Let's Have Better Mid-Week Sporting Fare And Fewer "Fast-Food" Brain Farts

BACK in the 1970s, when I was taking my first, faltering steps in journalism, life was a lot easier. If, for instance, Ayr Rugby Club's game on the previous Saturday had been called-off, and there was still a thick blanket of snow covering the land, which meant there wouldn't be a game next Saturday either, how could I fill my rugby page on the local paper?

The answer wasn't too-difficult to find. I simply strolled 100-yards along Ayr High Street at the right time, popped into one of the local building society offices and suggested to a staff member, we should have lunch together.

An hour later, I could stroll back to the office - an entertaining interview with Gordon Brown done and dusted. 

I still miss "Broon Frae Troon". I lang syne forgave him for laying me out - quite fairly, and causing me to pick-up several stitches to my eyebrow, in the process terminating my hopes of a career in male modelling, during one rugby match, when he was still a promising boy, playing for Marr.

Broon was, quite simply, one of the nicest guys you could meet. He also remains, the first pick in the number five shirt in any all-time Scotland XV.

Back then, when rugby was amateur, the players were trusted when it came to speaking to the press. Mind you, the press were also trusted (to a degree) by the SRU of the time. There was an unwritten code of "omerta", when it came to issues which might reflect badly on the game.

Back then, what happened on-tour, stayed on-tour. There were no "red top rotweillers" following rugby squads around looking for trouble or bad behaviour to report.

So, I was able to speak freely to Broon; he got his local profile heightened, I got a good story - job done.

I thought of this today, as I read pieces in The Herald and The Scotsman, about Nathan Hynes, now "Big Wagga" has hung-up his boots and joined the Scotland coaching staff.

That two reporters from rival and competing papers should choose, on the same morning, to run articles about the same player, articles which use the same quotes throughout, is a prime example of one of the consequences of professionalism which grates with me - news management.

I couldn't today, if I had an awkward space to fill in my paper, get along to Murrayfield or Scotstoun, and arrange a quick chat with an individual player. No, no; I would have to make an official request to the Glasgow, Edinburgh or SRU media team, to speak to the player, who would in all likelihood be "baby-sat" by a media team member, just in case.

To be fair, the SRU's media department, which covers the two pro sides as well as the national sides, is a very slick, well-run and wonderfully co-operative part of the SRU. I can think of more than just two Scottish football teams (and we all know which two), which could benefit from having the SRU's approach to dealing with the press.

But, the way we hacks, who are notoriously unruly and anarchic in how we operate, are these days "managed" by the outfits we are trying to help with free publicity, does grate somewhat.

One of my heroes, as a young journalist, was the late Ian Wooldridge, whose prose lit-up the Daily Mail, back when that organ was a newspaper, rather than an extreme right-wing Tory propaganda sheet.

Wooldridge was a free-thinker, who refused to contribute to the nonsense of the post-match press conference, and who came-up with such wonderfully-individual scams as printing the thoughts of "Terror Tompkins", the former Australian fast bowler, during each Ashes cricket series.

The likes of Wooldridge, another hero - Frank Keating, or my own particular inspiration and guru, the late Ian "Dan" Archer, would never play today's strait-jacketed, spin doctor-driven media game.

If sports-writing is ever to be considered a proper part of the media, we need more guys prepared to kick-out against "media management" and more one-off stories. Mind you, we, within the media, also need to up our game. We have become sloppy, too-keen to take the easy way out. 

This helps explain why the media has such a bad press these days.

At least, in today's pieces, "Wagga" had some interesting things to say, which is a lot better than the reams of brain farts from retired footballers, which are so-much of the staple midweek menu on our sports pages.



JUST seen the new Scotland World Cup kit. Not usually too-sure about putting tartan in sports kits - I've seen one or two disasters, but, I have to admit, Macron seem to me, to have pulled it off.

