The Calm Before The Storm

HERE we are then, enjoying the calm before the storm. With no Pro12 or English Premiership games, the bulk of the Home Nations' Six Nations squad players can relax and charge their batteries, ready for next week's glut of media opportunities and fine-tuning of each nation's palns for the big kick-off next Friday night.

 

Of course, those mercenaries who accepted large numbers of Euros to enjoy the unique culture of France's top league can expect a final kicking before they come home on Monday - assuming they are fit - to prepare for the 6N.

 

There are, certainly, a couple of BT Premiership matches to be played this afternoon, but, with their fine disregard for the heart beat of the game in Scotland, the papers have largely ignored these.

 

A wee aside here, which I have been meaning to highlight for a while now. Sky Sports' online results service, two seasons into the Premiership, National Division One, National Division Two Scottish domestic set-up, with the BT banner preceding each division, still insists on putting the top level of Scottish domestic rugby on their screens as: "The RBS Scottish Premiership, Division One".

 

Now, I have dropped them a couple of lines, pointing out their wrong labelling; I know the proprietor of the principal Scottish rugby results reporting service - the guy who actually sends them the results and date - has told them about thie inaccurate labelling. I know of a couple of other Scottish rugby journalists who have told them.

 

I certainly hope and expect the SRU has told them. However, Sky, being Sky, just arrogantly goes on wrongly-labelling an important part of Scottish Rugby. This just shows how highly they rate us.

 

Where was I, yes, the 6N. Having thought long and hard about this year's tournament, I will have to say, it is more-open that it has been for years. Apart from Italy, any one of the other five countries could win it; yes, even Scotland.

 

Let's start with France, well, we Scots will in any case. As ever, the question is: which France will turn up? If they beat us well in Paris - which they could, and kick on from there, the rest of us need not bother turning up.

 

However, they could, just as easily, fall to us and fall apart thereafter. You simply never know with the French. But, I must say, as with the England football team, the manner in which the guys running the major French clubs are packing their sides with expensively-recruited foreign imports, is not in the best interest of the French international side.

 

Wales are, I feel, a team in decline. They play a limited game, but, play it well. However, I see them as essentially bullies - great when things are going their way, not so hot when confronted. We can certainly take them at BT Murrayfield.

 

Italy, as always, are a potential slip-up for Scotland. We should beat them, however, we have to be clinical against them, or we might get caught out. That said, I don't see BVC not getting our guys' heads right for this one.

 

Ireland are a very good, well-coached side. They will be a tough nut to crack and, at this time, I would rate them as the favourites to win the whole shooting match.

 

Now we come to Them, England, the Common Enemy. They have massive injury problems at the moment, with some key men missing. They still don't know what is their best midfield set-up, without the route-one approach of that seemingly permanently-injured Pacific Islander from Leicester.

 

They will be under the cosh of a desperate media, should they fail to get off to a winning start at Cardiff. They have a very good coach, some good players, but, they are not as good as they, or more-specifically their media, think they are. Also, like Wales, they are bullies.

 

We are long overdue a Twickenham win. One this year would be almost priceless.

 

I reckon we can, this year, with three home games, get into the top two in the table, winning the whole thing, however, might be a bit of an ask for a young team mwhich is still developing. But, as ever with Scotland - hope springs eternal.

 

 

 

THE court case, which ended at Glasgow Sheriff Court this week, was an unwelcome diversion for Glasgow. I cannot help but think, Ryan Wilson's professional future is in grave doubt. Ryan Grant and Rory Hugjhes will probably get away with a severe bollocking from the Glasgow and Scotland management teams, and therefore owe Scottish rugby - big time.

 

There was, apparently, another Warrior involved, but, we hear someone in the Crown Office messed-up the paper work and the case against him was not proceeded with.

 

Said lucky boy will apparently quietly move-on at the end of the season. We will not name him, but, the powers-that-be know who he is.

 

 

 

I NOTE the English media's ongoing love affair with Sam Burgess continued last night, when he made his England Saxons debut against the Irish Wolfhounds.

 

Apparently, he was, as he has been since switching codes, distinctly average. Mr Burgess may be a great Rugby League player, but, as yet, he hasn't managed to claim a regular starting berth at Bath, and, it was significant, when they had to re-arrange their very good midfield trio early-on against Glasgow last Sunday - it wasn't the big-name, big-money-signing who got the call.

