Digging-In For Victory In Five Star Luxury

I AM TELT our glorious leader, TCD and his Board are today establishing base camp at one of their favourite watering holes, St Andrew's Old Course Hotel. They will discuss serious issues there, and be joined tomorrow, for further intense talks, by our elected representatives – the SRU Council.

Who'd be a board member,having to slum it here for the next two days

They have much to discuss, after all, even the misogynist English rugby media has suddenly discovered, we play the game up here. Just this week we have seen Fleet Street's Finest assuring us that Matt Sheratt is poised to become Scotland's Attack Coach, while the Australian media rumour mill has it that, having already prised Dave Rennie from Murrayfield's employment, Scott Johnson now wants to repatriate Matt Taylor.

So, on coaches alone, much for TCD and The Junta to discuss. Except, let's look a bit closer:

• Sheratt as Attack Coach? To replace who? The current Scotland Attack Coach is Gregor Townsend, and we don't think he's going anywhere any time soon.
• And, even if he did, it wouldn't be an Attack Coach, but a Head Coach we would be trying to recruit, and Sheratt isn't in that league.
• Sheratt's “best mate” is apparently Danny Wilson, the incoming Glasgow coach
• So Sheratt, who will seemingly be quitting his contract at Ospreys at the end of this season might be a better fit for Glasgow than Scotland.
• Taylor to Australia? Well, our defence came-in for some criticism at the World Cup, so, maybe the players need to hear a different voice.
• Would Taylor leaving be a body blow?

No, to me it all reads like a long-established football thing coming into rugby – an agent flying a kite for his client via a friendly journalist. Sheratt is out of a job in about six months, so, get in early letting people know he will be available.

HOWEVER, I doubt if changes to the various coaching staffs will be paramount in the discussions. The sensible thing would surely be to wait until new Performance Director Jim Mallinder is in-situ and able to freely voice his ideas to the great and good.

I understand Mallinder starts in January, this gives time to make any backroom changes before the 6 Nations squad is announced. Mind you, more-worrying are the continuing rumours about relationships inside the dressing room from Japan.

The belief is afoot that: “Toony had 'lost the dressing room' in Japan.” Some, who would like to have us think they are in the know, insist Finn Russell has stopped listening to the Coach. I hae ma doots about this. I kind of accept when you have two such individualists as Russell and Townsend, you will always get some disagreements, and, you live with this.

Russell does things which I doubt if even Townsend at his peak could do, so, you live with the odd brainfart and disagreement.

[A tale, of the often fraught relationship between star player and star manager – told by another star. Alex Ferguson has a great story about his time with Ayr United. The United team bus – en route to places such as Dundee and Aberdeen - would collect the Glasgow-based players outside the old Daily Record building in Hope Street. One Saturday, they were all there on-time, except star striker George McLean. The bus sat for 20 minutes, with manager Ally MacLeod growing ever more agitated at McLean's non-arrival and loudly proclaiming: “If the bastard's not here in five minutes, we are going without him.” Four minutes and 59 seconds later, a white open-topped Sunbeam Alpine screeches to a halt in front of the bus; McLean is the driver. He gets out, as does the beautiful blonde passenger. They then exchange a long goodbye kiss on the pavement, McLean ushers the blonde into the driver's seat and boards the coach with a cheery: “Hi Boss” as he passes MacLeod, who by this time has steam coming out of his ears. United win the match easily, with McLean scoring a hat-trick.]

More concerning is the news about another of the established players, no names here, but, the quote I have heard, second-hand, from the player, about the National Coach is: “I am never going into another camp with that bastard.”

We may, given the SRU's love of smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand and general pauchling of things, never gain sight of the 2019 World Cup debrief, but I feel it would make interesting reading – I await the fall-out.

However, I feel the main item on the agenda on the two-day jolly at St Andrew's might well be how the Board gets their way over the Bill Gammell/Norman Murray report. I understand Sir Bill may be joining them in North-East Fife.

I am telt by one who has had a read at the proposals that; “Around 80% of what Gammell/Murray are suggesting is good – but.” Aye, there is always a but and that is the worry.