The tartan flash is there, but, it is not overwhelming. Might have something to do with the natural Italian affinity with style and flair. Can I persuade "Management" to treat me to a shirt?

It's A Start, But, A Push-Start, When A Full-Blooded Drag Start Is Called For

RECEIVED wisdom in Scotland has it that the Borders is the real heart of Scottish rugby. Fair enough, you will see, even today, far-more wee boys running around Hawick, or Galashiels or Kelso, with an oval rather than a round football, than you will elsewhere in the country.

However, when it comes to club rugby, I would suggest that local rivalries are every bit as intense elsewhere across Scotland than in the Borders. I have heard exiled Borderers admit that say Cumnock v Carrick, or Ayr v Kilmarnock, can be every bit as gory and X-certificate as Hawick v Gala or Jedforest v Kelso. That's just what I've encountered in my own part of the kingdom, I am positive there are very-intense local rivalries in Glasgow, in Fife, or in Grampian. Sport is the 21st century Scottish version of clan wars.

But, if rugby is to properly challenge football's fading grip on the Scottish sporting psyche, we have to build on these local rivalries, and grow the game. We need - more players, in more clubs, right across Scotland.

Getting there will not, however, be helped by initiatives, welcome though this latest one is, such as the four new rugby academies, unveiled with such verve by the SRU on Saturday.

The SRU revealed the names of the 87 inductees into the four new academies, however, a look at the numbers, reveals all is not that well.

The 87 names include those of 16 girls, fair enough; we really need to get a lot better on the distaff side of the game, but, leaving aside these talented girls, that leaves us with 71 inductees.
 
Of these, 33 are identified as "Stage 3" development players, which means, most of their non-playing time will be spent training alongside our two professional sides, Edinburgh and the Warriors. These guys are already, therefore, some rungs up the ladder to the top.

This leaves 38 "Stage 2" development players, of whom at least 27 can be identified as having come through the private schools rugby development route - Merchiston, Fettes, Stewa-Mel, Watson's, Dollar, Strathallen, Glenalmond, Kelvinside, the Glasgow and Edinburgh Academies - all these long-established hot-beds of rugby have players in there.

Good luck to these schools, however, I suggest, until we get more boys (and girls) from state schools into the system, we will struggle. I reckon we will not really close the gap between us and the other three Home Nations nations, until we tap into the talent which is out there in the housing schemes of Scotland.

I don't see these academies helping there. Where we can make progress is if we put more resources into our clubs which are not "establishment". I speak here from a position of bias, I don't think Mark Bennett is the only potential internationalist we have had through the ranks at my own Cumnock club.

I take heart from what I see at Ayr, where the club has its own Rugby Academy. This is one of the reasons why Ayr consistently challenges in the SRU's youth competitions - ditto Stirling County, these clubs work at it.

But, if they got a bit more cash/infrastructure support from Murrayfield, they could do better. And, what is happening at the so-called "top" clubs, whose youth development sections under-perform?

I wish Murrayfield would find the energy, determination and money to properly fund the proposed but, as yet unimplemented "semi-professional" band of top club rugby which would allow the top clubs to have their own academies, and to grow the game.

The four academies are a start, but, I feel they are a case of too-little, too-late and nothing more than a half-arsed effort to sort things out.



GLAD to see Ben Toolis and Dougie Fife, particularly Toolis, brought into the extnded World Cup  squad. It is tough luck on Tim Swinson and Duncan Taylor, who have missed out through injury, but, I have a feeling, Toolis in particular could make it all the way into the final squad.

It Is Never Easy In Europe

NAE LUCK! That is my response to the European Cup draw this afternoon, which has pitted Warriors against Northampton Saints, Racing 92 and Scarlets - not the trio Toony would have picked, had he had the choice.

As a former Saints star, the Glasgow coach will surely relish a return to the East Midlands. Saints, at their best, will be a stern test; they have a star-studded squad, who have mainly been together for a season or two, but, they can be inconsistent and the two matches between these sides could be crackers.