 

Until he becomes Bath's go-to man at 12 or 13, I think he should be left to learn the intricacies of the new game. Mind you, should England call him up for the 6N and he is found-out, particularly if this should happen in the Calcutta Cup game - I will not be complaining.  

We Wuz Robbed - To A Certain Extent

IN some ways, Glasgow were robbed blind at the Rec in Bath this afternoon. Nobody can quibble about the amount of poGssession which Bath won at the set scrums, however, not for the first time this season, the referee's management of the scrum worked in favour of one side, to the detriment of the other, and Glasgow definitely lost out.

Not that I was surprised, as soon as I saw that John Lacey was the man with the whistle, I just knew Glasgow would lose. Whenever he referees the Warriors, they get nothing from him - the 50-50 calls go against them, he finds fault where none exists. Also, except when he is at Murrayfield or Scotstoun, John is a definite homer.

He let Paul James away with murder. Strong referees - Nigel Owens or Alain Rolland say, know James cheats outrageously, so, they ping him early-on and this results in a fairer game. Lacey got his first two or three calls on James's side of the scrum wrong, and Glasgow never got going.

Glasgow played the better rugby, but, they let themselves down with some iffy decision-making in the Bath red zone. Sean Maitland, for instance, backed himself to score, but got pulled-down a yard short. Give him credit for trying and nearly succeeding, but, had he passed, Finn Russell would surely have scored.

A couple of iffy passes were also shipped-out early, close, but, no cigar, Any way, good luck to Bath, but, maybe they used up all their luck winning that group.

To be honest, the chance of a last eight place wasn't totally lost today, not securing a bonus point against Montpellier, and, more-importantly, losing at home to Toulouse, these were where knock-out stages qualification were lost, as much as at Bath.

I must admit, I worried about the Glasgow back row, but, enormous credit to Richie Vernon and Fraser Brown in particular, for how they played, big Leone was just big Leone. Brown was a revelation at seven. I wonder, might BVC try him there in the Six Nations?

WELL done Melrose, in winning at Goldenacre on Saturday. I must admit, the way Heriot's ahve been playing, I didn't see that coming. I felt sure they would win and get to have their name engraved on the Bill McLaren Shield,

Still, the fact Melrose won, again demonstrates what a super league the BT Premiership is. I had a vision of Heriot's winning, getting their name on the Shield, then losing possession to Ayr, the only team to have their name on it, next time out.

I may be wrong, but, I think Melrose have had possession of the Shield for longer than any other club, without getting their name on it, so, maybe they are due a wee spell in possession.

Well done too, to Glasgow Hawks, in winning at Raeburn Place. That game was a definite eight-pointer, apparently too, it was the Hawks' scrum what won it, proving again, what a terrific scrum coach Jimmy Sinclair is.

It now looks as if Heriot's, Melrose, Ayr and Gala will take the four places in the championship play-offs. The interesting question now is, who will grab the second home-advantage spot in the semi-finals, Melrose or Ayr?

 THANKS to my BT Sport connection, I enjoyed the Northampton v Racing Metro European Cup match on Saturday. I enjoyed, in particular, the way the English commentators were turning cartwheels not to say what we were all thinking: "What a plonker that Dylan Hartley is".

After his latest thoroughly stupid yellow card, Stuart Lancaster must be wondering: can I trust this guy at all? Sheer stupidity, and not for the first time, from a guy who is incredibly lucky to still have a place in the England squad, such a loose cannon and liability has he become.

Meanwhile, Pat McArthur still cannot get into the Scotland squad!!!

Big Vern And The Shootahs - A Leap Of Faith

WELL, now we know Vern Cotter's chosen squad for the Six Nations, doubtless, the debate around the nation's clubhouses will be lengthy and intense.

 

For a start, I don't believe skipper Greig Laidlaw, Henry Pyrgos and Sam Hydalgo-Clyne are all better scrum-halves that Chris Cusiter. Cus might be getting on a bit, but, he remains, for me, Scotland's best link-man.

