An Upturn In Glasgow's Season Will Not Be An Easy Fix

KENNY Murray was rolled out yesterday to issue a: "Ca' canny lads" message to those Glasgow Warriors' fans, and there are quite a few out there, who have become increasingly concerned at the team's up and down form this season.

 

Like Kenny, I am certain Glasgow will come good soon, there is simply too-much talent in the squad for them to go on simply scraping home to ugly wins for much longer.

 

As I have said before, the team has a new scrum coach, who has barely had any time with his probably first-choice pack. Mike Blair and Finn Russell are still building-up the all-important understanding between the half-backs, which is such a key factor in good team performances, Mark Bennett and Stuart Hogg, like Russell, are on a bit of a downer post-World Cup, while Alex Dunbar is still coming back from serious injury.

 

Add a horrendous injury situation at hooker, plus the absence of Henry Pyrgos and the need to adapt to the absence of the iconic Niko, and it is no surprise that Glasgow doesn't look like Glasgow.

 

Murray mentioned the team's horrendously high penalty count against themselves. I recall, when he was coaching at Ayr, the Millbrae Men had the worst negative penalty count in the BT Premiership, Murray put that down to over-eagerness to compete at the breakdown. I sense the same problem afflicting Glasgow this season.

 

A look at Warriors' fixture list for December and January is a somewhat sobering prospect. Saturday's clash with Leinster in the Pro12 is followed by a European Cup double header against Scarlets,  leading to the 1872 Cup double header against Edinburgh over the holiday period.

 

Then, in January, they face European ties against Racing Metro, with the return game against Northampton Saints sandwiched in between, followed by a visit to "Ospreylia". In short, there are no easy games on the horizon - the team really has to click this month - but, these are the pressures in top-flight, professional sport. There is simply no hiding place for under-performing players or teams.

 

 

 

JIM "Basher" Inglis will be laid to rest in the soil of his beloved Selkirk tomorrow. I hope Selkirk Parish Church is packed for his funeral, such a bastion of Borders rugby deserves no less.

 

There remains a veneer of arrogance around some Borders clubs, even though their power has been broken by the switch to professionalism at the topmost level of the club game. But, as one Ayr stalwart said to me, at Millbrae on Saturay: "Selkirk is the least-arrogant of the Borders clubs, the nicest guys to visit and none was nicer than 'Basher'".

 

A formidable prop, he was unlucky to only get one cap, at a time when the Scottish selectors, in the midst of that 17-game losing run, were in full panic mode. But, he was one-third of a fearsome, and feared Souters front-row, and a pillar of the South teams, at a time when, with the likes of Tom Elliot and the great Hughie McLeod, there was no lack of choice in that particular neck of the woods.

 

Then, he became a long-serving and popular club official. That he and his formidable wife Mary, who also gave freely of her time to serve Selkirk should be awarded the Spirit of Rugby award at the SRU Club Awards in May was wholly fitting.

 

"Basher" will be missed terribly around Philiphaugh.

 

 

 

I HAVE felt for some time, the SRU is seriously under-valuing the BT Premiership. There are an awful lot of good players in that league, indeed, it is rare now to see one of the Edinburgh or Glasgow professionals, loaned-out to a Premiership side, really dominating a game by their sheer class.

 

Indeed, when you see on a weekly basis the quality of some of the fringe professionals who train at Murrayfield or Scotstoun all week, but go back to their clubs on a Saturday, I feel we are now at the juncture where a third professional team could work.

 

I also would like to see the clubs pushing for the establishment of a "semi-professional" Premiership, this too would, I am sure, work. Unfortunately, if such a league was to be formed, some "Establishment" clubs would miss out, and we cannot have that, can we.

 

But, the Premiership clubs need to spend some money too in upgrading their facilities, and, I realise such work does not come cheap. One or two of the grounds are still on the primitive side, with unsubstantial grand-stands, with roofs that leak. While a considerable sum needs to be spent on some of the pitches.