Racing are, of course, a top-class Top 14 team, again, choc-a-bloc with big-money imports and top French talent. They will be tough to beat in Paris, but, Glasgow will be looking to at least win at Scotstoun, and perhaps, dependant on the running order in the group, they could win in France too. Of course, the rest of this paragraph was written before I remembered - Racing will have Dan Carter in their ranks post World Cup. The chance to see DC at Scotstoun - count me in.

Scarlets will, of course, bring John Barclay back to Scotstoun - where he will doubtless enjoy being the pantomime villain of the game. DTH van der Merwe will also be welcomed back - or will be, should he score one of his spectacular trade mark tries?

On paper, Glasgow ought to be able to beat the Welsh side home and away, but, in Europe, the men from Llanelli are always capable of causing an upset. Again, Warriors will need to be at their best to beat them.

EDINBURGH have been drawn against London Irish, and French pair Grenoble and Agen in the Challenge Cup. Again, given the way they played in reaching the final last season, I am reasonably confident about their chances of getting out of the group and into the knock-out rounds.

Irish have a strong Scottish contingent, such as old Edinburgh hand Geoff Cross and new singing Sean Maitland, which will give us a wee bit of extra needle. Two trips to France is hardly ideal, but, even more-so in the Challenge Cup than in the main European Cup, the French sides seem to blow hot and cold.

If the indifferent French turn-up, Edinburgh seem set fair for another good run in the second tier event.

It Was Nice To Meet "Bill", But, Why Not A Cup For Jock And Paddy?

I BRIEFLY made my acquaintance with "Bill" - the Webb-Ellis Cup - at Millbrae yesterday. I even managed to get my ugly mug into the official SRU video release on Day Five of the trophy's Scotland tour.

If you missed it, fear not, there will surely be a longer tour of Scotland's rugby clubs, after we win the bloody thing later this year!!!

Any way, in the course of the day, I caught up with Big Jock Craig, the Millbrae club's Director of Rugby. For those of you who don't know the big man - he has given over 50-years of service to Ayr, he played for Glasgow back in the day, when the automatic choices as props in the Glasgow side were a certain Ian McLauchlan and Sandy Carmichael, and there was a Scotland B prop in West's Alec Wilson also on the scene.

Jock, in national terms, never got further than a couple of appearances for "SRU President's XVs and the bench for Scotland B, while he played for a Glasgow-Edinburgh Select against Ian Kirkpatrick's 1973 All Blacks. He might have, and I think should have, won a full cap, but, he suffered throughout his career from Brucellosis - a cattle-born disease, somewhat like a bad attack of 'flu, which twice cost him appearances in the Scotland trial.

So "Auchlin" (Ayrshire farmers are always referred to by the name of their farm) has been there, done it and got the t-shirt. He is therefore worth listening to, a facgt acknowledged by many of the movers and shakers at Murrayfield.

I asked Jock what was happening as regards the British & Irish Cup, and, it appears there will again be a lack of Scottish presence in the 2015-16 B&I. Not that Jock is too-bothered about that, he knows full-well, against the likes of London Scottish, London Welsh or Bristol, for example, from the English second tier, the top four Scottish club sides will get gubbed.

But, Jock believes there ought to be some kind of cross-border tournament, to help drive-up the standards at the top end of our club game. His suggestion, which I hope might be taken-up by someone at Murrayfield, is for an Irish-Scottish Cup, involving the leading clubs in the BT Premiership, and their opposite numbers in the Irish Premiership.

The All-Ireland League is currently sponsored by Ulster Bank, which is, of course, a member of the RBS Group, so, given RBS's strong association with the SRU, there is a synergy there which should make for a good sponsorship deal; add in the fact that Stena and P&O, the two ferry companies operating between the mainland UK and Ireland are always keen to heighten their media profile, I don't see getting funding being much of a problem. Also, dare I mention Ryanair?

