Finally - Proper Domestic Rugby Kicks-Off Today

I DON'T KNOW about the rest of Scotland, but it was a bloody dreich morning when the Princess Grand-Daughter came fluttering here eyelashes at Papa, to run her to the station for her train to work.

If, as seems probable, the rain is still falling come 3pm, it will be a far from ideal start for the opening serious games of the 2019-20 season. Of course, we will all have half an eye on events in Tbilisi, with additional prayers for no more injuries which will deny players a World Cup appearance, but, back home, the main event is the first round of games in the Scottish Cup.

There are six Preliminary Round ties on the card, the pick of which is surely the clash of Hawick and Melrose at Mansfield Park. With most of last season's 'Rose squad now in training, for Southern Knights' season in Super-6, which does not, of course, kick-off until November, there are few familiar faces in the visiting line-up: Grant Runciman and Richard Ferguson for example will be giving a lead to the youngsters around them, while the Greens will have perennial nuisance Bruce McNeill as ever, attempting to referee the game from number eight in a side with a lot of last season's familiar names back.

Bruce McNeill will again be powering the Green Machine forward

Cup-holders Ayr begin the defence of the trophy against Dundee HSFP up at Mayfield. One or two of last season's fringe players have not made the transition to Ayrshire Bulls, but, new coach Stuart Fenwick still hands debuts to eight of his starting XV, with three further potential debutants on the bench.

Among the newcomers is Scotland Under-18 hooker Scott Clelland and (on the bench) Zac Howard, son of former Rangers and Ayr United centre-back Nigel Howard, who made a transition to rugby once his football career ended.

There are two all-Premiership ties, with Musselburgh entertaining Glasgow Hawks at Stoneyhill, and Marr making the long trek north to face Aberdeen Grammar.

The match at Mayfield is, of course, and all National League 1 affair, as is the game between Highland and Watsonians up at Canal Park. The final tie sees Currie Chieftains, who have lost one or two of their exciting young players to Super-6, entertaining NL1 newcomers Biggar at Malleny Park.

The National League Cup, for the NL2 and NL3 clubs also gets underway this afternoon, with eight preliminary round ties, while the Regional Leagues also fire-up today, so, if you haven't taken-out a Premier Sports subscription in order to watch the match in Tbilisi, or if your club isn't showing it, there is still plenty of rugby going on around the country.

THERE IS an interesting pre-season game at BT Murrayfield, where Edinburgh entertain London Scottish. In spite of Scotland calls, the Edinburgh side still contains a smattering of big names throughout their 30-man squad, while the Exiles come north with a strong squad, captained by Lewis Wynne.

There are some familiar names, such as ex Glasgow Warriors pair Bobby Beattie and James Malcolm in the Scottish squad – they both start, as does former Edinburgh prop Phil Cringle, with Alex Toolis, who used to lock the Edinburgh scrum alongside twin brother Ben, on the bench for the Exiles.

Oh! What A Tangled Web We Weave

THE STORY of Richie Gray's inclusion/exclusion/refusal to serve (you pays your money and you takes your choice of which story to believe) in Scotland's Rugby World Cup squad is, for my money, yet another example of the fact, the Media Department within BT Murrayfield is simply, to use a favourite expression from within the Junta – not fit for purpose.

Richie Gray - was his non-selection a conspiracy or merely an SRU fuck-up?

From the moment Gregor Townsend announced his extended squad of 40 players, the omission of Gray Major from the list was a topic of conversation. To refer to George Orwell's dictum: “News is something somebody doesn't want known – everything else is advertising.” The SRU's media elves have clearly never learned this.

The big man spent a good part of last season injured, but, he returned in time to play a role in Toulouse winning the Top 14. He has 62 caps, is a British and Irish Lion. He brings a combination of bulk, athleticism and experience which none of our other potential World Cup locks can demonstrate. Also, having turned 30 this month, 2019 might prove to be his final chance of appearing in a World Cup – it would have been his third straight tournament.

NOT selecting him for the initial squad was therefore bound to be something the rugby press could get their teeth into. We now understand, Toony was, even at that stage, taling to Richie in an effort to get him on-board. You might argue that, if the player was uncertain as to whether or not he could commit, the decision should have been made then, and a statement released.

But, nothing happened, he stayed in France, doing pre-season with Toulouse, and the question of his availability continued to nag away in the background. Then, with the injury to Sam Skinner, the question of picking Richie returned to the forefront of the speculation. We then had Tim Swinson called-up and only yesterday, two days before the final Summer Test prior to the World Cup squad being announced, do we learn that Richie will not be going.

