Christmas Came Early For Scottish Rugby This Weekend

WELL, that was some weekend in Scottish Rugby. Santa came early with a few heartening results to affirm the seasonal feelgood factor in the game.

Top of the pile has to be that Glasgow win in Paris. I left home for Millbrae and the Ayr v Hawick match, of which more later, having remembered to record the Glasgow game, but, with a sense of foreboding. After their last three Guinness PRO12 outings, I wondered if Toony could work his magic and get the real Glasgow to produce the way of the Warriors in Paris.

He did, and how. Glasgow's strength under Townsend has long been their defensive diligence – when they get it right without the ball, it makes it a lot easier for them to play when they do have it, and, they have never defended better than they did against Racing. The defensive effort was fantastic, every man stepped up and did his job.

A wee aside here. The London-based big-name rugby journalists, in pre-selecting their Lions' squad for New Zealand, are already promoting the cause of the entire England squad, plus half the England Saxons reserve squad. Now, it would be stupid to deny, England has some terrific players, but, they have looked good on front foot ball. I would reckon, in New Zealand next summer, the Lions will need some guys who are good defenders, and, I believe, in this respect, the likes of Jonny Gray and Ryan Wilson – who never gets mentioned in Lions' despatches, are infinitely better players than their English rivals for the red jersey. Just saying like.

Any way, the big test for Glasgow now is to back-up Saturday's performance, in front of what will be a packed and passionate Scotstoun on Friday night. I know, I know, French clubs don't play away from France, but, this hurt Racing team will come at Glasgow with all guns blazing. Big Naka will be keen to strut his unique stuff on his favourite ground. The job is only half done and it will take another massive shift to get it done on Friday. But, Glasgow has a sniff of a quarter-final place, don't spoil it now.

AND, what of Edinburgh, seemingly down and out at half-time, then reduced to 14 men by Phil Burleigh's red card. But still, they came good and won. The captial side continue to infuriate during a typically roller coaster season, but, they are still in there swinging.

If he isn't careful, Duncan Hodge just might play himself into the job full time – which might be no bad thing. Well done Edinburgh, a fantastic victory.

MEANWHILE, almost unnoticed by the mainstream media, the BT Premiership continues to, week on week, produce rugby worth talking about.

And nowhere was the talk more animated than in the Millbrae bar after Saturday's 85-point epic. The pre-match talk was all about how eight of the Hawick squad had taken themselves off to Barbados for a stag weekend. Hawick to Barbados, I thought the place was on its uppers; gnarled old Teris have been telling me for months: “The toon's fucked, there's nae joabs, nae money and damned little rugby talent”.

But, against the odds and with little to play with, Nikki Walker keeps the Green Machine if not flying to the heights of yore, in there scrapping.

And how they scrapped at Millbrae. The youngsters drafted in did what youngsters handed a green jersey have done since rugby was a 20 aside game; they played “fur the toon”, with pride and passion, and they gave Ayr a real fright.

Of course, when Ayr did things correctly, they were much the better side. But, perhaps they had read the pre-match pieces and decided they only had to turn up to win, any way, five minutes into the second half, and trailing by 20 points, Ayr suddenly realised they were in a game.

Skipper Pete McCallum roused his men, Frazier Climo's kicking game clicked in, and, Ayr came through, but, not before a late fright. The home side eased home in injury time, but, seldom have two points been as bravely and as rightly been won as the two Hawick took from this game.

Young Darcy Graham stood out, with two exceptional tries. He will surely, and soon, follow Stuart Hogg into the professional game – his broken field running was Hogg-like in the excitement it raised around the field. This kid is going places.

Meanwhile, Bruce McNeil was, just Bruce McNeil. If you cut the Hawick captain in half, he would be green, with Hawick written all the way through. He frustrates and infuriates opponents and oppositon fans alike. He must he a nightmare to referee, but, he is the totem pole around which Hawick gathers – what a leader.

On this display, Hawick, despite spending much of this season propping-up the table, will not be relegated.