The top division of the Ulster Bank League is a ten-strong competition, ditto the BT Premiership, so, you have 20 clubs, of more-or-less similar standing:

BT Premiership                                        Ulster Bank League Division 1A

Heriot's                                                    Lansdowne
Ayr                                                           Terenure College
Melrose                                                    Clontarf
Gala                                                         Young Munster
Currie                                                       Old Belvedere
Boroughmuir                                             UCD
Hawick                                                      Ballynahinch
Glasgow Hawks                                         Cork Constitution
Stirling County                                          St Mary's College
Selkirk                                                       Galwegians

Now, I appreciate, getting 20 clubs thinned-down in a cup format is not simple, but, it can be done. Perhaps (four x five-club pools) to produce four semi-finalists might work best. This would give each club between four and eight games, dependant on whether or not the sponsor's cash and interest was there for single fixtures at the group stage, or home and home.

A final, played in alternate years at BT Murrayfield and the Aviva would surely attract some fans - I reckon a competition such as this is worth looking at.

The SRU is forever telling us: "The clubs are the Union"; well, it seems to a lot of us down here, whose main interest is in the club game, think we have, for too-long, been ignored by the Murrayfield "blazers". A competition such as this just might reassure us, that somebody inside HQ cares about us.

I can accept, and results back this up, that taking-on second tier clubs from England in particular does the top Scottish clubs no favours, but, playing the top Irish clubs is a much-more-even playing field, more like-for-like. 

Why not see if there is any interest.

One Hundred Days And Counting

SO, IT begins; this morning Vern Cotter's extended 46-strong squad will convene in Motherwell, 100 days out from the start of Rugby World Cup 2015. As I understand it, the squad will have their core fitness levels tested and be issued with their training kit, prior to heading off to France for altitude training with the French commandos.

We will be unlikely to win "Bill", the Webb-Ellis Cup, the beautiful gold bauble with which I hope to get up close and personal at Millbrae this afternoon, prior to its departure from Troon to Belfast, and the latest stage of its whistle-stop tour of the British Isles, prior to the event. But, I think Scotland will do well.

I would like to think, given some lucky breaks and a fair tail wind, we could perhaps at least match our fourth place of 1991, but, for sure, a place in the top eight has to be the minimum aim of BVC and his squad.

History and the fact far fewer nations compete in international rugby means, the Scotland rugby squad always has an easier run-up to the big show than our football squad does. However, there is another reason why our top rugby players are more at home at the highest level than our footballers, and that is, quite simply - the SRU has more control over their brightest and best than the SFA has over our top round ball talent.

Effectively, the SRU are the paymasters to the majority of our 46-man preliminary squad. Glasgow and Edinburgh, who supply the bulk of the squad, are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the governing body.

When you consider the shambles the WRU have made of their artificial regional squads and their twin-contracts set-up, and the way the RFU has to grovel to the few sugar daddies who have grabbed control of their top clubs, there is something to be said for the centralised control exercised by the SRU and the IRFU.

As I understand it, the Irish boys benefit from the Republic's taxation scheme, which makes it well worthwhile staying in Dublin, Limerick or Galway, rather than taking big-money offers from England or France. Also, as happens to some degree in Scotland, the top Irish players are well looked after by their Union, when it comes to rest and recovery and squad rotation - they don't have to play the number of games their English peers are expected to.

Player welfare is one area in which the SRU, while even they will agree they maybe haven't got it absolutely spot-on, are helping to set the gold standard. How WGS must envy the control BVC has over his squad, for instance.

Any way, here we are, in mid-June, and already, thoughts are turning to September and the big one kicking-off. As with all professional sports, rugby is now an all-year-round job for the fortunate few.

THE USA Sevens squad beat Canada at the week-end, to clinch their place in the Sevens competition at the Rio Olympics next season.

