He's Jones the Jock Now

WOW! I never saw that one coming. I do not pay a great deal of attention to South African rugby, and I do not have Sky, therefore, I knew nothing of Huw Jones, and, even if I had heard of him, with that name I would have put his father down as an exiled member of the Taffia.

Huw Jones of Stormers

Well, I ken noo – he's a fully-paid-up member of the Caledonian Diaspora, one of us, and he could well earn his debut Scotland cap during the Summer tour to Japan. Good luck to the boy, at least, his selection shows, Sean Lineen is earning his corn as global scout for eligible Scottish players.

BT MURRAYFIELD goes well and truly green today, with the Guinness Pro12 final seeing the plce taken over by the Murphyia, for the day.

I make no apologies, I am a Connacht man for the duration. They have been a breath of fresh air in this season's Pro12. They have a tenuous SRU connection through Pat Lam's brief spell on the Scotland coaching staff and, they deservedly beat Glasgow in the semi-final. Any way, it would be nice to see, for the second straight year, a new name etched on the Pro12 trophy.

TODAY'S other big game is at Twickenham, where Saracens must overcome Exeter to land an English/European double. This one promises to be an epic encounter, and I find myself torn as to which outcome I would prefer.

My late elder brother played for Saracens, back in the far-off amateur days of the 1960s, when they were arguably the least-fashionable of the senior London clubs. During their brief sojourn in Watford, the guy I sat beside through school, long since embedded with the Scottish Missionary Service in the Sudetenland, was a major sponsor, so, I ought to be wearing my fez and cheering-on Sarries.

Rob Baxter of Exeter

But, a few years back, I covered a pre-season friendly between Exeter and Glasgow, at Millbrae. I had barely heard of that club, and of Rob Baxter, their charismatic Director of Rugby. I left Millbrae as a definite fan. I like the type of rugby they play, I love the togetherness of the club the way they play for each other. This afternoon, as turn on BT Sport to watch, I am, for once, a confirmed fence-sitter.

PETER McCallum, already his own club's Player of the Year, was last night confirmed as Scotland's Club Player of the Year, at the SRU's annual Club Awards Dinner – and quite right too.

Scotland Club XV number eight Peter McCallum receiving his Ayr P-O-Y award from Calum Forrester, has now added the Scottish Club Player of the Year award to his list of honours

Ah Kent his faither, big Chris – who could have gone further than the Scotland Under-21 team, if he could have been arsed. To Chris, rugby was nothing more than a good way to work-up a thirst on a Saturday afternoon. His son, thankfully, takes the game a wee bit more seriously than his Dad did.

Peter has scored tries this season at a rate which, if he had been scoring goals for Ayr United, rather than tries for Ayr RFC, would have earned him a big-money move to a top team. But, more than that, he has proved to be one-third, with Blair Macpherson and Will Bordill, of a very-effective breakaway unit. He also, stood-out in the Scotland Club XV.

He is, however, unlikely to get a call to Glasgow or Edinburgh, since, he is neither tall enough, nor heavy enough to be a professional Number Eight, and not fast enough to be a professional Seven. So, he will go on causing havoc from the base of the Ayr pack, for a wee while yet. However, he was a worthy winner.

Emma Wassell of Murrayfield Wanderers won the equivalent Women's award, while that jammy so-and-so Phil Smith of Heriot's was named Coach of the Year.

Coach of the Year Phil Smith

The complete list of award winners, announced at Murrayfield last night, reads:

• BT Club of the Season – Annan
• BT Women’s Club of the Season – Garioch
• Coach of the Season – Phil Smith (Heriot’s)
• Youth Coach of the Season – Gary Coupland (Annan)
• Referee of the Season – Duncan McClement
• Caledonia Best Spirit of Rugby – Mike Dawson (Murrayfield Wanderers)
• BT Volunteer of the Season – Peter Hill (Duns)
• Brigadier Frank Coutts Memorial (BT) Try of the Season – Steven Rutledge (Highland)
• BT Premiership Player of the Season – Peter McCallum (Ayr)
• BT National League Division 1 Player of the Season – Ben Johnston (Marr)
• BT National League Division 2 Player of the Season – Ross Gillies (Cartha Queen’s Park)
• BT National League Division 3 Player of the Season – Tony Herron (GHK)
• BT Caledonia Regional Player of the Season – Andrew Findlater (Highland)
• BT East Regional Player of the Season – Jamie Simpson (Earlston)
• BT West Regional Player of the Season – Corrie Louw (Oban Lorne)
• BT Women’s Premier League Player of the Season – Emma Wassell (Murrayfield Wanderers)
• BT Women’s National League Division 1 Player of the Season – Audrey Barr (Oban Lorne)
• BT Women’s National League Division 2 Player of the Season – Nicola Howat (Howe Harlequins)
• Scottish Rugby Club Development Officers of the Year Awards – Brendan McGroarty (Greenock Wanderers), Colin Sturgeon (Glasgow Life), Graeme Simpson (Falkirk)

Brendan McGroarty - Hawks's skipper's development work has been recognised