There was a cracking game too at Myreside, where Glasgow Hawks, in spite of the controversial red-carding of Junior Bulumakau, kept on the winning way against a Watsonians team,, who went down with all guns blazing. And, it was another of the young guns, 19-year-old Josh Henderson, wot won it for Hawks with a nerveless last-kick penalty goal.

Looking ahead, Melrose, who absolutely crushed Gala, now welcome Ayr to the Greenyards on Saturday for a game which may well decide the first and second places in the end of season play-off seedings. This one will sizzle all the way through.

IT passed without much comment, but, there was a significant game played elsewhere in South Ayrshire on Saturday, with Marr kicking a late penalty to see off Edinburgh Academicals in the battle of the top two in National League 1.

There is still a lot of rugby to be played in this division, but, having come so close last season, Marr now have their noses in front and will be determined to hang on and take the automatic promotion spot at the end of the campaign.

I bet,up there in the great clubhouse in the sky, the two Broons – Broon from Troon himself and his contemporary, the lesser-known “Toad” Broon, were buying the drinks on Saturday night.

LET'S not forget another superb performance from our unheralded Sevens squad, who finished fourth in the latest IRB Sevens tournament in South Africa. Suddenly, Scotland has got to grips with the abbreviated form of international rugby. There was no shame in losing to the England team which was in effect, the Olympic silver medalists, sans Mark Bennett and Mark Robertson, before losing narrowly to New Zealand in the bronze medal match. Well done boys.

Lions Feasting On The Finances Of The Gullible

THIS morning an email dropped into my inbox, from the British Lions. The highspot was an invitation to buy a ticket, or tickets for the first of a series of Meet the Lions dinners. This was to be held in Edinburgh's Sheraton Grand Hotel, in the august presence of Warren Gatland, and would only set me back the piddling sum of £298.80.

This was what is called in the Second City of the Empire, a: “Haud me back moment”. Nearly £300 to eat an average function meal, and listen to Gatland talk “Warrenballs”. My head does not zip up the back, I have taken one or two sair wans to the napper in the course of a less than distinguished career in the front five playing in the last 10% of Scottish rugby, but, I am not daft enough to shell-out for that one.

Really, does the Lions management think the red shirt and the name is a licence to print money? Any way, I have a notion the Lions will get their erses well and truly skelpt in New Zealand next summer.

SPEAKING of which, I am so-happy that “Toony” has opted out of an assistant coach's job with the Lions to get his feet properly under the table as Scotland coach in the South Pacific over the summer of 2017.

The spell away with most of his first-choice players, at the very least Hoggie, Sean Maitland, at least one of the centres, possibly Tommy Seymour; certainly Jonny Gray, Richie Gray and John Barclay – plus one or two others if they have outstanding Six Nations campaigns, ought to be on Lions duty.

Say a maximum of eight or nine out of a 35-strong squad with the Lions, that gives Toony plenty to work on and get his ideas across, well away from the scrutiny of the Scottish press corps!!

THE BT Premiership continues to turn-up entertaining rugby, somewhat under the radar of newspaper and broadcast media sports desks, who still – with guidance from Murrayfield – appear to believe there is no rugby in Scotland below the two Guinness PRO12 teams.

Ayr and Melrose are certainly the cream of the crop, now having almost an Old Firm aura about them, but, as has been shown on more than one occasion – they cannot take a win over every other club as a given. Elsewhere, every team is capable of beating every other one on any given Saturday. But still, the Premiershi struggles for decent coverage, although, again, kudos to big David Barnes for the ever-excellent Offside Line website and its coverage of the league.

PLEASE – I URGE YOU – SUPPORT THAT WEBSITE

THERE is also an interesting little game coming up this Saturday, which will well fly under the radar. Marr will entertain Edinburgh Accies at Fullarton; first hosting second in National League One. The winner of this one will be very much in the box seat when it comes to promotion to the top flight for next season. But, I fear it will garner little media interest, which is a pity.

I HAD sympathy for arguably Scotland's leading writer of sporting obituaries this week. He had to compile the obituary on Ian AA MacGregor, one of the leading SRU “blazers” of the amateur era.