I hear, among the representations are:

• A return to District representation, replacing the current Council.
• The setting-up of TWO companies to run Scottish Rugby
• The membership of the main board of the main company to be APPOINTED, rather than ELECTED. Who by?
• The changes to be driven through via two SGMs, held in very-short order after only a limited consultation period.

I understand Council members have been “Leant-on” by some of the heavy hitters: LL-B and J Cheever Loophole addressed a recent Council meeting, to make it clear – dissent among the elected will not be tolerated, a unified front must be presented when the shit hits the fan.

The SRU has, apparently, retained Shepherd and Wedderburn, one of the biggest Edinburgh legal firms, to oversee these changes – and they don't work for peanuts.

Apparently Gavin MacColl's Standing Committee on Governance was split over the Gammell/Murray report, but, as it was explained to me: “The only opinion Bill Gammell worries about is his own – he does not take any criticism or notes of caution well. Very much the old factory boss mentality - 'the: you're lucky to have a job and me' approach."

One thing, covering Scottish Rugby is never dull. This one will run and run.

Idle Players Is Not The Immediate Problem With Super6

RECEIVED wisdom, after a mere three games of the new FOSROC Super6 competition is that the six franchises have lifted their game from the level they demonstrated in the Tennent's Premiership last season.

The S6 games have been faster, more physical and more exciting. Nobody can look at a week's fixture list and say with any confidence that A will beat B, C and D will draw or that E will lose heavily to F. That level of competitiveness and uncertainty is the mark of a good competition.

So, kudos to the SRU for fighting-off the nay-sayers and getting the competition up and running, and let's speed things up as we move to S8 then S10?

Come of it, this is Scotland, the country of: “Him, Ah kent his faither,” there was never any way S6 was going to win over the doubters that quickly. The nit-picking, which never really went away, has if anything increased in volume – on the 21^st century home of the unhappy and the stirrers: social media.

One Facebook post which I saw this morning bemoaned the fact: “14 Ayrshire Bulls players were standing idle at the weekend.” That this complaint came from a Kilmarnock stalwart, who almost has to be drugged and chained to get him inside Millbrae, rather struck me as strange.

For a start, Bulls only have a 34-man squad, they lost Chester Duff before the season even started, when he got a full-time contract with Ealing Trailfinders. Secondly, they named a 23-man squad for Saturday's game against Southern Knights. OK, that match-day 23 included Robbie Nairn and Stafford McDowall, from Glasgow Warriors, which actually meant they had 13 players watching. But, that number included one or two who were carrying injuries and could not have played in any case.

Extrapolate that information about one club across all six and it is unclear as to how many of the 210 S6 players had a mere watching brief on Saturday.

There are, of course, single season issues around the 2019-20 campaign. The World Cup got in the way, which meant players who would otherwise have been in S6 were holding the fort for Edinburgh and Glasgow, to offset their player losses to Scotland. And, don't forget, this is going to be a long season – it may well be June 2020 before the cross-border games against the Welsh Premiership clubs finish – by that time, playing resources could well be seriously stretched.

Yes, there are teething issues with S6. These will take a bit of sorting out, but, I believe the true value of the new competition may not be seen, or all the teething issues resolved, before season two or three.

Also, there are knock-on effects of the change further down, and also higher-up – so, I do not see player idleness as a major issue at this stage.

However, there is one perhaps unintended knock-on effect of S6, and that is that Scottish refereeing resources are being seriously stretched.

We already have the issue of there not being sufficient qualified touch judges to fully man National League 1 games; however, there were worrying reports over the weekend games, of the guys who were on-duty at some Premiership and NL1 games not being up to the job.

Over the weekend, we had 12 officials away on International or European duty, which was a huge hole for the SRU's Refereeing Department to fill.

Four officials – Ruaridh Campbell, Ross Mabon, Sam O'Neill and Michael Todd did double shifts in S6 or the Premiership to help spread the load, while other guys were given a shot at a higher level of rugby to help ease the pressure.

One or two were criticised as “whistle-happy,” or “out of their depth.” Now, I used to get pelters from the likes of Andy Macpherson, Ed Crozier, Lloyd Linton and others in the Whistling Mafia, for being hard on officials, but, apart from one numpty, whose name I can barely bear to utter, I have never seen a Scottish referee whom I thought was a cheat. They do a difficult job, and generally they do it well.