So, the defending Olympic Champions will be defending their title next year. Yup, in case you didn't know, the USA are the reigning Olympic Champions, since a XV from (I think) Stanford University, won the title in 1920, then defended it in Paris in 1924, on the last occasion Rugby Union featured at the Olympics.

Funny that, to most people, THE rugby player who starred in those Paris games was oor ain Eric Liddell, who won the 400-metres gold medal.

The Chariot of Fire won in an event which is synonymous with the USA, while the USA won at a game forged on the playing fields of an English public school - that's sport for you.

I could live with the USA, with ex-Glasgow and Ayr man Carlin Isles a key member of their squad, retaining their title in Rio, far-more-easily than I could an English win at Twickenham this autumn. Let's hope that particular chariot doesn't catch fire, indeed, that the wheels come off.

Nothing personal concerning Stuart Lancaster and his squad - it's just, I couldn't stand the way the Daily Heil and the Torygraph, not forgetting the English Broadcasting Corporation will go overboard, should England win on home soil.

Finally, I see the Canucks were accused of being bad losers after the USA won at the weekend. Probably a case of the many members of the Caledonian Diaspora north of the 49th transferring their genetically-programmed distaste for the English to the New World master race below the 49th. 

Oggy-Oggy-Oggy: Hoy-Hoy-Hoy! Nice One Gareth

IT WOULD be remiss of me not to begin this post any other way. Congratulations SIR Gareth Edwards, whose knighthood was announced in this week's Queen's Birthday Honours list. Richly-deserved.

Gareth is widely-recognised, even in the southern hemisphere, as the greatest Rugby Union scrum-half ever. Mind you, if pushed to name an all-time XV, I would perhaps keep Gareth on the bench, giving the number nine shirt to Alex Murphy, the legendary Rugby League scrum-half of the 1960s, but hey, that's a personal opinion.

I would in no-way down-play Gareth's gong, but, I am again at a loss as to what Jim Telfer has to do to become Sir James Telfer.

I put it down to the usual Establishment bias against Scots. It still grates that, on the basis of two goals and a maybe in a World Cup Final, it is Sir Geoff Hurst, whereby it is still Mr Denis Law and Mr Kenny Dalglish, two infinitely-better players than Hurst.

But, this should in no-way dilute the wider rugby community's joy in seeing an all-time great honoured.There was, of course, another Rugby Legend named in the QBHL, with Jonny Wilkinson winning a CBE.

The Blessed Jonny, has of course, being English, been somewhat over-celebrated since that drop goal in Sydney.A good player, a great player even, an example to all of exactly what being a professional sportsman means.

But, when compared to Richard Sharp, not the best English Ten I've seen. I don't rate him as highly as John Rutherford and, well on the other Celtic fringes - not a Kyle, a Gibson, or the equal of Barry John, Phil Bennett or Cliff Morgan.

WELL done the Scotland Under-20s, on beating the Pumas in the World Under-20 Cup. A splendid recovery after the disappointment of blowing the Irish match. And well done too, to Zander Fagerson, on being named in the Team of the Round.

"BILL", as the Rugby World Cup trophy is known, is on-tour throughout Scotland this week; I will be making Bill's acquaintance at Ayr on Monday.

Also on Monday, our World Cup 46 will convene for the initial fitness tests, prior to embarking for high altitude training in France. With their gathering, the count-down to the start of the big show in September will be under-way.

Bring it on. 

"Oh Dear! Oh Dear! Disaster For Scotland"

EVEN in this, a World Cup Year, there has to be a close season; which is where we are right now. Not quite, however, the Under-20s are still in action in Italy, thus far offering us further proof, should it be required, of how far off the pace we are.

 

Losing to the "Baby Blacks" I could take; after all, if our big teams have never beaten the full ABs, it would be asking a lot for our kids to be the first to lower the fern flag. That said, I was not happy at the margin of defeat, but, compared to how sick Sean Lineen must have felt, that's nothing.

