What Is Going To Be Done About Edinburgh?

WHAT are we going to do about Edinburgh? Given the rugby culture in our capital city, given the fact increasingly, the bright lights of Auld Reekie is a magnet for the ambitious young players from Scottish rugby's Borders heartland, Edinburgh and not Glasgow should be Scotland's leading club – but, they are struggling, and have been for some time.

Alan Solomons' vision for the club is of a hard core of talented young Scots, supplemented by overseas professionals. The talented young Scots are there, albeit a wee bit away from being fully-mature, but, quite frankly, the overseas professionals – WP Nel and John Hardie, and to a lesser degree Phil Burleigh and Cornell du Preez, simply have not cut the mustard.

I don't know what the trouble is. Certainly, they are currently suffering badly from injuries to key players, but, it seems to me, there simply isn't the same culture of winning and improving at Murrayfield that there is at Scotstoun. I don't think Solomons is getting 100% from all his players, indeed, I feel a good number are “coasting”, safe in the knowledge, they will continue to be picked, regardless of how they perform.

It cannot help that they are playing at Murrayfield, a ground which is soulless when not in international use – maybe the switch to Myreside will add atmosphere, but, not if the team continues to struggle.

I think, we must, in some ways reluctantly, summon a taxi for Mr Solomons. But, who will replace him? Well, in the short-term, why not ask Vern Cotter to double-up, while he works his notice? At the very least, it would get him back into the swing of daily coaching, ready for his next job after Scotland.

MEANWHILE, the dust is still settling on that epic encounter between Glasgow and Ulster on Friday night. This was indeed brutal stuff, with an injured Glasgow just falling short against opponents who will, like Glasgow, be right in the title mix at the end of the season.

Glasgow were, of course, handicapped by injuries, particularly in the back row, but, at least, the youngsters learned at the coal face, how hard this league is.

That said, I feel the much-maligned Pro12 referees really have to get a grip on the Irish sides' and Ulster are not the only villains in this, and their illegalities at the breakdown. Ulster, like Leinster, Connacht and Munster, have developed a counter-rucking game which repeatedly sees them taking out players well beyond the actual ruck, and generally getting away with it.

Ian Henderson took-out Tommy Seymour well past the breakdown, and rightly was yellow-carded. Indeed, at Ayr on Saturday, some were arguing it should have been a red. However, repeatedly during the match, Ulster men were hitting the rucks, from an angle, and making no-arms charges in to Glasgow players, there quite legally – and getting away with it.

Stronger policing of the rucks please referees. I heard one or two old rugby men, at Ayr on Saturday, saying if they had sons just starting out in rugby, they would have concerns, such is the ferocity of the rucking today.

Of course, as I have been saying for at least the last 20-years – the quicker they bring back real rucking, with the necessity of playing the ball with a foot, the better for the game. With today's all-seeing tv eyes, the head-kickers would soon be eliminated and we would see a faster, cleaner game.

AYR v Melrose on Saturday was, in spite of the terrible conditions, a tremendous advert for the much-maligned BT Premiership. Two good sides, giving it their all for 80 minutes, with the result in doubt right until the end. What more could you want from a league game?

Ayr might, with a bit more composure first-half, have won by a greater margin, but, they could never shake-off a determined 'Rose, who scored one of the great break-out tries to break the deadlock. A pity, for the whole game, that Fraser Thomson tweaked a hamstring in the move, his exciting incursions from the back are always worth the admission money. Also, Austin Lockington, another Melrose back who makes things happen, never seemed to recover from one storming tackle from Craig Gossman, who must, pound-for-pound, be the fiercest tackler in Scotland.

Big Rob McAlpine divides opinions at Millbrae. When he first broe through with West of Scotland, we thought – this kid could go places. However, he seemed to lose his way when drafted to Edinburgh, while he has long-established medical problems which need careful monitoring.

However, when he is right, as he was on Saturday, he is a formidable presence. He trucked-up in the loose, but, he began, in the second half, to read the Melrose line-out and on several occasions, he pirated Melrose line-out possession in dangerous positions deep in the home 22.

Rob was one of several Ayr players to catch the eye. Young, newly-recruited Stage One development player, 18-year-old Stafford McDowall,just weeks out of Merchiston, did well at centre. He's a big lad, who has a real future as a rucking focal point.

Stafford is from Stewartry, as is Ayr scrum-half David Armstrong, who, week by week, grows in stature and, for my money, right now he is the best nine in the Premiership.

Not that the eye-catching displays on Saturday were all on the home side. Neil Irvine-Hess is one of the quiet men of the Premiership, but, his value to Melrose is immense. Nothing flashy about “Nellie”, he simply goes about his business with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of success. Every team should have one.