And we must never forget that statement of the obvious: “No referee – no game.”

Mike Aadamson went from player to 

However, that may be an immediate problem for the SRU to solve, and therefore a good starting point for spending the ill-gotten gains from CVC. Can I suggest a concerted campaign to recruit and train more officials? And, in doing this, why not a repeat of the initiative which saw Mikey Adamson, currently our Number One male whistler, seamlessly switch from player to official inside two seasons.

referee in jig time - could there be more out there?

We need more match officials – one of the hopes for Agenda 3 was that clubs would, in their efforts to achieve Gold, Silver or Bronze status, recruit and help train-up more officials. What has happened to this welcome move? Let's get more guys whistling – quickly.

TWO British players emerged from Rugby World Cup 2019 with a greater media profile than they had when they went to Japan.

One was England's Joe Marler, the other was oor ain Gordy Reid. Marler now seems set to establish himself as a social media wit, with stunts such as his recent: “You can lead a horse to water,” interview. Gordy, however, prefers actions to words.

BigDaftBoay - the alter ego of Super Hero Gordy Reid

On Sunday, he apparently rushed into a blazing house in his street and pulled a guy out. He then posted a hilarious video on Facebook, as he was treated for smoke inhalation by the attending fire crew.

Gordy has, apparently been invited to visit Ayr Fire Station with his kids, but, as yet, nobody from Barr's is biting – come on guys, give Scotland's very own superhero the Irn Bru sponsorship deal he craves.

In the 50 years or so I've been around Ayr RFC, I have known of two 'Big Daft Boays' who wore their number one jersey. Jock 'The Auchlin Bull' Craig was one, Gordy is the other. But, Jock was never as daft as risk his life to save a neighbour.

Come On SRU - Splash The Cash And Give The Wee Clubs A Boost

LAST SEASON, with far too-little publicity, (i.e. none), the West Regional Competitions Committee of the SRU came up with a cracking notion, and carried it through. They arranged for the West Shield and Bowl Finals to be held at Scotstoun.

This was a rare recent occurrence of the SRU getting something correct. The day was a great success, kudos all round to the organisers. The WRCC were keen to repeat the initiative this season, and hoped it would be better-publicised. However, as things stand, it aint gonna happen.

I am telt, Murrayfield has better use for the £2000 it will cost to hire Scotstoun for the day to allow the two finals to be played there. In addition, there are suggestions, Glasgow Life, the ultimate owners of the stadium, feel: “There is too-much rugby being played at Scotstoun.”

This is gob-smacking. Can you have: “too-much rugby being played?” I think not.

As things stand, the West Regional Shield Final, between Allan Glen's and East Kilbride, will be played, on Saturday, 7 December, at EAST KILBRIDE – who won the toss for venue. No sooner had the venue been conveyed to Glen's, than they were on their high horse and shouting: “Haw, keys. Foul!! Gonnae no dae that.” Who cannot sympathise with them.

The West Regional Bowl Final is also scheduled to be played on Saturday, 7 December. This match features Lochaber and Glasgow University Medics, with the Fort William lads winning the toss for the right to host the game.

Come-on SRU and Glasgow Life; there is still time for common-sense to prevail and the games to be switched to Scotstoun, to give the hard-pressed club game a wee bit of a show. TCD can piss £70,000 up a wall with his ill-judged Japanese tantrum, but it cannot set-aside less than 3% of that sum to give the smaller clubs their day in the sunshine.

Tom Smith - a true Lion

TERRIBLE NEWS yesterday about Tom Smith. The prognosis for the former Lion and Scotland captain is not good. However, one thing is certain, like big Doddie Weir with MND, wee Tom Smith will give the Big C a massive fight, and we are all behind him in making that fight last as long as possible.

BUT, better news for Scottish rugby refereeing community, with some cracking gigs for Scottish officials this week-end.

Topping the bill is wee Hollie Davidson, who is in Bedford to referee the England v Italy women's international. A Scottish referee on the whistle in a tier one international, who'd have thunked it, and well done Hollie.

