Rugby IS Coming Back - Maybes Aye, Maybes Naw

SO, THE high heid yins of Rugby have cobbled together a schedule for the Autumn Cup internationals – sort of. Well, let's wait and see what happens.

Apparently, the games will mainly be on Amazon Prime, which means I am going to have to be nice to the daughter with the Prime account, if I am going to be able to watch Scotland – we are not, it seems, an attractive enough proposition for Channel 4.

I could always try applying to The Junta for a press pass for the home games, but, in all honesty, I think there is more chance of Owen Farrell making a low, legal tackle, than there is of the SRU allocating me a press pass.

IT SEEMS we are moving to Phase Four of the Scottish Governments return to normal road map – whatever the new normal will look like. Pardon the pessimism, but, Ah hae ma doots about us making the new presumptive date of 31 October, for a return to play.

With the spike in Coronavirus cases in North and South Lanarkshire, plus the ongoing constraints in Greater Glasgow, it will be hard for a lot of clubs to restart.

Given your average 2^nd XV player wears his IQ on his back, can you really see them sticking to the rules – even if they know what the rules are, any given weekend.

We can hope, but, I still think it more-likely to be early next year before we see anything like “normal” again.

IT DOES look increasingly like any return to club rugby will be on a Regional basis. If this is the case, count me in. I firmly believe, with the increasing costs of even semi-professional sport, plus any restrictions which may follow after the government gets Coronavirus under control (elimination will only happen with a vaccine, and that's up to two years away), regionalisation makes sense.

I have long argued, four National Leagues are at least two too-many. Going with Super6, which would be better as Super8 or Super10, plus one other truly “National” league, under-pinned by Regional Leagues, to me makes more economic sense for Scottish Rugby.

That way, there would be somewhere for the more-talented players to go, while the guys who simply wanted to run around on a Saturday afternoon to work up a thirst would be better catered-to via more-local competitions – rather akin to the way football works.

Coronavirus just might help bring this about. And,we could then re-introduce Regional representative teams (we are seemingly not allowed to use the District word ever again), as a means of identifying the play-for-fun club players who could step up to the paid ranks.

But, for this to happen, we would have to overcome a few vested interests, which will not be easy.

I HAVE taken some comfort, when watching the Gallagher Premiership matches on BT Sport, by seeing so many relatively unsung Scottish players strutting their stuff.

Ignore the considerable performances being put in by our bigger names – Hoggy, Jonny Gray etc., I have been struck by the contributions of the likes of Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Callum Hunter-Hill, and now Robin “Bomber” Hislop, who came off the bench to good effect for Saracens in midweek.

The common theme for these three, and for others is, they were deemed surplus to requirements by whoever has the shout on players at Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Of course, with only two full-time, professional teams in Scotland, both owned by the SRU, hard choices have to be made around contracts. So, why do I feel, they are keeping-on some numpties and letting some good guys go?

Speaking of which, my old mate Alan “Pigeon” Tait, didn't miss the target and hit the wall in a wee printed outburst this week. Pigeon has forgotten more about rugby than some current wearers of the splendid official SRU Harris Tweed jackets – the 21^st century “blazer” ever learned. However, he has been deemed surplus to requirements. Maybe went to the wrong school.

One wonders, and hopes, the likes of Adam Ashe and Rozzer Hughes can prove the SRU's alleged talent spotters wrong.

And, while I am on the subject of departures, good luck to Steven Longwell with Old Glory. I have a lot of time for big Steven.

IS ANYONE really surprised that Owen Farrell's suspension for that assault on an opponent was punished with a short-enough sentence to allow him to be available for England's return to international rugby.

After all, those of us who can remember far enough back, to the evening when the esteemed Chairman of the SRU tried his best to convert the Calcutta Cup to the Calcutta Plate. JJ was positively hammered,while his partner-in-crime, PC Dean Richards, escaped with a mild slap on the wrist. England expects its top players to get away with murder.