The Times They Are A Changin'

WHEN it comes to Ian Barr being a new broom, backed-up by several newcomers to the Council, and driving through the necessary changes to make the Scottish Rugby Union better, I remain a believer.

We will not see a Chinook landing on the big pitch at Murrayfield, to carry-off TCD and The Junta, while the massed ranks of Mosstroopers, Eckies (both Edinburgh and Glasgow), Weegies, Teuchters, Lowlanders, Sheep Shaggers and other interested parties are being held off at the gates, but, I do believe we are now at the end of the beginning of the professionals running professional rugby as their own little corner of the Empire.

 

 

The taxi for The Junta may take some time to get here

The successful passing of the Currie and Glasgow Hawks motions at last night's virtual AGM, part two, will hopefully be seen, by the embattled Junta this morning as a sign: “The natives are not only restless Carruthers; they're getting organised.” This is not good news for The Junta.

The passing of these two motions will surely convince any soft pedallers on President Barr's Governance Review Group (GRG), that they can be a wee bit more forceful in pushing for change – might is right, and they have the vast majority of the clubs behind them.

However, the clubs have great expectations of the Review Group – they want change, and big change. Managing those expectations will be a difficult line to tread – I wish them well.

The Junta is clearly going to have to change its ways. I do not intend going into too-great detail as to what I think needs doing. I feel big David Barnes did a sufficiently-thorough job on setting-out what needs doing, in his piece on The Offside Line prior to the AGM. Not for the first time in recent years, he hit the nail right on the head.

The days of mini-empire building within BTM need to end. For instance, as David pointed out, the SRU's staff roster had risen from 401 to 458 in the year to May 2020 – that's a rise of over 14%, in a year in which turnover fell from £61 million to £55.4 – a drop of just over 9%.

More-worryingly, the auditors – PriceWaterhouseCooper - in the words of TCD himself: “Have not yet signed off (the accounts) because they want to “test our assumptions and look beyond this current [financial] year, through to the beginning of 2022.”

I am confident the SRU is big enough to get over this speed bump, but, that is not a good look for a national institution.

The AGM has hopefully been a long-needed shot across the bow of a secretariat which has, for too-long, been seen as beyond the control of the people they are supposed to be working for – the clubs.

It will be some months yet before the GRG reports. What they come up with will be interesting, but, we can but hope, we see the changes which are required implemented.

For me that should include:

• Fewer paid executives and more elected representatives on the main Board.

• A truly Independent Chairman appointed.

• Some of the “broken arrows” within BTM finally binned.

• A leaner, fitter SRU arising from the ashes.

We have high expectations of Ian Barr and the group, now, go for it lads.

Aristotle's International Round-Up - Read It And Weep.

A WEEKEND of international rugby, so, what did I make of it? In truth, not a lot. In fact, after watching the three Autumn Nations Cup matches, I am more than ever convinced – our game has an image problem.

OK, this list is probably skewed somewhat by me having a dog in the fight, but in order of entertainment, I would go:

1. Scotland v France

2. Wales v Georgia

3. England v Ireland.

Let's take them in reverse order. I thought the England game was 80 minutes of boredom, because, the English set out to throttle the Irish, wait for the mistakes, then penalise them. Full marks to them for the efficiency of their defence and the way they stuck to the script, but, many more performances like that and they will get the game banned.

Entertaining it was not. It was a case of, don't try anything out of the ordinary, don't make a mistake, just wear the opposition down and bore us all to tears. Not for me thank you.

The English media, naturally, will be trying to tell us Jonny May's try was the most-wonderful piece of rugby skill we have ever seen, a try for the ages. For Fuck Sake, it was an old-fashioned kick and rush try, fair play to the lad for pulling it off, but, Rugby Union's core principle is that it is the handling game. “William Webb Ellis, in 1823, with fine disregard for the Laws of the Game of the tiem, picked up the ball and ran with it,” thereby establishing Rugby Football's unique selling point.

He did not kick ahead and win the 80 metres chase for the ball. (Of course, back then, the game's measurements were in good old yards, feet and inches Imperial measure – none of this metric European nonsense.)

Great try my arse. If you're going to measure it against great length of the park English tries, at least old Andy Hancock carried the ball a similar, if not greater distance, to break Scottish hearts in 1965.

Wales v Georgia was a case of two bad teams scrambling for a result, which Wales got. I never expected a great performance from an experimental Welsh side. But, they won, they avoided a banana skin and Wayne Pivac has learned he has some useful emerging talent – and, he can probably allow Alun Wyn Jones to retire with honour.

Finally, our game with France went as I feared it might. If it was up to me – Simon Berghan and Jamie Bhatti would be told: “Thanks guys, but, you are not and never will be international class.” It was a typical Scotland performance, we made too-many mistakes against a superior team and we learned, we still have some way to go before we can trouble the top sides – although, they have to play well to beat us.