But, let's look at Richie's circumstances. He has spent longer in France as a professional player than he has in the UK. He and wife Ellie – a former Miss Scotland – are happily settled in the South of France, they have a new baby. Also, he is in the final year of his Toulouse contract, and, having had a lengthy period out through injury, he perhaps feels he owes the club some loyalty at a time when they have several other players away on World Cup duty.

Richie has the Scotland cap, he has the Lions player number and cap – he perhaps feels this is the time to concentrate on his lucrative club contract, prolonging that and preparing for retirement from the game.

At 30, a player's priorities tend to change. Good luck to Richie in the future, however, I cannot help but feel, the whole situation was badly handled by BT Murrayfield. Media Management is a crucial part of modern day professional sport – as the Richie Gray case demonstrates, it is something at which the SRU is not very good.

The Richie Gray story is one which affects the mainstream media, but, it is not only here that the SRU Media Department is failing. The excellent Mitsubishi Youth Conferences kicked-off last weekend, yet, it is only today, that the SRU website shows them correctly. When I checked earlier in the week, the results and fixtures were up there in triplicate. This has now been corrected, but, this ought to have been done before now.

There are some good operators within the SRU Media Department, but, for me, they lack a genuine, experienced hard-nosed journalist, who could tell them what the mainstream media wants to get out of a press release; a guy with contacts within the industry, who could use his experience and contacts to get Scottish Rugby the media profile and presence it deserves.

YESTERDAY, I mentioned that Clydesdale, or “The Larkhall Loyal” as they are referred-to in some quarters, are back playing social rugby, with a view to perhaps re-entering the leagues next season.

Well, apparently such stories come in pairs, with the news, put out on Facebook last night, that Bute are back and looking for social games this season. This has to be welcome news, who doesn't fancy a trip doon the watter to Rothesay?

THE EXCELLENT website Rugby Referee.net has this morning listed those referees who will be officiating in the 2019-20 World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series. Scotland's top two sevens officials: Sam Grove-White and Hollie Davidson are among the 25 match officials from 15 countries listed.

More jet-setting ahead for Sam Grove-White and Hollie Davidson

However, interestingly, neither Sam nor Hollie will be officiating at any of the 2019 tournaments, but will be clocking up the air miles in the first six months of 2020.

Might this, I wonder, have anything to do with the resignations of Lloyd Linton and Keith Allen from the Union's elite referees panel? Certainly, with Lloyd and Keith off the list, this creates a couple of top-level vacancies, so, it would make sense to hold Sam and Hollie back to lend their experience to the Tennent's Premiership and Super Six.

TWO FORMER Glasgow Warriors' players, lock Sam Thomson and flanker Ruaridh Mackenzie have been named in the 2019 Sydney squad for the Australian National Rugby Championship – the Australian version of Super-6.

Both Thomson, who went to Australia after being cut from the Warriors squad and the Inverness-born, New Zealand-raised Mackenzie, son of former Selkirk and Scotland prop Gregor earned selection for the Rays squad through outstanding performances in helping Warraringah Rats win the Shute Shield.

Ruaridh Mackenzie's fightback to gain this selection is ane xample to all. His time with Warriors, on a joint-deal with Ayr, was ended when he contracted meningitis. This forced an early return home to New Zealand and lengthy convalescence, before he battled back to join the Rats.

The pair will be hoping to feature in the Rays' local derby with New South Wales Country Eagles, which kicks off in the early hours of Saturday morning, our time.

An Extreme Diet, But, It Paid Off

IT HAS been a somewhat fraught week here in the Sports Philosophy faculty at the Department of Stating the Bleeding Obvious, within the School of Hard Knocks. A major computer fuck-up has rendered me incommunicado, until now.

So, where to start: well, let's get the good news out of the way first. As we know, Lanark RFC are returning to league play this season, while in a further indication of better things in South Lanarkshire, CLYDESDALE RFC is also rising from its presumed deathbed. In fact, the two near neighbours met earlier this week for a social game.

Star of the show was Clydesdale President Larry Walker, who was leading from the front, propping for his club. Nothing wrong with that, except, Larry only played after winning his battle against Cancer. The battle was a lengthy one, but, throughout it, he never wavered in his determination to get back playing for his club, and, six stones lighter, it was a case of mission accomplished this week.

Brilliant show Larry, but, I can think of easier ways of shifting that much weight.