 

Similarly, I'd never leave out Johnnie Beattie, he is one class act. I suspect Kelly Brown and John Barclay, and maybe to a lesser extent Beattie, have in some way offended someone in the BT Murrayfield politburo. Beattie I have dealt with, Brown's versatility across the back row would make him a must-pick for me, while, how anyone can have watched Barclay's recent form for Scarlets and still left him out - words fail me.

 

Hugh Blake may well be a top-flight New Zealand breakaway, but, he will have to be extremely good to overcome the natural prejudices of the Scottish fan. He hasn't done time at the coal face of the Pro12. To select him for the national squad, before he has shown us what he can do for Edinburgh is one huge leap of faith by BVC.

 

Ryan Grant's omission is easily explained. Come the start of the 6N, he might well be turning-out at loose-head for the Barlinnie 2nd XV, dependant on how things go in his current gig at Glasgow Sheriff Court. The same applies for Ryan Wilson.

 

But, leaving out Pat McArthur? Nope, don't get that one at all. We hear that Welsh pillock who is Scotland's scrum coach doesn't rate him. Fair enough, most people in Scottish rugby don't rate Humphries too-highly either, and I am one of these.

 

McArthur is our second-best hooker, behind Ross Ford, his omission defies logic.

 

Let's be positive. I welcome the selection of Ben Toolis, who is in superb form for Edinburgh, Ditto Hidalgo-Clyde, who is surely in there for grooming. I am pleased to see Jon Welsh back; he too has been in fantastic form for his club, while Hamish Watson is another who is on-fire, and, as a pure number seven, worth his weight in gold, if he can translate his Pro12 form into international form.

 

All in all, it's a reasonable squad, but, we have left one or two outright thoroughbreds out, and I hope we don't come to regret their absence.

 

 

 

I AM currently working on a historical piece, for one of the national papers. I cannot say too-much about subject and content, however, this has involved my interviewing a couple of eightysomethings, who wore the thistle back in the black and white days of yore.

 

It has been magic. They have come-up with some wonderful stuff, which demonstrates how far we have come in terms of preparation of the Scotland team.

 

I wonder, for instance, how today's players would cope with assembling at the North British Hotel in Princes Street, (now the Balmoral) for lunch on Friday, giving them some 25-hours to prepare themselves for an international.

 

One of the great old players to whom I spoke told me, he turned-up for his debut, was introduced to his partner in the team, whom he had never met, and the pair of them then, after lunch, decamped to Goldenacre, where, in half an hour they worked-out how they would tackle the All Blacks the next day.

 

Another was telling me, he was playing every week for Leicester Tigers, who, then as now, were one of the leading clubs in England - but, had no chance of playing for Scotland, because, if you played in England, if you weren't with London Scottish, the Scottish selectors wouldn't consider you.

 

Posted back to Scotland by his company, he joined a club which wasn't top drawer then, and two weeks later he was named in the Scotland Trial. Different times right enough.

 

These two fine old warriors had no complaints about the money today's internationalists are making, however, both said: "I bet they don't have nearly as much fun as we had". Too true.

 

   

Over-done Doom And Gloom, Scottish Rugby's Default Setting

THE general mood in Scottish rugby after the weekend's European matches appears to be: "woe, woe and thrice woe are we". Received wisdom is that, Glasgow will either - lose in Bath and fail to qualify for the quarter-finals, or, if they win, they will still be one of the two group runners-up to miss-out on the last eight. Edinburgh may well win their Challenge Cup group, but be ranked fifth in the group winners standings and miss-out on a home quarter-final.

 

But, hey, that's the Scottish way - the wind is always in our face.

 

I, eternal optimist that I am, still think Glasgow can win in Bath this weekend. Of course, the Scottish way would be to win at the Rec, but still not make the last eight. That scenario would not surprise me.

 

Bath deserve every credit for winning in Toulouse, with the caveat, that Toulouse have been living on reputation for a year or two now. That said, it was still a good victory.

 

However, I still believe Bath, like the other big-name English team, have been somewhat over-hyped. A good team, no question, but, a great team - no. Like all English sides, they place great store on pack power and their ability to bully the opposition into submission.

 

To be honest, man-for-man, Glasgow has the better front five; they will not be bullied by Bath. This will be crucial, however, I think, particularly if Josh Strauss fails to make the match, Bath has the better back three in the pack and this could prove match-defining.

 

Sure, it will be a hard shift for the Warriors, but, they can win it - particularly now Bennett's back.