 

I watched the Scotland v Ireland gam: to quote my late mate David Francey: "Oh dear! Oh dear! Disaster for Scotland", in spades. This was a return to the bad old days of a Scotland team, every bit as good as the opposition - after all, we beat the Irish in the Junior Six Nations - finding umpteen ways not to score and to lose a game they had every expectation of winning.

 

I don't know what the answer is; players who play and impress on a weekly level in our BT Premiership, made elementary mistakes which ought to have been drummed out of their psyche long before they got to international standing.

 

Hopefully, this was a one-off, a terrible day at the office, and the lads can do themselves justice in what is now a must-win game against the young Pumas. Sadly, this being Scotland: Ah hae ma doots.

 

I felt sorry for Lewis Carmichael of Melrose, who picked-up a huge suspension for alleged eye gouging. Now this is one aspect of the game which the IRB is hell-bent on stamping out. I have seen young Lewis in club action and he has never struck me as being that type of player.

 

Hopefully, he got unlucky, the citing officer over-reacted to what he thought he saw and the ban will be considerably reduced on appeal. But, given Archie Russell's tournament was spoiled by the ban he picked up, I would hate to think our best youngsters are being tarred with an unjustified reputation for thugishness.

 

 

 

MARK Dodson has been doing his bit to keep rugby on the sports ages this past week. He has cleverly drip fed some items of news, at a time when not a lot is happening.

 

I had, however, to laugh at one of his pearls of wisdom - his suggestion that Scott Johnson is doing a good job as Director of Rugby.

 

On reading that, my immediate thought was of Mandy Rice Davies - he would say that, wouldn't he.

 

I don't think you will find many in the wider Scottish rugby community who think SJ is doing a good job, and, I am firmly in the camp of the unimpressed when it comes to him and his usefulness to the SRU.

 

 

Laying Down A Marker

MARK Dodson was waxing lyrical again yesterday, at the media event to publicise the new SRU Academy at Napier University's Sighthill Campus. This is the third SRU regional Academy to be opened, and, welcome they are.

 

Dodson, who, in spite of the fantastic developments inside and outside Murrayfield which have taken place on his watch, remains a figure mistrusted by some in the wider Scottish Rugby family. I have always found him approachable, affable and I reckon he has done well in a difficult job. But, he is, to many, "an outsider" and I suppose we will have to wait until he is no longer around, before we get a proper assessment of how well he has done. Scottish Rugby is, like so-much in Scotland, essentially tribal, and he is not from any of our native tribes.

 

MD is hoping, within five years, the two pro sides will be essentially "Scottish" sides - and why not? The pro teams ought to be the gold standard for our players, every kid currently enjoying Sunday morning mini-rugby should be striving to, in time, wear the Warriors' or Edinburgh's shirt - as base camp before the real prize - a navy blue Scotland one.

 

But, with the best will in the world, from a talent pool as shallow as that we have always had in Scotland, only occasionally will we ever, indeed have we ever, had a pool of seasoned top players deep enough to lift Scotland in amongst the real big guns of the game.

 

We will always need to import, hopefully from the great Caledonian Diaspora - after all, Sean Lineen was by no means the first "Kilted Kiwi" when he arrived. That said, the fewer Lineens, Maitlands, Hineses, Metcalfes or "Project Players" we have to bring-in, the healthier will our domestic game be.

 

Also, hand on heart, consider this - would we rather not have had Niko and Leone bringing their South Pacific brand of magic to Scotstoun this past wee while?

 

Mark Dodson's vision of mainly Scottish pro team squads is a laudable one, but, a wish is just a dream that hasn't come true - making it happen will be the hard part.

 

This, of course, would be a whole lot easier, if we could cut through the bullshit and get the semi-pro Premiership up and running. Of course, funding a semi-pro league will be costly. It will mean some clubs which, in spite of the evidence of languishing in lower divisions, still having delusions of adequacy - of being "big" clubs, needing to "see themselves as ithers see them", and of either shaping-up or shipping-out to the playing for fun regional leagues.