I HEAR too of a well-attended and interesting meeting of the West Regional Leagues North clubs at Scotstoun, at which matters of mutual concern were debated with members of the Rugby Development Department and the various clubs.

I have a lot of sympathy for Sheila Begbie and the RD elves, in their support of the clubs, since, as was clear at the meeting – there is no one size fits all solution to the problems facing them.

The issue of how best to re-organise the leagues came up. You have a case where what would work for a club in the Greater Glasgow area might not work for a community club from a large town, of a rural club from a village.

For instance, some of the rural clubs struggle to raise teams during peak times in the agricultural year – lambing time, or when they are at the4 silage, while “town” clubs look for a more consistent season, to keep the bar ticking over.

Mind you, I did laugh when I heard of one club, in a “tourist” area, who reckon they could survive pretty well without playing rugby. Their town's pubs and hotels are so-busy and packed by visitors on a Saturday night, the locals gravitate to the club to get peace and quiet.

AYR RUGBY CLUB is facing a season of change. A lot of attention is being focussed on their Super-6 side: Ayrshire Bulls, who, of course, don't get into action until November, while the Ayr RFC 1^st XV will be playing in National League 1.

This is the side which will start the defence of the Scottish Cup, against Dundee HSFP, at Mayfield, on Saturday. And, to warm-up, new Ayr coach Stuart Fenwick and Vice President Jim McKay, led a group of 52 players to Bainbridge in Northern Ireland last week-end, for 1^st and 2^nd XV games.

The party included a few graduates from the successful Ayr youth development programme and Stuart is confident his young charges will be able to give a good account of themselves in the new season.

The trip certainly produced some good team bonding and was a worth-while exercise.

Meanwhile, Ayrshire Bulls announced a further three signings this week, they are: loose-head prop Ruaridh Sayce, utility back Ollie Smith and hooker Lewis Anderson, who is returning to Ayrshire following a year playing for Hong Kong Scottish.

Sayce and Smith were with the double-winning Ayr squad last season.

GREGOR TOWNSEND this afternoon announced his squad to travel to Tbilisi on Saturday for the first international against Georgia. The squad, as ever in 1-23 order is:

Allan Dell, Stuart McInally (Captain), Wilem Nel, Ben Toolis, Grant Gilchrist, John Barclay, Hamish Watson, Matt Fagerson; Greig Laidlaw, Finn Russell; Sean Maitland, Sam Johnson, Rory Hutchison, Darcy Graham, Blair Kinghorn. Replacements: Grant Stewart, Jamie Bhatti, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Josh Strauss, Ali Price, Adam Hastings, Huw Jones.

It looks a strong team, and I reckon at least 14 of the 23 will be on the plane to Japan, while one or two of the rest are being given a last chance to clinch a place, prior to Toony announcing the final World Cup squad of 31 next Tuesday.

Better - But These Are Still Early Days

SPORTS WRITING is sometimes seen as the last refuge of the written cliché. At the end of the day, practitioners of the art of sports-writing are following an age-old trade, covering, in the case of football, cricket or rugby, a game more than a century old, in which very little new happens. Thus, a temptation to recycle old terminology and we have dejas vu all over again.

One of the time-honoured cliches is the one about a league campaign being: “a marathon rather than a sprint.” If that one, cliché number 57 by my count, hold good, what can we say about a World Cup campaign?

Certainly not a marathon, but, too long for a sprint. Perhaps a World Cup is a middle-distance race. In which case, we are maybe only coming up to the end of the first lap. The runners are still sorting themselves out, and getting used to the pace.

In which case, it is far too early to be getting excited about results in the current round of warm-up games. Of course I was disappointed at the poor showing in Nice last weekend. But, while a lot happier with what I saw at BT Murrayfield yesterday, I am not going to be shouting from the roof tops that all is well.

There were some good things seen yesterday, but, watching the replay on Free Sports this morning, I thought: yes, we are doing some good things, but, we are still a wee bit off the pace, that, however will come.

A lot of passes didn't stick, moves were not read, good chances were spurned, but, the basic shape was better against the French in Edinburgh than it had been in Nice.

We are getting there, slowly, and I am sure, by the time we run out against the Irish in Yokohama, we should be up to the required speed.

I do not for one moment think, on that day, the men in green will be as rank as they were against England yesterday, and, for our Celtic cousins, I fear they may have managed to ape the age-old habit of Scottish football teams, to have peaked the year before a World Cup.