 

Funding such improvements does not come cheap, and, there's not a lot of spare cash in the game. Also, the Premiership does not, I feel, get the media coverage the quality of the play deserves. There is some way still to go.

 

 

Ugly Wins On An Ugly Night

BRIO and elan were sort of the Glasgow watchwords as they swept to the Pro12 title last season. This season, albeit with the World Cup as a not entirely welcomed diversion at the start of the campaign, they have stuttered somewhat.

 

In some ways this is a reaction to change. Niko Matawalu, who so-often provided the X-Factor in Glasgow performances has gone, as has Shade Munro, who had so much to do with the forward effort.

 

Great player though he is, Mike Blair is no Niko, while Henry Pyrgos, by his very absence, is showing how important he was last season. Add in the fact, new forwards coach Dan McFarland is still getting to know his first-pick pack, and it is no surprise that Glasgow are struggling.

 

Still, they again won ugly against Treviso, last night - a night when even the city centre pigeons in Glasgow largely walked. A win is a win is a win, but, once again, the penalty count against Glasgow was horrendous - this needs sorting out, fast.

 

 

 

EDINBURGH meanwhile, finally secured a bonus-point win, over a Dragons team who to my eyes, seemed to arrive at Murrayfield determined to lose by as few points as possible.

 

Scarlets apart, Welsh regional rugby is in a bit of a state just now and Dragons were, at times embarrassing. They copped four yellow cards, and might have had more, but, the fact we had an almost useless Italian referee in charge, in many ways played into Dragons' hands.

 

Last weekend, for the European games, 60 match officials were listed as either referees or assistant referees, not one was Scottish. Now, I have, in the past, been critical of Scottish referees, but, even I cannot believe that we do not have a single match official considered to be in the top 60 in Europe.

 

And, when I watched the mess that Italian made at Murrayfield last night, I was even more convinced - our referees are not that bad.

 

Mind you, while it has to be said, Alan Solomons has now got the Edinburgh pack firing on all eight cylinders, there is still something missing behind the capital side's scrum. Too often, all the good work of the pack last night was undone by poor passing and a lack of running power from the backs.

 

The Glasgow backs, behind that Edinburgh pack, would have had the bonus-point parcelled-up by half-time, of that I am sure.

 

 

 

GAME of the Day in the BT Premiership this afternoon looks like being the Mansfield Park clash of Hawick and champions Heriot's. A home win will confirm the growing belief that the Green Machine is beginning to rumble once more, it promises to be fascinating.

 

Gala seemed to shake-off a terrible run of results by beating Glasgow Hawks at Netherdale last week. This afternoon they head west to face Ayr at Millbrae.

 

Defeat at the Greenyards last weekend saw Ayr's lead at the top of the table halved to five points, so, they will be keen to re-establish themselves as a winning side. But, this is always a hard-fought match, which could go either way. 

Glasgow Picked A Fine Time to Have A Bad Night At The Office

WHEN it comes to England v Scotland clashes in any sport, receive wisdom is - because of England's greater resources in players, cash and facilities, for any Scottish team to beat any equivalent English team, in any given sport: ALL the Scottish players have to have good games, one or two English players have to be off-the-boil and, the Scottish team has to get at least an even hand from the referee.

 

If that happens, we just might win, otherwise, we will lose.

 

And thus it proved in last night's Glasgow v Northampton match in the European Rugby Champions Cup. I thought Glasgow had a chance, particularly with home advantage at Scotstoun. But, that wee bit of received wisdom was sitting at the back of my brain, and, it proved to be true. Glasgow didn't perform, Northampton did; the referee was mince, at least as far as the Scots were concerned - Northampton won.

 

I didn't see the game, since I refuse to subscribe to Sky TV. But, I did listen to the BBC radio commentary, with the wonderful Bill Johnstone and the always entertaining, if not exactly unbiased Peter Wright.