 

Edinburgh should still win their group, but, are unlikely to get that home quarter-final, however, dependant on who they get, they could go further.

 

 

 

SPEAKING of what might happen, the regular season part of the BT Premiership is coming nicely to the boil. Heriot's are now all but certain to finish the regular season on top of the table, thereby claiming a home tie in the Play-Off  semi-final. But, with Ayr making a stuttering start to 2015, losing back-to-back to struggling Edinburgh Accies and Boroughmuir, second spot is back in the melting pot - the final regular season game, between Melrose and Ayr at the Greenyards, could be a winner-takes-all head-to-head for second spot.

 

Gala's wobble briefly opened the door to fourth spot for Stirling County, but, Gala bounced back to slam it shut again, apparently.

 

At the foot, Accies have a mountain to climb, but, the fact Hawks, Hawick and 'Muir all have to play each other yet, is a source of hope to the Raeburn Place outfit. If they can post a win or two, they could yet escape the relegation/promotion play-off.

 

'Muir certainly showed the right spirit in beating Ayr on Saturday; although, you could equally-well say, they didn't win the game, Ayr lost it. Every time the visitors got into the Ayr 22, they scored, while Ayr, with a much-greater share of the possession, were profligrate in the extreme.

 

Mind you, that game did sort-out one issue - when he intervened to instruct referee Charlie Samson to yellow-card Warriors' Murray McConnell, playing scrum-half for Ayr, touch judge Finlay Brown was guilty of the worst decision of the season.

 

Maybe McConnell was fractionally late with his tackle, but, he was committed. If that was a yellow-card offence, then Andy Rose's retaliatory punch to McConnell's jaw, was surely a red-card one.

 

 

The Game Is Professional - But Not Yet In Scotland

I HAVE said this before, and will doubtless say it again, but,  we really need to have a good look at how we manage the game in Scotland - and indeed, in Europe.

One of the by-products of a more-professional approach to the game is, the more professional a game becomes, the more cash it must generate to keep going. Thus, in the now 20-years, all but a few months, in which Rugby has been professional, the season has expanded - because the money men need to keep generating cash to keep going.

Back in the Jurassic period, when I was playing, you needed to apply to Murrayfield, via a letter written in your blood almost, for permission to play outwith the written on tablets of stone seasonal boundaries of 1 September one year to 30 April the following.

The period 1 May to 31 August was set-aside for the players to recupperate, through cricket, athletics, golf or tennis. Thus we had Scotland caps such as Arthur Smith and David Whyte in the 1950s and 1960s who were also Scottish athletics champions. Hell, we even had Eric Liddell, who was a Scotland rugby cap and an Olympic gold-medalist.

We also had double internationalists, such as the great Norman Mair, who wore the thistle at both rugby and cricket - we haven't had one of these since Watsonians' David Bell, 40-years ago.

Am I alone in thinking today's players, increasingly immersed in a professional sporting culture from their mid-teens on, are, like their cousins in football, becoming dull and boring. They don't have the worldly outlook of the giants of the amateur era, who were juggling their rugby careers with university, work or service in the armed forces.

There is the story told of the now Sir Anthony O'Reilly, back when he was just Tony O'Reilly, sitting, seemingly lost in thought, on the aircraft flying the 1959 Lions home from New Zealand.

Offered: "a penny for your thoughts Tony", the O'Reilly admitted he was pondering whether to make millions in business, then go into politics and become President of Eire, or to enter Politics, become Taoiseach, then President.

He was serious too, eventually, he forgot about politics and amassed a fortune in business. A modern-day O'Reilly, would probably only be interested in how much more he could get for product endorsements, or what he could make, in retirement, as a media personality.

Today, even at the semi-professional level of the BT Premiership, the clubs, while they have all, to a greater or lesser degree, embraced the need for sponsorship, business partnerships and corporate entertaining, are still very amateurish in the way they run what are in some cases fairly lucrative businesses.

This is not to denegrate those enthusiastic members who give freely of their time as unpaid match-day stewards, who twist arms of business contacts to get sponsorship or who, through their own companies, take-up corporate entertainment spots for pre-match lunches and the like, but, when you look round some of our top club grounds, well, things could be done better.