Once again, the old Scottish failing of an inability to make things work at the lines out, under pressure and in the red zone, came back to bite us – come on, set pieces are the easiest parts of the game to work on, so, why do we keep messing up here?

However, my biggest concern for the future of Rugby Union Football, based on the three weekend games is – I think the Laws as currently formulated and applied are working against entertaining play. We really must find a way of making the game more of a running spectacle.

At the moment rugby is like an extended game of British Bulldog, with a ball. The defensive line stretched right across the park, looking to stop the attacking line, which repeatedly rushes into contact, then they look to repeat ad nauseum. It does not make for good viewing.

My youngest daughter, who now looks after her dear old Dad, kindly allowed me to share her Amazon Prime TV access for the internationals. This has enabled me to view some of the excellent sports documentaries available on that channel (although, infuriatingly, I cannot get access to the documentary Oceans Apart, about Pacific Islands Rugby).

I enjoyed watching: All or Nothing – a season with the Dallas Cowboys. (Very little about the Cheerleader, but, that was a small quibble.) It was interesting to see the preparation which went into each game – studying video footage, finding patterns of defensive behaviour which could be utilised against opponents and so forth.

The Cowboys go-to offence - sorry, that should be offense in American English – involved Running Back Ezekiel Elliott taking a short pass from Quarter Back Dak Prescott and blitzing his way through the gap in the opposition defensive line opened out by his Offensive Linemen.

Maybe that's the answer to rugby's boring progress from breakdown to breakdown – let's allow blocking, so the ball carrier has a chance of making yardage and moving the ball downfield.

I am not advocating we go to the American Football process of giving the team in possession four downs in which to make ten yards/metres, after which, if they have succeeded, they retain possession, if not they lose the ball. Similarly, I am not advocating we adopt Rugby League's six-pass Law, but, we really have to do something to ease the logjam of repeated pile-ups while a team goes through twenty-odd phases and doesn't get very far upfield.

The scrum, I despair. Quite often over the weekend, we were treated to overhead shots of scrums, which merely served to demonstrate how some props simply refused to push straight – and the TMO, the only guy with the view of what is going on, did not alert the referee.

As an old front five man, I love scrums, but, we really must do something to clean them up at the top level. Interestingly, did anyone else notice, half an hour had gone before we had the first scrum in the Scotland v France game? That was an interesting statistic.

Finally - Scotland now has a couple of weeks in which to re-gather before the third/fourth place play-off, probably against Ireland. That's a game I think we can win.

This Is Scotland - I Fear For The Rebound

TODAY just might be the best Sunday sports-minded Scots have had for some time. Between the Miracle of Belgrade for the fitba fans, golfer Robert McIntyre winning in Cyprus, cyclist Katie Archibald winning two European Championship gold medals and Jamie Murray winning a tennis doubles tournament, and of course the rugby team's victory in Florence – we have a lot to celebrate. As my old mucker, Bill Lothian, asked on Facebook this morning – what will Scotland do for an encore?

I am posting this before kick-off in Slovakia this afternoon, but, with my many decades of service with the Tartan Army to fall back on, I am a wee bit worried about that one.

However, this is mainly a rugby blog, so, let me reflect on a positive start to our Autumn Cup campaign. I was not at all concerned when we went in at the break trailing. For me, we were, typically Scottish, our own worst enemies in the first half, making too-many needless errors and lacking sharpness. Nothing a good coach could not sort out at half time, and, Gregor Townsend is a good coach.

We now have a depth to our squad which we have not had for many years, if ever. Too often in the past, if we lost one or two key players from the squad, we went straight to Private Frazer mode, fearing the worst. Today, we can even cope with losing a genuine world-class talent like Finn Russell and still win internationals. I was delighted for wee Duncan Weir on Saturday, he played really well.

Our younger players, the likes of Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings and George Turner are growing into the international game, while Duhan van der Merwe just might, if he keeps going as he has started, have his fellow South Africans ruing the day they let him escape, in a Lions' jersey next summer.

The big challenge comes this weekend, when we face France. As ever, that match might come down to whatever France turns up. However, I feel, it is a game we can win.

THERE was a fair bit of comment on Saturday around the youngsters in the Italian team. They are certainly not hanging around in promoting their top players from their Under-20 team. The French are also not averse to throwing-in youngsters, clearly they have never heard of the Alan Hansen dictum.

Scotland, however, seems a wee bit reluctant to trust their kids in the big team. Cream rises to the top; the likes of Hoggy and Finn didn't have to wait too long to move from the Under-20s to the full team. However, the Fagerson and Gray brothers apart, young forwards generally have to wait a wee while longer before stepping-up.

I don't have the full figures, but, since the Under-20 World Cup started in 2008, less than one in five of our young squads have gone on to become full caps. I don't know how that compares to other countries, but, I do know, the comparable promotion rate between our Under-21 and full international football teams is higher – we must do better.