 

That Wright considers referees a plook on the face of the game we would do better without is hardly a secret in Scottish rugby. He was not impressed by the French official at Scotstoun. However, Peter was not that biased he could not admit, the better team won.

 

So, where does Glasgow go from here?

 

Well, for a start, back to basics in the pack. I appreciate they have a new forwards coach this season, who is still getting to know his pack - particularly since 12 of his forwards were involved in the Rugby World Cup, while another four were in Scotland's pre-tournament squad and didn't do the club pre-season, while his second and third-choice hookers are both out with injuries sustained during the World Cup. So, it can reasonably be argued, the pack is still under-cooked as a club unit.

 

Since Northampton, like every other Aviva Premiership club, is locked into the English philosophy of scrum dominance. this was always bad news for Glasgow, going into yesterday's game. The fact, due to circumstances beyond their control, Glasgow didn't get a chance to get up to European speed against Racing Metro, and were even more under-cooked than the Saints - well, it was an accident waiting to happen.

 

Some very hard work is now called for, between now and next month's next round of European games. But, for a start, I hope Dan McFarland quickly wakes-up to one obvious point: sadly, Ryan Grant is now a shadow of the wonderful prop he was two years ago. I fear Grant, like his great long-time opponent, Adam Jones, has completely failed to deal with the change in the scrum engagement protocol. Ever since the change both he and Jones, have been going backwards.

 

Unless Grant can very quickly adapt, then perhaps the younger Alex Allen should be promoted as back-up to Gordon Reid, who is now surely beyond doubt, Glasgow's number-one Number One.

 

On the other side of the scrum, it now seems self-evident, losing both Euan Murray and Jon Welsh go at the same time was a huge mistake. I accept, Zander Fagerson has huge potential, but, he is not yet ready for regular first team rugby. In fact, I would suggest the slightly older D'arcy Rae, currently offers more. I also have my doubts about Sila Puafisi being the answer, he has yet to convince me.

 

On the evidence of Bill Johnstone's commentary of last night, Finn Russell and Mark Bennett both had an off-night. Disappointing thought that was, I am a firm believer in form being temporary, class being permanent - they will be back.

 

OK, Glasgow lost, and badly, but, they will bounce back.

 

Meanwhile, Edinburgh went to Agen and won well in the European Challenge Cup. They just might be capable of doing a Glasgow, and, in season two, winning a competition in which they reached the final in season one. 

 

 

 

MELROSE, meanwhile, did themselves and the rest a huge favour by beating Ayr at The Greenyards, to half the Ayrshire side's lead at the top of the BT Premiership to five points.

 

Of course, now the destination of the league title is decided by the outcome of the end-of-season play-offs, rather than by coming out in front after the 18-game regular season, finishing first is not the be-all and end-all it used to be, but, finishing first at the end of the regular season, though it carries no tangible reward, is still a major feat.

 

Ayr, Melrose and Heriot's will again feature in the play-offs. Which club finishes fourth is now the main point of interest, with several contenders vying for the position.

 

 

 

SO, Eddie Jones is the new England coach. At his age, a nice move and a great little earner. After he fails, and the RFU system virtually ensures he will fail, he will have a nice little top-up to his pension pot to look forward to.     

Gaun Yersel Big Yin - We Will Miss You

THE sudden and untimely death of Jonah Lomu has shocked us all. Of course, we knew he had been ill for some time - his on-going problems having done what few defences could and stopped him. Still, that he should be gone at only 40 leaves a huge gap.

 

There had been big wingers before him. The first season I ever sat in the old schoolboy seats around the pitch at Murrayfield, I remember thinking how huge Ireland's (Sir) Tony O'Reilly looked. AJF O'Reilly was six foot three and 14 and a half stones - taller and heavier than at least one of the Scottish second rows in the opposition.

 

But, what really sets Jonah apart is the realisation, he was the same height, but maybe a stone heavier than Scotland's greatest second row, Big Gordon Brown. Jonah broke the mould - now, seemingly every nation is seeking to field at least one Lomuesque clone on the wing.

