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.