 

Then, once the semi-pro Premiership was producing better potential professional players, we could maybe get round to forming at least two more professional sides in Scotland, and maybe looking at using London Scottish better. 

Smirking In London - Priceless

Bloody typical - how like a woman. "Management" decided we should spend last weekend up at that there Lunnun, so, on the basis of what Rabbie termed: "secret favours, sweet and precious", I passed on Warriors' trip to Belfast and headed for the flesh pots of the Sudetenland.

Apart from a severe attack of the dreaded lurgey on Sunday night - which I put down to the efforts of my youngest grandson - the weekend went well. We were in a hotel in the leafy suburbs of Surbiton, one which, by its proximity to Twickenham, was well-filled by Bath supporters, up in town for the Aviva Premiership final.

I managed to avoid informing them, given the Scottish connection - big Jim Hamilton and Duncan Taylor, plus the fact my elder brother had played for them when they were an unfashionable amateur club, I favoured a Saracens' victory; which duly arrived.

It was, however, even-more difficult not to gloat, late on Saturday night and on Sunday, at the magnificent Warriors' win in Belfast. I always fancied Glasgow could and would win, more-so after realising that Conor Murray would be missing; and thus it transpired.

The win itself, plus the way it was achieved, was wonderful for Glasgow and a much-needed boost for Scottish rugby, so, why does it worry me?

Well, for a start, money talks, and one or two under-achieving English and French clubs will now be casting envious eyes towards Scotstoun. Toony has just added an additional zero to the salary he would attract in either of the two big-money European leagues, while the same can be said about the likes of Finn Russell, Hoggie, Jonny Gray, not to mention the injured Alex Dunbar and Mark Bennett.

Also, big Al Kellock, Niko, Jon Welsh and DTH were playing their final game for Warriors, add the departing Sean Maitland and that's a lot of talent to replace next season.

Further factor-in how many Warriors will be involved in the World Cup effort, it is reasonable to assume Glasgow will be a full team down for the entire campaign, and, already defending the title looks difficult.

Or, is that me being a typical Scot, with the wind aye in my face?

Ach! Let's enjoy the moment. Well done boys.

BARELY had the dust settled on the Pro12, than BVC was naming his initial 47-strong World Cup squad. Straight away: congratulations big man on having the good sense to recall John Barclay.

No real surprises in the squad - Kelly Brown wasn't in Sarries' cup final squad, Johnny Beattie will not get another cap until he comes home, none of the other omissions can be deemed a serious loss. That said, I would still have Pat McArthur in there, but, he seems to have talents which are oblivious to all at Murrayfield. And, what has happened to Ben Toolis? after the way he ended the season, his omission strikes me as very odd indeed.

The game now will be in picking the guys who will be the likeliest to be cut from the eventual WC squad. I would say, one big name who really has to give himself a shake is Ryan Grant, who, for me, has been coasting on his reputation for the past season and a half.

It was obvious, when facing a Munster side which takes such pride in their pack's performance, Toony sent-out Gordy Reid as starting loose-head, which is surely a message to Grant that he has lost ground.

Of course, BVC has indicated that the list as issued is not set in stone. But, the campaign is now under-way.



LIKE many, I am amazed at the announcement that Shade Munro has been appointed as Head Coach to the Scotland Women's squad. For all the justly-deserved praise Toony has garnered at Scotstoun, I feel big Shade has played a major part in Glasgow's development.

I had hoped he would have been shifted to a post on the Scotland coaching team, but, while some will see his new role as "demotion", I hope Shade sees it as an opportunity.

Scottish women's rugby has long been a joke and, if Shade can turn things around, it will earn him major kudos, but, I don't envy him his job. Good luck big man - you'll need it.