 

Some of these guys are good, but, nobody will ever have the same effect on the game as Jonah had.

 

Even after his kidney problems surfaced, when he made any of his comebacks from hospitalisation, the X-factor had maybe gone, but, the All Blacks still found a way to use him. The mere threat of Lomu coming-in off his wing onto scrum ball would distract defences. Sometimes he got the ball, and scored, sometimes, the improved defences from when he first burst on the scene could stop him, but, more-often, he was a dummy runner, drawing-in three defenders to create space further out.

 

He was a class act, on, but more-importantly off the pitch. He lived life in a goldfish bowl, but always had time for his public. His had been a hard upbringing, he did his best to help the next generation of Pacific Islanders who had been drawn to New Zealand to avoid the mistakes he had made.

 

He was an icon to these youngsters - if Jonah could make it, so could they. He definitely left a legacy.

 

I remember speaking to several Scottish members of our Commonwealth Games team in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. Jonah was there with the New Zealand Sevens team. Even other competitiors who had won Olympic medals wanted to be photographed with Jonah - at those Games, the Scots tell me - he really was First Among Equals, surrounded as he was by greats in other sports.

 

One Scot still speaks with feeling about being seated next to Jonah at one of the athletes evenings. Of how humble and ordinary he was, asing about life in Scotland, speaking of his own life in Auckland - then, when the dancing began, Jonah suddenly leapt up, ripped-off his team tee-shirt and did an impromptu Haka.

 

"It was electrifying - he brought the house down", says my still awed spectator.

 

Aye Jonah Lomu - a genuine global superstar. Rest easy Big Man, and thanks for the many memories.

Good Story, But, The Best Bit Was Missed Out

SOMTIMES I despair at the quality of what passes for rugby journalism in Scotland's mainstream media these days.

Take this morning, for instance. The principal rugby story in both the Herald and The Scotsman, the two main rugby newspapers in Scotland is slightly differing versions of an interview Lewis Stuart did with Warriors' hooker Pat McArthur.

As far as it went, it was a good piece, which did offer Glasgow's most-successful sports team some exposure. Getting column centimetres in a city where it sometimes seems the only sporting show in town is the whitabootery around the Bigot Brothers football clubs is no easy matter.

Just one wee thing, if you have to speak to Pat McArthur, THE story is, with the opening game in Glasgow's European campaign coming up at the weekend, just how does Pat feel about being the only experienced hooker standing?

Regardless of the views of Vern Cotter and his team at Murrayfield, McArthur is Warriors' first-choice hooker. His deputies, Fraser Brown and Kevin Bryce may both have been in the Rugby World Cup squad, but, at Scotstoun, McArthur is first-pick in the number two shirt.

Brown and Bryce, respectively the second and third-choices for Gregor Townsend are both currently injured, as is fourth-choice Fergus Scott. This means, unless Jesus of Nazareth has joined the staff of whichever private hospital currently looks after the injured Warriors, McArthur's back-up in France at the weekend is likely to be James Malcolm, who has approximately one minute of Pro12 experience.

No harm to young James, the latest member of a proud Glasgow rugby dynasty to wear Glasgow's colours; but, is Racing 92, away the sort of place where you would want a 21-year-old Scottish Rugby Stage Three Development Player possibly having to throw into a "must-win" line-out close to your own line, with the match on a kinfe-edge?

James's last start was for Ayr, at Selkirk last month. IF he is needed in Paris, he will give it his best shot, I wish him well, but, it's a big ask of an almost untried kid, to go there and potentially do a crucial job. OK, Toony could not legislate for having three hookers injured at the same time - shit happens - usually to Scottish clubs, but, we must pray this week for no untoward late calamities befalling McArthur.

So, when you have the possibilities outlined above as a potential scenario, what was the point of a meaningless, bland, interview by numbers with McArthur? The bigger story is out there.