I go to Premiership grounds where the press facilities are basic, or in some cases non-existant; where it is clear, the club's money has been spent on player recruitment or expenses, and the facilities offered to the paying customers are not good.

One of our leading clubs has attracted a squad of players, some of whom travel 40, 50 or even 60 miles to train and play for them - on good expenses of course - while their grandstand roof leaks like a sieve and one of the floodlight pylons has been out of commission for two full seasons.

Yes, you have to, even at this level, pay your players at least good expenses; but, you also have to make the paying customer feel welcome and not that he or she is being taken for granted or ripped-off.

The genie is out of the bottle, we will never be able to go back to the days of strict seasonal boundaries. At the top level, the days of the gifted amateur are over, but, we need still, to be more professional in how we run the game.   

Let's Have More Thinking, And More "Think Pieces" About The Game

THE coverage of rugby in the mainstream media in Scotland in 2015 stinks. When I was a boy, the Herald (the GLASGOW Herald as it then was) had the Bill McMurtrie as Rugby Correspondent, with the great John Downie as back-up and a must-reasd weekly column from Bill McLaren every Friday. Later-on we had the wit and wisdom of John Beattie to reflect on. Also, my old sparring partner Glen Stirling of Glasgow Sports Agency ensured, if a rugby ball was bouncing somewhere in Scotland, on any given day - it was reported in the Herald.

Across in Edinburgh, we had the wonderful Norman Mair presiding at The Scotsman, with Reg Prophit and Harry Pincott adding their weight to the paper's impressive rugby coverage. They also took copy from Glen Stirling, and, when Mair was succeeded by Chris Rea, the coverage continued to be excellent.

 

Brian Meek was the Express's man in Scottish rugby, at a time when that paper was the top-seller in Scotland. Even the Record covered the game, Tom Young, their head of the Edinburgh bureau, doubling as rugby correspondent.

 

Gradually, however, there has arisen in the Scottish media, a type of journalist whose core belief is: "There is no God but fitba and the Old Firm are his prophets." Rugby gets far-less coverage than it deserves.

 

Neither The Herald nor The Scotsman now has "Our Rugby Correspondent". OK Alasdair Reid, a freelance, gets good exposure in the Glasgow paper, while Ian Morrison, whose primary employer is Scotland on Sunday, also doubles-up for that paper's Monday-to-Saturday stable-mate, but, since David Ferguson decided to found his Kelso-based burgeoning media empire, there hasn't been a successor to the likes of Mair and Rea in place in Edinburgh.

 

Lewis Stuart, a former staffer with the Sunday Times, now has a freelance contract with the Times, but also, as 'Stuart McAllister' is lead rugby writer for The Herald, whose one-time "Rugby Correspondent" Kevin Ferrie, is now by-lined as: "Senior Sports Writer", writing about every sport except rugby.

 

The Scottish Daily Mail has Rob Robertson as its staff rugby writer, but, mainly Scottish rugby is now covered by a coterie of freelances, including at least a couple who never actually go to games - but collate information fed to them by either semi-pro "stringers" or telephoning the clubs.

 

These freelances do a terrific job; all are genuine rugby enthusiasts, who love the game. OK, I could name a couple who struggle with joined-up writing, far-less joined-up thinking, but, they are making sure the game is covered.

 

However, given its place in Scottish sporting life, Rugby needs to see the serious Scottish papers, and the mid-market tabloids, taking the game more-seriously, and printing more Scottish rugby news than at present.

 

The SRU has a quite large media department, full of enthusiastic youngsters. They use social media well; they certainly keep us up-to-speed with plenty of media releases, well-written ones to0 (although, would all younger journalists please note: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A CAPTAIN'S ARMBAND IN RUGBY!!!)

 

However, for all of this, what Scottish rugby is crying out form is independent analysis and opinion, printed regularly in the serious papers.

 

To be fair, the SRU was ahead of the ball in highlighting the dangers of head knocks. This subject was well-covered by the Scottish rugby media. Indeed, I had to laugh when, some three weeks after the matter had first aired up here, the odious Mail on Sunday tried to claim credit for highlighting the matter.

 

I note this week, the Guardian has done a piece on Saracens fitting their players with sensors, in patches worn behind the ear, to monitor the severity of head impacts. This is a serious matter and it is good to see the club taking steps. I would have loved, however, to have read about this in the Scottish papers.

