That's a good result", when we learned that Kilmarnock had won at Langholm.

 

The Braw Lad then informed us: "When we drive through Langholm we are duty bound, if possible, to knock down a male child - tae try tae stoap they bastards breedin'." That's respect.

 

 

 

TONIGHT, we get down to business, with the opening games in the Rabo Pro12. This season will be a whole new experience for Glasgow, who will have to match expectations. Hitherto, it has been all about respect and respectibility for the Scotstoun team. They have passed that test with flying colours, their Welsh, Irish and Italian opponents now know that the Warriors are one of the top outfits in the league.

 

Warriors are expected to be up there challenging; indeed, Coach Toony sees no reason why they whould not win the league. Neither do I, which means, they now face the hardest test any Scottish club ever encounters - matching real expectations. I am hopeful.

 

On the other hand, Coach Solomons' task at Edinburgh is to get the team to improve and become a force. In that respect, his is perhaps an easier ask than that facing Toony. Scotland hasn't had two teams among the European elite at the same time since football's annus mirabilis of 1967 - far too long. Maybe not this year, but soon, we should see the same in rugby.

 

 

 

 

Vive La France, And Vive Big Wagga

EVER the man for a bargain, I have recently activated my FREE BT Sports package along with my BT internet service, and am enjoying the new experience. It would be marvellous if BT, such great supporters of Scottish rugby, not least by putting their money into the two pro teams through the shirt sponsorship, could maybe provide the outlet for the Scottish club game, which the BBC and STV wil not.

I don't think the SRU would be hard to deal with, although, Murrayfield seems very unconcerned about looking after the club game - which is the backbone of Scottish rugby.

However, I digress. I do enjoy BT Sports highlights package from the top French league - Clermount v Toulouse was a cracking game, with big Wagga, Nathan Hines himself, providing a couple of telling vignettes in the home team's classy win.

I ALSO enjoyed BBC2's re-run this week of their 2006 tribute to Cliff Morgan, dusted off to mark the great Welshman's sad passing. Morgan's delivery of one of rugby's greatest legends - of England's giant second row DW Marques (Cambridge University and Harlequins) shaking the hand of some untamed Maoir who had, se4conds earlier tried to decapitate him: "because I wanted to make him feel like a cad", would make a "how to" lesson for any aspiring stand-up. The man was sheer class.

A Scottish contemporary of Morgan's, 1950s hooker Bob MacEwen, also passed away last week. MacEwen, who had a fantastic business life after quitting rugby, was one of those guys who was a prophet without honour in his own country.

He was a front row theorist and specialist before anyone else, but, at maybe the height of his powers, in 1955, when he was almost-certainly the second-best hooker in Europe, behind Wales's Bryn Meredith, he was denied a chance to have a crack at Lions selection, by not even being handed a Scotland trial and losing his place in the national side.

His crime - to tell JM Bannerman and Herbert Waddell they knew nothing about modern front row play, when Bannerman, the then SRU president, insisted Scotland pack 3-2-3, when the rest of the world had cottoned-on to the fact, 3-4-1 was the way to go.

The likes of Hughie McLeod, DW Elliott and Hamish Kemp all agreed with him, but, while MacEwen spoke up and was dropped - they said nothing in public and stayed in the team. Of course, it helped they were Scottish-based; around this time, with Scotland's run of losses in the teens, Murrayfield decided to cut down on the number of Anglos they picked, which didn't help MacEwen's case.

He then went on to have a stellar business career, make and keep a lot of friends, and, most-controversially in terms of Scottish rugby - co-author the blueprint for the English coaching manual. That in itself was enough to have him ostracised at Murrayfield.

Still, his Scotland team-mate and captain, Jimmy Greenwood, who had, like MacEwen, a strong Loughborough connection, was also frozen-out, for helping the English!!!

The RBS Premiership - Scotland's Hidden Sporting Gem

IF the remainder of the league campaign keeps up with the standard which I enjoyed at Saturday's Ayr v Melrose clash at Millbrae, I will be a happy man come next April.

 

I said after last season, the RBS Premiership deserves bigger and better coverage than it currently gets from the football-obsessed executives currently running Scotland's daily newspapers. On Sundays, only Scotland on Sunday runs reports on all six Premiership games; these are by necessity short affairs, but, Graham Bean the SoS Sports Honcho does try to give more space to a feature match, usually written by Ian Morrison or Richard Bath, with five shorter pieces for the rest. The Sunday Herald goes with a round-up - shame on you Richard Walker - while David Barnes does a sterling job rounding things up for the Scottish edition of the Mail on Sunday. The rest.......

 

I was at Ayr v Melrose; it was a cracker and how Ayr must be ruing their poor first half handling and decision-making. Had the passes stuck then, the second-half would have been an entirely different ball game.

 

As it happened, John Dalziel made great use of the new extended interval to re-focus his troops, re-discover the discipline which had brought their first try, then, as Ayr's discipline cracked, turn the screw.

 

We are too-ready to criticise Scottish players at Premiership level and above for not doing the basics well. Don't say that around the Greenyards. "Creamy" Telfer wasn't at Millbrae, but, if he reviews the Melrose video of the game, he wil surely be salivating at the way the players, in the face of the usual high-quality and determined Ayr scramble defence, worked the ball through 18 phases to create the sliver of a gap through which Austin Lockington went for the opening try.

 

Let's also hope, for Edinburgh's sake, he can sort out Perry Parker's way of going into contact as first receiver. A big lump of a lock doing Campese goose steps instead of getting into the correct body position to gain some momentum in the charge is embarrassing.

 

UP THERE in the great changing room in the sky, I am sure Big Broon, when not enjoying himself at the Welcome Cliff Morgan party, will be seething at what has happened to West of Scotland. Their fall from grace has been spectacular, their start to the new season wretched. The club's road back will be a long and rocky one, but, I am sure West will be back.

 

ANENT Cliff Morgan, I have been involved in a few arguments vis a vis Morgan or Barry John. Morgan could kick, not nearly as well as "King" John - could anyone? It simply went against the grain for him to do so - he believed totally in running the ball; and when, as he had, you had Rex Willis feeding you and Bleddyn Williams and Jack Matthews outside you, why on earth would you ever contemplate kicking anywhere outside your own 25 as it was then?

 

But, given the Laws under which he played, to run so often, to back yourself against the predatory wing forwards of the day, without the 10 or 20 metres of running room which John enjoyed, even without the additional safety net of the Gareth Edwards spin pass, marks Morgan out as a wee bit special.

 

Just as the Pele - Maradona - Cruyff - Zidane debate about the Greatest Number Ten will keep football going for generations, so the Kyle - Morgan-John-Ella-Carter debate over the same number in rugby will help beer sales in rugby clubhouses around the world for just as long.

 

IT IS not often that Neil Drysdale and I agree on something, but, can I endorse the suggestion which Neil puts forward in his Herald column today - the RBS Premiership IS worth some TV coverage. Is there nobody inside that big BBC building on Clydeside or the adjacent STV one, capable of seeing this?