THERE was an interesting wee development at The Greenyards on Saturday, when big Scott McLeod re-appeared in a Hawick shirt. Now the big man has had a somewhat chequered career, but, when fit and firing, he always has been a tremendous second-row operator.

I for one welcome his return to the Green Machine, where he and Bruce McNeil will offer a tried and tested central core to the pack.

He has already made a big difference to the Greens as a forwards coach, assisting Nikki Walker, his impact, on the park, will be, if anything, even greater.

And, how great it is to see yet another former Scotland cap going back to his roots to play out his career, helping to bring through the next generation.

THE Celtic Family has a funny wee code for when the next crisis at Ibrox rears its head. On some internet, somewhere, one of "The Greatest Fans In The World" will finish his post with: "Jelly and Ice Cream ready", as they settle down to watch the fun.

Right now, its Jelly and Ice Cream overkill for us on rugby's Celtic fringes, as the RFU get around to sorting out England's World Cup Disaster. Now, World Cup Disasters and England are nothing new.

Right from the first English World Cup adventure, when their football team confidently set-off for Brazil in 1950, only to be undone by an American "pub team" which happened to contain one or two players who had come through the killing fields of Scottish Junior Football, and whose goal which beat England would be scored by Joe Gatjeans, a Haitian, who later vanished after being called in for a wee chat by Papa Doc Duvalier's Ton-Ton-Macute - England has made a habit of disproving their Master Race status on the biggest sporting stages.

Mind you, I don't think anything previous, not even dwarf-throwing in 2011 in New Zealand has quite come close to tripping-up against Wales this year. If someone ever writes a companion volume to that wonderful tome on British Imperialist military history, with the spotlight on English sporting disasters - that last line-out against Wales will feature highly.

At least, we can point to poor refereeing as a mitigating factor in our own late line-out fuck-up at Twickenham, England have only themselves to blame for the Horlicks they made of that one against Wales.

Any way, as a consequence of not getting out of their group, England could only watch the interesting bit of their World Cup, and now, a scapegoat or scapegoats are being sought.

With the calm authority they have always shown, the English MSM is now engaged on a hunt to find the next sacrificial victim - because, let's be frank, that's the role that whoever they choose to succeed Stuart Lancaster will be cast into.

I doubt if any coach can now save England. The old farts at Twickenham will never again allow a coach to be as driven and focussed as Sir Clive Woodward was in winning them the World Cup in 2003.

It was the same in football, Sir Alf Ramsey, a man every bit as selfish and driven as Woodward, delivered the big one in 1966. The FA sacked him, the RFU were a bit more-suntle, they made Woodward's job untenable.

The English system is all wrong, it is skewed in favour of the big clubs, with their sugar daddy owners. The England team will never be allowed to become what it should be, THE focus. Until it does, England will struggle.

So, let's sit back and enjoy the fun as they tear themselves apart and do not rebuild properly. Jelly and Ice Cream please.



WELL, jings, crivvens, help ma Boab! Out of the blue, David Denton has left Edinburgh for Bath. Assuming a transfer fee is involved, I would call this a good bit of business for Edinburgh and the SRU.

Denton out, John Hardie in - I call that a win for Alan Solomons and the Union. I have always thought Denton was a good player, just not as good as his supporters made him out to be.

With Hardie at seven - two from Mike Coman, Cornell du Preez, Hamish Watson, Roddy Grant or the young guns, Magnus Bradbury or Jamie Ritchie, Edinburgh are well covered in the back row, so, it is a good move to let Denton go.

Let's face it, he has always been more of an English-type player, running into rather than round people. I don't see him as one of our more-capable player when it comes to the high-tempo, off-loading game which Scottish rugby is now trying to play.      

Burgess - A Gamble That Misfired

THE big rugby news of the week has surely been Sam Burgess's decision to quit Bath and Rugby Union for Sydney and Rugby League.

OK, I for one would not be too-disappointed if it got to the stage whereby Scotland was beating England every time they played. Like every other Celt, I have been brought up to believe victories over the Common Enemy are sweeter.