One thing which I felt was clearly established yesterday is, Wayne Barnes is now the world's number one referee. I really hope we get him in the final in Japan, the bonus to which would be, it would mean England hadn't made it – although I dare say, Inverdale, Guscott & Co will have their name on the trophy already.

A WEE query which came my way over this weekend was this, asked me by a club official, who said:

“We are being told, 190 of the 210 squad places in the six Super-6 franchises have been filled, which leaves 20 players to recruit across the half dozen franchises.

“The squads have to be completed by 30 September. Does the players' salaries start from then, or from now, when we understand they are already in-training.

“So, could players perhaps turn out for the S6 clubs' “amateur” club sides in National League 1 – but mysteriously be upgraded to S6 players on 31 September?”

That gets us into QI territory – ie, nobody knows. We are told, there is a “gentleman's agreement,” whereby the six clubs have agreed not to field S6 squad members in their NL1 squads. Will this stick?

I suppose, this is just another example of the mistrust and uncertainty which has been such a feature of the formation of Super-6. It needs, even at this late stage, sorting.

THAT WAS another cracking exclusive that big David Barnes and The Offside Line came up with last night: with the news that the new players union, formed by big Tim Swinson, had taken a leading role in negotiating the participation deal between the SRU and the Scotland squad, for the Rugby World Cup.

At least two of Scotland's football World Cup campaigns never recovered from a pre-tournament bust-up between the squad and the SFA, so kudos to both sides for sorting things out so well and so-far ahead of the tournament.

WAY BACK last century, when writing about sport was still a part-time, paying hobby for me, I earned my main crust working for a tyre company.

One evening, the boss and I were summoned up to Parliamentary Road in Glasgow, where one of our trucks had collided with a Royal Mail van. One of the postmen was sitting on the pavement, moaning loudly and complaining of a bad back; an ambulance had been summoned. There was then an interesting conversation between my boss and a big Glesca polis who was on the scene.

“Whit's wrang wi him?” the boss enquired.

“Looks tae me like a bad case o' compen setting in,” replied the world-weary policeman.

Sure enough, a couple of weeks later, we got a letter from the mail man's representatives, Messrs Soo, Grabbit & Runn, explaining that their client had suffered life-threatening injuries and was holding our truck and driver responsible.

Unfortunately for him, both the boss and I had noted the Royal Mail van had not had a passenger seat, so, the badly-maimed client had no damned right to be in the van, and any injuries sustained were his own fault.

We heard nothing further on the claim.

But, that was then, this is now, where ambulance-chasing lawyers are a growing breed and the compensation culture is well-established. There was an interesting we story in the Guardian at the weekend, it seems, in Ireland, where spourious compensation claims are now a fact of life, a couple of spectators at matches at the Aviva in Dublin are suing the stadium for damages of around €60,000 – after spectators were hit by the match ball.

Scottish clubs, you have been fore-warned.

Good Guiys Do Get Recognition, And Deserve It

BILL McMURTRIE is perhaps the ultimate rugby poacher turned gamekeeper. The young Galashiels Academy schoolboy, who had his first match report published in the Border Telegraph, aged 15 – well it helped that his Dad was Editor – went on to become the distinguished Rugby Correspondent of the (Glasgow) Herald, before he segued into the corridors of power at BT Murrayfield as a full Council member.

Bill McMurtrie, as in this picture, handed-out a lot of 

awards onbehalf of the SRU. Last night, he was on the

receiving end, and deservedly so.

Bill, has no ego, thus, he gets a wee big miffed when I say this, but, for me, he was "the best President the SRU never had." Illness, his own and that of his beloved and devoted wife Evelyn has forced Bill to give up active involvement in rugby, the game in which he has made, over 60-plus years, a huge impact.

So, on Friday night, in an under-stated ceremony at GHA's Braidholm ground a gathering, including no less than two SRU Presidents, incumbent Dee Bradbury and Ed Crozier, plus Board member Willie Gardner convened to see Bill's contribution to rugby recognised. It was an appropriate setting, given Bill's long association with the club, as secretary.

Dee sparkled, recalling the fall-outs she had with Bill, when she was President of Oban Lorne Bill, was the SRU official charged with investigating alleged rules breaches: “When I was in the Police, I have seen murder cases less-thoroughly investigated,” she joked. But, as she made clear, nobody ever fell-out with WM McMurtrie for long.

Dee then gave way to Dougie Belmore, who paid tribute to Bill's help and guidance, in particular his forensic knowledge of the SRU bye-laws, before praising: “his phenomenal impact on Scottish Rugby, as journalist and administrator,” before, on behalf of the West Region clubs, he presented Bill with a quaich, while Evelyn received an SRU necklace.