This scribe works on the basis, if you cannot say anything good about somebody, say nothing, which doesn't make summarising MacGregor's massive contribution to Scottish rugby easy. You see, Ian MacGregor, who won nine caps between 1955 and 1957, and who spent a couple of decades inside Murrayfield had perhaps more enemies than he had friends.

This was partly self-induced, he was not an easy man to like, or get on with; but, he was a major player on the field – the only Hillhead HSFP forward ever to be capped – and an even bigger one in the committee-room. As one veteran Anniesland man said: “He was the most-thrawn bastard I ever met”.

He had his devils, but, he did much good work on the Laws of the Game, at IRB level. He put in years of largely unpaid work to bolster Glasgow District and he was acknowledged as one of the finest match analysts of his era.

But, he could be unreasonably prickly about petty details. Like us all, he had his flaws, but, regardless, with the death of Ian MacGregor, Scottish rugby has lost a significant character in its rich history.

ONE of my old team mates, these many years on missionary work in the Sudentenland, emailed me over the weekend. His email covered several topics, but, significantly, he asked what I thought were Glasgow's chances in Paris this weekend.

How I wish I could have been positive, but, after their error-strewn loss to a middling Munster side on Friday night, I fear for their chances against Racing.

To put it bluntly, Glasgow simply isn't the Glasgow we know at the moment. We can only hope the return of Hogg, Gray and Co will give them the lift they need, since Racing are also not playing well right now. This is not an easy match to call, but, you have to favour the French side slightly.

Two Out Of Three Aint Bad

BY ANY standards, Scotland's performances during the Autumn Internationals have to be considered successful, and promising. We won the two we were expected to win, and, with a wee rub of the green would also have beaten Australia. We unearthed one or two fringe players who have added to our strength-in-depth and, I believe, given luck with injuries in the interim, we can kick-on and have a good Six Nations.

We must pray for a return to full fitness of Alasdair Dickinson – the length of time he has been out of action is beginning to worry me, and of Wilem Nel. Well though Allan Dell, who has come on out of all recognition in recent weeks, and Zander Fagerson, did in the games – we need our two best props back for the 6Ns.

Vern Cotter now has real choices in the back division, particularly at centre, where Huw Jones ha been a rare find, selecting the wearers of the numbers 12 and 13 jerseys is now a real headache for the coach. We also have back row options, with Hamish Watson and Magnus Bradbury muscling their way into the mix, and Ryan Wilson having a great Autumn series.

Add that wee cameo from Ali Price against the Georgians, and confirmation of Rory Hughes's development from the same match and, yes, we are in not a bad place going into 2017.

THE atmosphere at Rugby Park was terrific, however, the match demonstrated the failings of the Ayrshire ground, a place I love and have done for many years. It was just too-busy.

The Lady I cannot live with, or live without – feelings she reciprocates, was telling me on Saturday night, how palpable the “buzz” was around the town on Saturday. This was obvious, how great to see Rugby Park nearly full – the crowd on Saturday will surely be the biggest the ground will host this season. All the franchises in the car park kept the fans around the place, everyone was happy and how different from the underlying sense of menace so-often associated with football games.

Mind you, the delays in handing out media passes pre-match didn't help, perhaps the SRU should address this issue before the 6Ns, while the lack of media parking was disgraceful, luckily for me, the Lady mentioned in the last paragraph lives 400 yards from the ground, so I was ok. Other hacks had horror stories to tell.

One glaring failure. How can you take a match to Rugby Park and NOT provide Killie Pies for the press at half-time. The SRU needs the press onside, some of us felt a wee bit under-valued when it came to the scran we were offered at the game – well down on what we expect at BT Murrayfield.

AS I suspected they would, the Scotland Women's team lost to Spain and are out of the World Cup. I accept, the SRU has to keep funding women's rugby, but, with the distaff side of the game in Scotland at such a low ebb, the governing body really is between a rock and a hard place.