Cheers Hollie - in-charge of a Tier One international

Mike Adamson as referee, assistant referees David Sutherland and Finlay Brown, and TMO Neil Paterson are on-duty in the Benneton v Northampton Saints Heineken Cup match, while there are two Scottish officiating teams on-duty in the Challenge Cup.

Sam Grove-White, along with assistants Ian Kenny and Bob Nevins, is in Russia for the Enesei-STM v Dragons match while Ben Blain, Graeme Ormiston and Ali Watt are in France to take charge of Pau v Calvisano mixture.

The fall-out from this European recognition is that some of the guys left back at home are going to be busy. Mike Todd is in the middle for the Boroughmuir Bears v Heriot's FOSROC SUPER6 clash at Meggetland, tonight; when he has Ruaridh Campbell on one flag, with Fergus Hollins on the other.

Ross Mabon - one of a number of match officials

putting-in double shifts this weekend

Tomorrow, Todd is on flag duty, alongside David Changleng, assisting referee Ross Mabon for the Southern Knights v Ayrshire Bulls match at The Greenyards. Then, on Sunday, for the streamed Watsonians v Stirling County match at Myreside, Campbell is the man in the middle, with Mabon on one flag and Sam O'Neill who will be refereeing Currie Chieftains v GHA in the Tennent's Premiership on Saturday, on the other.

There is one further interesting refereeing appointment this weekend. With a full programme of European games being played, on Saturday, Nigel Owens will be refereeing the Welsh Premiership clash between Carmarthen Quins and Brigend. A nice easy run-out for the Great Man, before he controls the Wales v Barbarians match in Cardiff on 30 November.

After Sober Reflection, Others are Questioning The Rush To Appoint Wilson

AS I WAS saying yesterday – what's with the rush to anoint Danny Wilson as the new Glasgow Warriors coach?

Yesterday's blog was dashed-off in something of a rush. The speed of the appointment certainly struck me as very odd, and not at all SRU-like – why?

This haste seems even-more indecent, when you consider where we are at the moment:

• What has happened to the normal post-World Cup review and debrief.
• The clubs still have not had a chance to review the recommendations of the Gammell/Murray Independent governance review
• What has become of the fabled 'Ben Ryan Review?'
• Will it ever see the light of day, and might its findings have a bearing on how we move forward with the professional teams?
• Jim Mallinder still has not taken-up the post of Director of Performance Rugby. Apparently the RFU are making him work his full three-months' notice and he will not be in Edinburgh before January
• Dave Rennie is contracted to Glasgow until 1 June – 193 days or 27 and a bit weeks away.
• So – what's the rush?

Received wisdom among the fans, and from listening to the gossip post-Japan is:

• Our forwards were shite
• Toony might have “lost the dressing room”
• Certainly all does not appear to be well between him and Finn Russell (if the leaks from within the camp are to be believed)

Well, at least one of these three discussion points seems to lead back to Wilson. Nothing against the guy, I've never met him, but, is he really the best man for the job? Might there not be other potential candidates out there?

And, fair play to wee Colin Gregor for his statement of the obvious on the BBC Sport – Scotland website. His broadcasting partner Peter Wright's views on the appointment will be worth hearing, I am sure.

BACK in the day, covering summer tours were a nice little gig for staff rugby writers.

Several weeks on-tour with Scotland, travelling on the team bus - “with but not of the SRU party,” as the Daily Record's rugby correspondent (yes, there once was such a person) used to call it – was seen as due reward for dreich December midweek trips back to Edinburgh and Glasgow from places such as Langholm or Aberdeen.

But, as with so much of Scottish rugby: “these days are past, and, in the past they must remain.” The Herald, like the 'red tops', no longer has a 'Rugby Correspondent,' and while Duncan Smith is the successor to such as Norman Mair, Chris Rea and David Ferguson, at The Scotsman, such are the budget cuts at the paper, his world has shrunk.

So, some freelance is going to have to get busy putting together a package which will allow him to properly cover the Summer 2020 Scotland Tests, which were announced this week. And an expensive undertaking it will be too, to properly cover the tour.

Exact venues have yet to be finalised, but, on 4 and 11 July, Scotland will be in South Africa playing a couple of Tests, before, after the long haul across the great southern oceans, we take-on New Zealand on 18 July.