 

Also, while, all those years ago, the likes of Mair and McLaren, would be allowed to wax lyrical about tactics and events in rugby, today, we have seen our great game go down the football path of midweek banal set-up interviews with players and coaches. We deserve better from the msm.

 

Friday Night Contentment

FRIDAYS can be fraught days for me. Now I am semi-retired, Number Two Daughter has roped me in as the Friday baby-sitter for "No Want", her trucculent two-year-old. Now, I love the wee man to bits, but, he's a great work-out and, when I get back to 'The Papa Cave', all I want is to get into the recliner, feet-up, a cool glass to hand, to watch the TV.

Last night, I finally retired a reasonably-happy man. OK, I missed the first five and last five minutes of the second half of Connacht v Edinburgh, to the demands of having to go out and pick-up Number Two Grandson from completing his shift at a local hotel, then collect Princess Grand-daughter from her evening upsetting teenaged boys in the company of her pal. But, these interruptions apart, back-to-back Pro12 games, which both ended with wins for the Scottish sides, provided as good a Friday night as I have had for a while.

Conditions were equally terrible in Galway and Glasgow, so, all credit to the four for trying to play rugby.

(Aside here - is it just me, or, do they really try to play more handling rugby in the Pro12 than in the over-hyped bash match which is the English equaivalent? It certainly seems so).

I thought both Scottish sides were worthy winners; while, for Vern Cotter, there was confirmation of the growing depth of talent he will have at his disposal for the Six Nations and the World Cup. It was great to see Mike Cusack having such an impact during his 40 minutes on the park at Scotstoun. It was significant too, that, with Cusack having set the bar so-high while he was on, Euan Murray responded in kind in the second half; while Ryan Grant too rumbled around to good effect.

To me, Glasgow are still missing that X-factor which the injured Mark Bennett brings to their midfield. A couple of Glasgow handling moves were calling out for the sort of at pace penetration, against the flow of attack, which Bennett does so well. By the way, considering how often, over the years, we have groaned as Sean Lamont ran out of support and "died" with the ball - what a superb off-load he produced for Alex Dunbar's try.

For Edinburgh, what a storming game Ben Toolis produced. Against Glasgow, in the second leg of the 1872 Cup, he gave a terrific display of line-out piracy. He reprised that at the Galway Showground; if twin brother Alex can just rouse himself to emulate his twin, we might have some brotherly contest - Grays v Toolises, for the boiler-house pairing in the national side.

But, for me, THE man who is quietly making the difference for Edinburgh at the moment is centre Phil Burleigh. You barely notice him, but, in typically New Zealand fashion, he does the simple things well, he is utterly dependable and his quiet efficiency allows the players around him to do their thing unfettered.

A word too for scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, who has, in 12 months, gone from fourth-choice to first-choice number nine for his club, whilst offering an additional bonus in his place-kicking.

Sean Kennedy was long seen as the next big thing at scrum-half. I fear, he began to believe his own publicity and has slipped down the rankings behind the hard-working SHC. Time to get the finger out Sean.

Finally, apropos Friday. We now know, George Clancy isn't the worst referee around. I thought he did well at Scotstoun. I would rather have him in the middle than That Twat Barnes. It was interesting too, to see the decisions swing more Edinburgh's way, after Ross Ford found his voice and snapped back at Leighton Hodges: "The penalty count is only 5-4", after the Welsh whistler threatened Glasgow with yellow cards. The penalty awards seemed to even-out thereafter.

   

Welcome Back MIke

HOW good it will be to see Mike Cushack back in the number three Warriors' shirt, against Scarlets at Scotstoun. Mike has endured a torrid period out of the game with injury and illness, and we must hope he can quickly get back to where he was before his problems started.

 

Back then he was the bedrock of the Warriors' scrum. Of course, since he dropped out, Jon Welsh has developed at pace, then Euan Murray came back to the club. A fit and firing Cushack would leave Warriors with arguably the strongest tight-head squad in the professional game, and with the huge promise of Zander Fagerson to come in. Good luck big man.

 

 

 

ONE of the English papers this week published a story about the England Saxons XV, that is, the back-up squad to the full England team. The Saxons apparently are due to face the Irish Wolfhounds, Ireland's second XV, later this month in a game which just might sort-out the last few places in the Master Race's Six Nations squad.