Clearly, they do not seem to be getting value for money from their investment in Women's Rugby. Mind you, in Scottish Rugby, it appears to me, other than Glasgow, currently going through a bit of a dip, and to a lesser extent Scotland, every department of the game in Scotland is suffering.

Maybe if we had a half-way competent Director of Rugby looking at the whole game, and not just two professional sides, things would be better. There were a lot of people in official SRU anoraks running around Rugby ark on Saturday, and I haven't a clue what a lot of them actually do.

TOM Inglis was cremated on Friday, and thus Scottish Rugby has lost another of the good guys. Tom was an Ayr Academical, he loved life, rugby but most of all, having a good time. He seemed to be permanently smiling.

He did a lot for Ayr, and for his adopted club, Helensburgh. He did a lot during his short spell on the SRU Board and he will be sadly missed by all of us who knew him and counted him as a pal.

My lasting memory of TJ is from 40-years ago. The owners of a hotel in the town, which had suddenly become THE place to go on a Saturday night, decided it was becoming too-busy, so, they put five pence on the price of a pint.

The hotel was popular with Ayr RFC, it's where they guys went to chase women on a Saturday night, while the Friday at Five club met there to start the weekend.Any way, we said nothing about the price rise for about a month, then, one Friday night, Tom struck.

He approached the hotel owner: “Mrs Brown, about that rise in the cost of a pine....” he began.

“Yes Tom, I know, it was a bit steep, but, we felt we were attracting some riff-raff, so we have tried. to discourage them”.

“OK Mrs Brown, but, it hasn't worked – we are still here”, was Tom's response.

As I said – one of the good guys.

First Time I Saw Him, I Knew The Kid Would Be Capped

JUST occasionally in this sports-writing lark, you see a performance from a youngster, which absolutely convinces you – that kid is going places. Mind you, I have been wrong with quite a few from my days as a football reporter, but, that might have something to do with the shambles that is Scottish fitba, and the frazzled states inside so-many fitba players heids.

In rugby, it took me about three minutes of my first sighting of Andy Irvine to realise, that guy was going to be every bit as good as the hype suggested. Ditto Gavin Hastings and, closer to home, those of us who first saw him as a teenager, always knew Mark Bennett had the elusive X-factor.

Last season, in the course of covering an Ayr v Boroughmuir game, I began to notice the way 'Muir got go-forward ball, whenever young Magnus Bradbury had the ball. It was clear then, this was a big lump who was going right to the top.

So, I am delighted that he has been handed his Scotland debut against Argentine at BT Murrayfield on Saturday, and I am certain the boy will do well. Of course, he is carrying a wee bit of an additional burden, inasmuch as his mother is one of the Murrayfield High Heid Yins, as vice president of the SRU.

The SRU has history in this, with sons of “blazers” being capped, in some instances as what appeared to us on the sidelines, a case of the old Hollywood saying: “The son also rises”. I can remember one particularly useless hooker with an “establishment” club from Edinburgh getting a cap, ahead of at least three more-worthy hookers with Glasgow clubs.

“How did that useless so-and-so get capped”? I remember asking Gordon Brown at the time.

“Dunno, all we other forwards can think is, it has something to do with his father-in-law being Chairman of the selection committee”, was the answer.

In the next Scotland Trial, said son-in-law, propped by Ian McLauchlan and Sandy Carmichael, shipped 11 against the head to one of the Glasgow hookers, whose props were nowhere near the class of Scotland's two Lions' props – he (the Glasgow hooker) still didn't get into the team.

No such accusations of nepotism can be raised against big Magnus's elevation to the capped ranks – the boy is in on merit and I wish him well.

It is also good to see Tommy Seymour, probably Scotland's best winger, back in the XV. The chosen XV is pretty-much the one we all expected. We will be given a stern examination by Los Pumas, but, I believe we can win.