The paradox is, it is always that wee bit sweeter to beat a half-decent England team than one that is shite - and right now, England is shite; yet, still they beat us in the 2015 Six Nations.

That said, I see things being a wee bit different in February, next year.

Picking Burgess was always going to be a gamble. As I wrote before, you cannot put a player into an international team in a position in which he is not first-choice with his club side.

In his few outings in the centre for Bath, Burgess demonstrated all too clearly, he was not as good a centre as Jamie Joseph or Kyle Eastmond. Why therefore, given the evidence of match performance, was he fast-tracked into the England side in that position?

Bath  saw Burgess as a better fit as a number six, blind-side flanker, a position which takes a wee bit of learning. He ought, perhaps, have been left to learn the basics of that position at club level, before being introduced to the international scene.

Of course, enticing him over from Rugby League was a costly business. It is understood, the RFU had some input into this, so, perhaps, there was a rush to get some sort of value from money from the move, which over-rode the fact he was having to learn a new game.

We can, however, be grateful, the SRU does not have that kind of money to burn on taking a punt on a player. Mind you, the punt they did take, on John Hardie, which cost a lot less than Twickenham/Bath paid for Burgess, paid off spectacularly better.

THE SRU does appear to have a better record when it comes to player welfare than the RFU does. It helps, of course, that the majority of our professional players are controlled by the Union, rather than, as is the case in England, by individual clubs.

For instance, look at how well Jonny Gray has been looked after as his youthful promise has been converted into international delivery, this young man is already one of the outstanding locks in Europe, and, if not quite, yet, absolute world-class, he is getting there at a rate of knots.

The faith the SRU and Glasgow has in him has been demonstrated this week by the younger Gray being named as the new Warriors' captain and handed a new three-year contract.

Speaking of the Warriors, their team to play Cardiff Blues, at Cardiff Arms Park tomorrow looks a lot more like the real Warriors, as they warm-up the big guns for the imminent European Cup challenge.

The team is:

15. Stuart Hogg
14. Taqele Naiyaravoro
13. Mark Bennett
12. Peter Horne
11. Tommy Seymour
10. Finn Russell
9. Grayson Hart

1. Gordon Reid
2. Pat MacArthur
3. Sila Puafisi
4. Leone Nakarawa
5. Jonny Gray (Captain)
6. Josh Strauss
7. Chris Fusaro
8. Adam Ashe

Replacements

16. James Malcolm
17. Ryan Grant
18. Zander Fagerson
19. Greg Peterson
20. Rob Harley
21. Ryan Wilson
22. Mike Blair
23. Junior Bulumakau

That's an all-international starting XV, with a further five of the eight replacements also being full internationals. You know, when you look at that strength-in-depth, Warriors just might have the strongest squad in the UK.

In fact, Warriors have more than a full XV of internationalists either injured or not listed   for Saturday. Several of these unused players will be turning out in BT Premiership matches and I, for one, will be interested in seeing how the likes of Jerry Yanuyanutawa and the uncapped James Eddie go at Millbrae, where they are due to feature for Glasgow Hawks, against Ayr - given both have been seen in pink and black within the last year.

One Warrior who will not be featured at Ayr is Stage Three Development Player Robbie Fergusson, who has been loaned-out to London Scottish, to gain more experience at a higher level than the Premiership.

Why then is he not even listed on the bench for Scottish's game against Jersey tomorrow? Come on SRU, if he is sent to Richmond, he should be playing, otherwise, leave him at Ayr.

Or do the Murrayfield Mandarins enjoy having Jock Craig and Billy McHarg swearing at them?



TOMORROW'S BT Premiership programme throws up the prospect of some exciting games, with local derbies all over the shop, and not just at Millbrae.

Gala's slump this season has been a shock to many and, I have a funny feeling, after so-many near-misses this season, Selkirk just might beat them to post their first win of the season.