 

Over the last couple of seasons, Scotland A has pretty-much had the Saxons on toast, but, as far as I can see, the teams are not due to meet this season - well, we can only think England will not play us, in case they get beaten again.

 

However, this flippancy disguises a real cause for concern - I don't think we are working as hard as we once did to establish a depth of international-class players.

 

We are at a huge numbers disadvantage against the other five nations in the Six Nations. We are picking our national squad from a very shallow talent pool - Glasgow, Edinburgh, plus the exiles in France (Richie Gray, John Beattie) and the English-based guys (Duncan Taylor, Kelly Brown, Greig Laidlaw, Chris Cusiter etc).

 

I felt the way we used to do things, when the A team played regularly, both against shadow squads in the Six Nations and at the FIRA tournament and the Churchill Cup, was good for Scotland and by no longer playing these games, we are handicapping ourselves.

 

OK, this is a World Cup year, which makes different demands on the SRU, but, the gap between the Under-20 team and the full squad is still too-wide. Intelligent use of the A team would bridge that gap, we should bring it back.

 

Also, I don't see why we cannot have more Club International games - a single outing, against Ireland, simply isn't good enough.

 

 

2015 Promises Much For Edinburgh

WHAT a start to 2015 - and while I remember, A Guid New Year to all my readers. Who'd have thunked it, Edinburgh winning the 1872 Cup, convincingly too. Many congratulations to Alan Solomons and his squad.

 

Of course, as everyone knows, when it comes to sporting local derbies, form quite often goes out of the window and the perceived underdogs win; the grail for Solomons and Edinburgh will be to turn this one win into a consistent run in the Pro12, get into the top six and clinch a spot in the European Cup for next season.

 

Glasgow has gone, hopefully temporarily, off the boil; and with important games against Montpellier and Bath to come, plus getting that all-important top two spot in the Pro12 sorted-out, they need to re-discover it soon.

 

The Scotstoun squad is deeper than that at Murrayfield, but, if Edinburgh can build on their 1872 Cup success, all the better for Scottish rugby. Thisyear of 2015 promises to be a very-interesting one.

 

 

 

ONE of the keys to success in the Pro12 is having the depth to cover for international absences. On recent evidence, some of Glasgow's fringe players are not quite ready yet, ditto Edinburgh's. However, I thought the unlucky with injury Phil Burleigh was a quietly-effective presence for Edinburgh on Friday night, shutting down's Glasgow's midfield threat, and he and skipper Mike Coman, a pair of hard-nosed Kiwis, could emerge as key men for the capital side over the remainder of the season.

 

Burleigh has had his fitness problems this season, but, he showed what a terrific acquisition he has been.

 

 

 

ANOTHER Edinburgh player to have upped his game this season is loose-head Alistair Dickinson. I reckon he is now our number one Number One, ahead of the Glasgow duo of Gordy Reid and British Lion Ryan Grant.

 

Dickinson's authoratitive displays in the Autumn Tests and since have made me a lot more confident about Scotland's ability to get a decent break in the lottery of the scrums which will be a feature of the Six Nations.

 

I am convinced the English and Welsh props all cheat outrageously, and their referees - with the obvious exception of the great Nigel Owens, tend to let them away with it.

 

If Dickinson and Ewan Murray or Jon Welsh, whoever is on the tight-head side of our scrum, can keep the cheats honest, and IF the referees don't go onto the park with the wrong preconception that Scotland's scrum is weak - we could shock a few in the Six Nations.

 

 

 

WAS anyone surprised that Dylan Hartley got off with a light suspension for his elbowing of Northampton's Matt Smith? I certainly wasn't, when it comes to their forward thugs - the RFU has a long history of talking tough, but sentencing soft.

 

Hartley is a thug, pure and simple. This soft sentence will surely come back and bite Twickenham on the bum, since he is  serial offender.

 

 

 

BACK to the purritch and auld claes - almost, today, with the resumption of club rugby, and the BT Scottish Cup.

 

It is difficult to see a major shock anywhere today. I am looking forward to one of the few all-Premiership ties. I will be at Old Anniesland for Hawks v Melrose, and I expect this to be a belter; these clubs have a history of producing close and entertaining matches. Here's hoping.