Scotland team to play Argentina at BT Murrayfield Stadium

Saturday 19 November (kick-off 5pm) - live on BBC

15 Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) – 46 caps; 11 tries, 3 pens, 64 points 14 Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 24 caps; 3 tries, 15 points 13 Huw Jones (Stormers) – 2 caps; 2 tries, 10 points 12 Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors) – 17 caps; 5 tries, 25 points 11 Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 29 caps; 13 tries, 65 points   10 Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors) – 20 caps; 2 tries, 3 cons, 1 pen, 19 points 9 Greig Laidlaw CAPTAIN (Gloucester) – 54 caps; 4 tries, 68 cons, 129 pens, 543 points   1 Allan Dell (Edinburgh Rugby) – 1 cap 2 Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 18 caps 3 Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 2 caps 4 Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby) – 13 caps; 1 try, 5 points 5 Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 26 caps; 2 tries, 10 points 6 Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh Rugby) – uncapped 7 Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby) – 3 caps 8 John Barclay (Scarlets) – 53 caps; 4 tries, 20 points   Substitutes:16 Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) – 100 caps; 2 tries, 10 points 17 Alex Allan (Glasgow Warriors) – 1 cap 18 Moray Low (Exeter Chiefs) – 35 caps 19 Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) – 24 caps 20 Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) – 21 caps 21 Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped 22 Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 21 caps; 2 tries, 1 con, 1 pen, 15 points 23 Tim Visser (Harlequins) – 27 caps; 11 tries, 55 points Unavailable through injury: Alasdair Dickinson (hamstring), Richie Gray (possible concussion), John Hardie (ankle/knee/concussion), Josh Strauss (calf).

Yes We're Upbeat, But, We Still Have Some Way To Go

I HAVE several (now former) rugby- playing friends, now part of the Caledonian Diaspora, in various parts of the world. All were, like me, disappointed at the final outcome, but, upbeat by the performance, following Saturday's match at BT Murrayfield.

Of course, we have been here before, there have been prior false dawns for Scottish rugby, but, we can hope, that, this time, we turn promise into performance and positive results in the weeks and months to come.

The introduction of Edinburgh's Cornell Du Preez into the squad is another positive step – he has shown, since arriving in the capital, he is a class act and I wish him well. I just wish the SRU would hurry-up and put in place a system whereby more of the exciting young talent we see in weekly action in the BT Premiership could take the step up to the professional ranks.

Given the SRU management group are keen to attract outside investment, we can take it, they will not be in the position to start the third professional team we need, to help Scotland better compete at the very-highest level.

We really need to take steps to close the gap between the two professional sides in the Guinness PRO12 and the BT Premiership. It is high time genuine efforts to get the oft-spoken about semi-professional league up and running.

For far too long, the leading club sides have been ignored by Murrayfield. But, that said, the clubs do not always help themselves. Some clubs still have this sense of entitlement – they have not been “top sides” or years, but, they still think they are. They do not have the infrastructure, or in some cases the organisation or desire to become leading semi-professional sides, but, they think they ought to be in there, and will find means to thwart any set-up which doesn't recognise that they ought to be there.

Then there is the tribalism which permeates so-much of Scottish life. We see it particularly in every Scottish sport.

For instance, last season the Club XV won both games, beating England and Ireland. Great, but, why is there not a Club XV Six Nations? This would be a great way of giving our top club players additional experience. Last summer the England squad that lost to Scotland in the Club XV International, toured South Africa. Why not our lads?

I would also like to see a Scotland B squad, or Under-23 squad, getting involved in games against the lesser European nations, to give our fringe professional players further experience – a lot of these guys don't play too-many games.

GPS “Phil” Macpherson, the inter-wars legend and captain of Scotland's first “Grand Slam”-winning side of the 1920s is among the latest tranche of inductees into World Rugby's Hall of Fame. Already a member of the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame, Macpherson joins: Ned Haig and Melrose RFC, Ian McGeechan, Gavin Hastings, David Bedell-Sevright, Jimmy Greenwood, Bill McLaren, Gordon Brown and Andy Irvine as an inductee into the Hall of Fame. Also in there are the Scots who were members of the original 1888 “British Lions” tourists in Australia and NewZealand. One of these is the great Dr John Smith, one of the legends of the early glory days of Scottish football.

Smith has scored two hat-tricks against England, but, while Rugby has honoured his membership of those first “Lions”, he is still waiting induction into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.