Citing Russell Is Adding Insult To Injury

CITING Finn Russell - for Fuck Sake, are the Six Nations organisers determined to add insult to Scottish injury? This is a nonsense, best I think summed-up by Allan Massie in this morning's Scotsman, when he asked: "What, other than throwing himself flat on the ground, could Russell have done to avoid a collision with Biggar?"

 

And, if Russell was to be cited, why no citing for Jonathan Daview, yellow-carded in similar circumstances, or for Mike Phillips for that head-removing almost tackle on Sam Hidalgo-Clyne in the build-up to the Mark Bennett "try" that was disallowed?

 

Or, to take things to their logical conclusion: why wasn't Glen Jackson cited for repeatedly ignoring the Laws? When George Clancy is the pick of a refereeing team, you know you had a stinker of a ref in the middle.

 

 Thinking back to when debutant Geoff Cross was yellow-carded, barely conscious and on a stretcher, after a supposed illegal tackle on Lee Byrne, I have come to the conclusion, the Welsh are being coached to go in ultra-aggressively for high balls, sometimes, as Byrne always did, feet first - in the knowledge, they will get away with it. This, to me, is just another example of the culture of cheating and rule-breaking built into the bricks of the WRU.

 

I covered football for many years and chronicled many instances where a big centre-half, coming from maybe 10 or 15-yards away, would go up with a centre-forward for a high upfield punt. In most cases the forward either came from a standing start, or, from a much-lesser distance than the defender. In nearly every case, the forward got the foul, unfairly I thought. Now, rugby is standing this presumption on its head, with the defender, even when, as in Russell's case - he had little or no chance of avoiding contact, being penalised.

 

It is time The White Shark, who chairs World Rugby's Refereeing Committee, bit a few bumks to get Scotland a fair deal.

 

That said, a cynical friend of mine has long felt, until Scotland has a couple of referees at the Elite level, capable of dishing-out a few cheap penalties against England or Wales say, we are playing with one hand tied behind our backs.

 

WE also paid a heavy price in injuries in the Welsh game. Gordon Reid, Jon Welsh, and Richie Gray are all out for the remainder of the Championship. The loss of the two props we can cover, barring injuries, since the three remaining games are all Saturday affairs, so, Euan Murray is available, while Ryan Grant will step-up for Reid. Tim Swinson was come in for Gray, and I hope Ben Toolis, who has been in wonderful form for Edinburgh of late, will be blooded, maybe off the bench, against the Italians.

 

I would like also, to see SHC start against the Italians. Hopefully the citing body treats Russell's appearance as the nonsense it is and we can see this exciting young pairing in action together.