In reply, Bill, for once, was struggling for words. He mentioned his life-long interest in the game, which had actually taken him round the world. “It has been an absolute delight to be part of Scottish rugby, and while I doubt if I will ever again be at Murrayfield – where I first ventured as a 13-year-oild schoolboy, to see Scotland beat Wales 19-0 in 1951, I will still be able to get down here to Braidholm.”

The Herald has fallen a long way from the standards it had when Bill was Sports Editor, it no longer covers rugby as comprehensively as in Bill's day. In fact, the paper no longer has a dedicated Rugby Correspondent, while it barely comments on games below those involving Glasgow and Edinburgh in the PRO14. Both David Barnes and I tipped-off the paper about Bill's presentation, they deigned to cover the occasion, which, considering here was a former Sports Editor, was for me, criminal.

In Bill McMurtrie's heyday, if you pardon the crudity, nobody farted in West of Scotland rugby, but Bill McMurtrie knew about it. He would as often turn-up at a midweek, end-of-season Ayrshire Cup game, as at West v Glasgow Accies. We shall not see his likes again.

I do not want this to read like Bill McMurtrie's obituary, I know he is struggling health-wise, but, I hope to have access to his good sense and his experience for a wee while longer.

He thoroughly deserved his recognition of Friday night.

The Calcutta Cup was on-display, with several of the guests taking the opportunity to be photographed with it. I was offered the chance, but declined. Being a big-headed so-and-so, I would surely have either put the picture up on here, or on my facebook page.

I would hate to think that might have got one or two people into trouble with the Junta, I could just see TCD and J Cheever Loophole calling a fatwa on whoever let me near the precious trophy, which, by the way, is even more-impressive up close than seen from a distance.

I also had a brief chat with the charming Dee Bradbury. The Lady knows her stuff, and for me, is doing an excellent job in her figurehead role. Now, if she could just bring the hired help to heel in matters rugby – still, she is, like a lot of us, enthused by the appointment, and looking forward to seeing how Jim Mallinder performs as Director of Performance Rugby.

A Bold Appointment, Let's Give The Guy A Chance

Jim Mallinder, our new Director of Performance Rugby

THE WAY in which the appointment of JIM MALLINDER as the new Director of Performance Rugby for the SRU was broken is proof of George Orwell's dictum: “News is something somebody does not want printed – everything else is advertising.”

In an ideal world, The Junta would have unveiled Mallinder to a stunned world, at a set-piece presentation at BT Murrayfield. TCD would have smiled graciously on all us unclean media scum and got his ugly mug plastered across the papers and TV as he welcomed his new recruit aboard.

This scenario, of course, depended on keeping the appointment quiet, until they were ready to break the story, and having a media department fit for purpose. Ah well! Ce'st la vie.

The initial social media reaction was predictable, once LL-B had confirmed the appointment in a tweet early this morning – outraged Scots bemoaning the arrival of yet another Englishman to swell the already heavy salary and ancillary costs of performance rugby in Scotland. However, this rather overlooks the obvious drawback – we don't have a suitably-qualified Scot available.

I am not going to decry Mallinder, he brings an impressive CV to the job and I am prepared to give him time to settle-in, then make his changes. My only slight concern is, he has been appointed before Ben Ryan has presented his findings on the state of the Performance Department.

Let's hope Ryan and Mallinder are singing off the same hymn sheet.

There have also been suggestions that Mallinder, a former player and coach with Sale Sharks, is perhaps an old Mancunian buddy of TCD. He may have won his England caps ought of Sale, but, Mallinder is a proud Yorkshireman, born in Halifax. A read through of his profile on Wikipedia gives the impression of a very-talented and driven coach. I believe he will prove to be a good appointment.

Also, he has been plucked from the RFU's management team and anything which might hurt England, that's ok by me.

He also continues the SRU's relationship with his last club, Northampton Saints; Toony played there, Ian McGeechan coached there, so, that's another point in Mallinder's favour.

All things considered, it's a good appointment, let's give TCD some praise for pulling it off, and the new guy time before we rush to judgement.

TOM HOWIE'S funeral will be held, at 2pm on Monday, 26 August, in Dunlop Kirk, followed by interment, at Dunlop Cemetry, at 2.30pm. I expect the great and good of Glasgow and West of Scotland rugby to be there in numbers to bid farewell to a great servant of the game.