FINALLY, it is sad, but, not altogether surprising, to see Alasdair Strokosh announcing his retirement from international rugby.

At 32, and given the strength-in-depth Scotland can now boast in back rowers, I can well understand his decision to quit.

Enjoy the rest of your career big man.

     

 

Now Is The Time To Build For The Future

YESTERDAY'S news from Scotstoun, that Jonny Gray had signed a new three-year deal to remain with Warriors, has been quickly followed by the announcement that the younger Gray is the new Warriors' captain. A post he may well fill for as long, if not longer, than his distinguished predecessor, Al Kellock.

 

This is a cracking double whammy for Scottish and particularly West of Scotland rugby. With JG, Josh Strauss and Finn Russell all signed-up on long-term contracts, and, presumably Warriors and the SRU beavering away in the background to try to get some of the other stellar names in the Scotstoun squad to commit long-term, well, things are looking good for Glasgow.

 

Now, if the Murrayfield Mandarins could just get a permanent suitably-sized home set-up for Edinburgh, and get a young Scottish coach in to under-study then succeed Alan Solomons, how much better-off would Scottish rugby be?

 

I still think, we need to get a few more exciting SCOTTISH backs playing regularly in Edinburgh, however, and, this should be a priority.

 

Some years ago, there was a proposal in the public domain which would have seen Edinburgh and Hearts ground-sharing a purpose-built 20,000-seat stadium to be built somewhere in the west of Edinburgh.

 

Of course, aye-beenism, that perennial curse against sporting progress in Scotland reared its head, and nothing came of what seemed to me to be perhaps the best answer to the problems of both Edinburgh institutions.

 

Now that Anne Budge is running things at Tynecastle, a lady who does not appear as hide-bound to the traditions of aye-beenism as a man might be, perhaps this albeit initially costly scheme might be looked at again.

 

But, that is perhaps for a year or two down the line, of more-immediate concern to me is that, in their de-brief of our Rugby World Cup campaign, and in deciding what lies ahead, the SRU makes the correct decisions.

 

I would like to see an early decision on a third pro team, otherwise, we risk losing talent to the big-money English and French clubs. I would also like to see more use made of a Scotland A team, for the guys who are not in the Six Nations squad - or who are hopefully training-on from the Under-20 squad, but, are not yet ready for the full team.

 

We used to go off on end-of-season tours to face Tier Two countries, let's get back to this as a way of developing the next bunch of talented players. Or, how about an Under-23 team paying in the European international series - what used to be the FIRA Championship.

 

Scottish coaches have quietly and with little fuss, worked widely on the continent, helping to bring through the lesser lights - why not have a Scotland Under-23 team playing the likes of Portugal, Spain, Netherlands and Germany. This would help these nations, and, at the same time help our young players develop away from the pressures of the Six Nations. Or even, heading off to South American to play Uruguay, Chile etc, or to the Pacific Islands.

 

Also, with rugby becoming a more-global game, you can never have enough friends when it comes to diplomacy in the game's political corridors. The Home Nations, after they rejoined FIFA, thought they could if not run things, then certainly have an eternal big say in things, but, they, and in particular England, didn't forge alliances and look at where that got them.

 

After the Rio Olympics, at which I am sure Rugby Sevens will be a hit, you may find some of the lesser nations waking-up to rugby and, in the long run, World Rugby will not continue to be the Old Boys Club it sometimes seems today. best to get ready for this ASAP.

 

And finally, it will do the SRU no harm to remember, the (amateur) clubs remain the heart and heart-beat of the game. These clubs have been side-tracked a lot lately, they will bit back soon enough. Time to give the clubs their proper place at the centre of things.

 

We could start by grasping the nettle of a semi-professional BT Premiership, which, in the case of a small handful of the clubs, it already is. Even if we immediately formed a third professional side, we would still have some talented players playing in the club game - they, and the clubs they play for, need more support than they are currently getting.

 

For a start, we MUST have our top four clubs back in the British & Irish Cup next season.