A nice tour if you can get it. Now, what are those Lotto numbers of mine again?

I SEE, now safely back in New Zealand and well away from the threat of incoming fire, Warren Gatland has given Welsh Rugby Online his view of what should happen next.

The former Wales coach wants to see the Ospreys and Scarlets merged, Dragons to absorb the likes of Pontypridd and a new North Wales regional team formed.

He also wants to see the reduction in the number of clubs in the Welsh Premiership – down from 16 clubs last season to 12 this – taken even further, to eight semi-professional sides, as a means of better under-pinning the regions.

This plan probably has repercussions for Scotland. IF, as we know some within Murrayfield would like to see, the FOSROC Super6 becomes a Super8, that would fit well into the cross-border plans, so, it could happen. Mind you, as Gatland knows all too well, from his time in Ireland and in Wales, tribalism and self-interest are integral parts of Celtic rugby, so, don't hold your breath boyo!

I SEE damage limitation has been put in place, and Glasgow University Rugby Club has issued an unreserved apology for the speeches, reportedly by Roger Baird and Bobby Low, which offended many guests at last Saturday's black tie, Hilton bash.

Mind you, with the untimely passing of Scott Glynn – who I only ever heard once and thought, apart from the surreal Weegie Budgie joke, not at all funny – wee Roger could pick-up a few speaking gigs on the basis of doing a 1970s Comedians homage. [EDIT: Sincere apologies to Scott Glynn, who, thankfully, is still with us. I heard, wrongly, that Scott, who is very-unwell, had passed on. Keep fighting Scott.]

Rugby speakers have no need to be crude, rude and sexist – with a wee bit of thought, there is so much contemporary material available in the various foibles of the Murrayfield Junta.

Rennie Out - Wilson In: But, What's The Hurry?

WELL, we ken noo – Dave Rennie is off to coach Australia, with Danny Wilson moving along the M8, from his job as Scotland's forwards' coach, to succeed him at Scotstoun.

Dave Rennie - off to Australia

Haud me back from leading the cheering, this move does not exactly thrill me. Wilson does not bring to the party a coaching CV which says: “This guy can take us to the next level,” instead, I fear, he may take the Warriors down a level.

On the plus side, he has based his reputation on his coaching of forwards, so, maybe he can improve the Glasgow scrum, which I have to say, is a fair unit. However, I reckon the Scotland forwards have gone backwards under his coaching – which does not fill me with confidence.

With Danny Wilson taking over Glasgow

From the speed with which his appointment was announced, it comes across as yet another cheapskate appointment by The Junta. And, appointing Wilson is yet another case of overlooking Scottish coaching talent.

Speaking of which, since we will need a new forwards coach for the national side – why don't they go out there and try to recruit Kelly Brown, who seems to be doing well at the Saracens Academy?

Mind you, given that Wilson has made his name, such as it is, as a forwards' coach, might his move to Glasgow mean big John Dalziel moving in the opposite direction, along the M8, to become Scotland forwards' coach? And, who will have charge of the Glasgow backs?

I WAS speaking to a distinguished former captain of Glasgow University Rugby Club at the weekend. This fine rugby man, who has put a lot into the game in his 80 years had decided to pass on attending the club's 150th anniversary dinner, in the Hilton, Glasgow, on Saturday night – thereby demonstrating his good sense.

Wee Al Mackintosh, another true rugby man, who puts a lot into our game, spent a year organising this bash. He got SRU President Dee Hepburn along, with the Calcutta Cup, to the black tie event.

And what was his reward – carnage!!

Apparently, (and I am picking this up second-hand), a couple of the speakers, who should have known better, decided their speeches should be stolen from the Roy Chubby Brown manual of filth.

There are suggestions, one of them slandered the President. Mind you, I would reckon, the fragrant Dee probably heard as bad, if not worse, as banter during her time with Strathclyde's finest. However, the dignity of the office and all that.

Of course, GURFC has “previous” when it comes to really bad behaviour, so, we should maybe not be surprised at how the event unfolded.

Initially, I wasn't going to give the idiots the oxygen of publicity, but, so-many people have said how disgusted they were by what went on – why not?