The Party's Over - Now, Let's Get Ready For The Six Nations

THE three-ring circus has left town, and we can get used to the lesser local circuses for the remainder of the season.

 

Farewell then Dan Carter, a clutch of other lesser greats and maybe even the Great McCaw. Steve Hanson can look forward to his knighthood, the ABs will have a beer or three, then start planning for Japan 2019, when they will try to make it three-in-a-row; and, who is to say they cannot.

 

Meanwhile, back here on Planet Scottish Rugby, where are we? Well, Glasgow will this afternoon start to re-introduce their World Cup players to the Pro12, while bemoaning the loss to injury of Henry Pyrgos and Fraser Brown.

 

Edinburgh, have started their league campaign so well, sadly, seem to be reverting to type, although, it is no longer that much of a calamity to lose at Connacht. They really need to get their big guns back and fully-functioning before the European games start later this month.

 

Speaking of Edinburgh: what a bummer that Ali Dickinson and Wilem Nel never made it into too-many Teams of the Tournament, in the final analyses of RWC 2015. I see the Australian scrum, which the Edinburgh front-row plus the Gray brothers did a really good job in taking apart managed to get a goodly representation in more than one selection.

 

Mind you, most English journalists, from weaning, are brought up on a diet of: Scottish rugby bad. Boy, are they in for a shock come the Six Nations.

 

I enjoyed the final, terrific game. What a shame some people were less than generous to Nigel Owens, who I thought refereed it as well as anyone can, particularly when they have that useless twat Barnes on one line.

 

We all know, in Wayne's World, forward passes are not always what they seem, but, come-on - how did he miss that one. Nigel, by the way, was in no position to rule, it was Barnes's call, and, true to form - he got it wrong.

 

If the Australians felt bad at that, I think the decisions evened-out, I think the chaser (Beale?) who got to the kick-ahead and fed Kirandrani for his try, was maybe a wee bit in front of the kicker. Maybe not as obvious as the forward pass, but, still a contentious issue to me, swept under the carpet somewhat.

 

 

 

MEANWHILE, to domestic matters. The BT Premiership has reached the half-way stage, with Ayr seven points clear of the field. But, this is such a tight competition, as can be seen from how close the teams from third place to eighth place are, even that big a lead at the mid-way point is no guarantee of the title.

 

Of course, it isn't over once the 18-games have been played; there will still be the play-offs to be negotiated, so, this thing will run and run.

 

I was at Millbrae on Saturday to watch Ayr and Hawick. Ayr didn't play particularly well, while Bruce McNeil, as ever, got away with murder all over the park. He really is the Willie Miller of Scottish rugby, in the way he "referees" games, although, Graeme Wells wasn't always listening to him!!

 

Interestingly from an Ayr perspective, they introduced another two youngsters, hooker Lewis Anderson and scrum-half Jack Preston, both teenagers, who did well.

 

Hawick, meanwhile, under the guidance of Nikki Walker and Scott McLeod, are again beginning to look like a Green Machine of old - which bodes well for the game in the Borders.

 

It hasn't been easy in Hawick of late, but, they are coming back - beware.

 

 

 

AN INTERESTED spectator/water boy, at Millbrae on Saturday was Robbie Fergusson, who has quietly been loaned-out by Glasgow Warriors to London Scottish.

 

This is evidence of how much he has come on this season. Obviously, with his old mucker, Mark Bennett, Peter Horne, Richie Vernon and Peter Murchie ahead of him in the Scotstoun midfield pecking order, games were going to be hard to come by for young Robbie; but, at Richmond Athletic Ground, he will have a real opportunity to improve. I wish him well.

 

Come on SRU/London Scottish - here is the cheaper option towards a third pro team. I know the RFU has this rule whereby English professional sides have to have 75% of their players "England-qualified", but, all those Watsonians, Fettesians and Academicals making big money as corporate lawyers in the City of London can surely come up with a way round this which would see Scottish as the de facto third pro team - we have enough players now.