OK, we were relegated after the last U-20 World Cup, but, until then, we were one of just nine nations to have featured in every one. The bad news is, if we look at how these nine nations have performed – we come ninth.

The Under-20 Rugby World Cup league table reads:

1. New Zealand (six wins) - average position 2.6

2. England (three wins) – average position 2.6

3. South Africa (one win) – average position 3

4. France (two wins) – average position 4.7

5. Australia – average position 4.8

6. Wales – average position 5.75

7. Argentina – average position 7.2

8. Ireland – average position 7.3

9. Scotland – average position 9.25

Italy are in tenth position, with an average position of 10.5 from their ten appearances in the tournament.

I am not surprised at the top five in that table, but I am surprised that Ireland, given the way they keep unearthing young talent for their PRO14 squads, and the highly-competitive nature of their schools system, are only just ahead of us in that table.

Received wisdom within Scottish rugby is that our youth development system leaves a lot to be desired, what must they be saying in Ireland?

FINALLY – I know I am wasting my time saying this, but, I had to get it off my chest. Will the English-based media ever get it into their heads, when dealing with a UK-wide audience, we are not all besotted with the minutiae of what goes on in the England camp.

I thought Amazon Prime did not a bad job on covering the two Autumn Internationals on Saturday, but, if you were Scottish, you quickly learned, your game was the second feature and would only be paid lip service to, it was all about England.

David Flatman, when one half of his Channel 5 highlights show double act with Neil Durden-Smith, is quite funny and a good analyst. Without NDS's professionalism on Saturday, reeling him in and keeping him on-message, he was like a bull in a china shop. And, please, keep Joe Marler off TV – he is just not funny.

I accept, England is the largest market, most of the viewers will be English, but, a bit more balance, a fairer crack of the whip for the Celtic Margins is called for.

It's not all about England you know.

Further Delay To The Accounts Is Sheer Madness

EURIPIDES had a point, if he did indeed come up with: “Those whom the Gods would destroy – they first make mad.”

If the old Athenian dramatist was around today, he might well be chronicling the tragedies of the Scottish Rugby Union's Junta. The latest of these came at Friday tea time, when, whichever of the elves was charged with locking-up at BT Murrayfield, while the big important people were off in Florence, gazing at Michelangelo's David and the other touristy must-sees, put out that shameful club communication which told us – the accounts have been delayed again – until DECEMBER.

American humorist Will Rogers often gets the credit for another aphorism I would today direct towards The Junta: “When you're in a hole, stop digging.”

TCD and his loyal side-kick Howzat have been in a hole, ever since they apparently conspired to be rid of “a turbulent priest” named Keith Russell. However, emboldened by a supine Council, they have continued to dig. Now, we have the current situation, whereby the accounts are so late in being revealed, the conspiracy theorists are having a ball.

According to the SRU bye laws, the books should have been opened within four months of the end of May. OK, given the double whammy of prolonged illness on the part of Finance Director Andrew Healy, who I wish a speedy recovery, as I understand he is again off work with illness, plus the Covid-19 pandemic, the SRU have been granted a degree of licence in when they open the books to the membership. But, with the further delay, which they sneaked out on Friday, I can only assume, The Junta is having a further larf at the clubs' expense.

The delay, since May, has been unacceptable. This latest hold up is Totally defenceless. Surely there has to be a way by which we can get them available.

Instead – we got the following weasel words, in a statement sent out to clubs on Friday evening:

 

“The current pandemic has created circumstances where additional work needs to be done before the accounts are approved, providing an additional level of assurance for the organisation and stakeholders that the impact of the pandemic on the organisation has been fully examined and can be explained to members. That work is taking longer than anticipated.

Ensuring that members are informed about the effect of the pandemic on the organisation and our sport more generally, and in particular, have sufficient time to consider the financial statements and ask questions about them, is a priority for the Council and Board.

It is therefore proposed that a financial presentation will be given to members at Stage 2 of the AGM, with more detailed financial information following shortly thereafter.

Following discussion, and with the support of the Scottish Rugby Council, Stage 2 of the resumed AGM on 26 November will therefore focus on club and domestic rugby issues, including the motions submitted by clubs, presentation of the preliminary results for the 19/20 financial year, and commentary on the organisation’s response to the pandemic and its impact on the current 20/21 year.

The Annual General Meeting will then be adjourned, to enable the Special General Meeting to be held in respect of Biggar RFC’s motion.

The formal laying of financial statements will take place later in December, allowing stakeholders adequate time in advance to study the accounts and submit questions ahead of that resumed meeting.”

Perhaps we had too-great expectations of President Ian Barr and the new brooms on the Council, but, today, they really need to get together and force TCD and the minions to make them available. Because, that statement was pure pish.

I don't expect, even though Covid will have only minimal impact on the delayed figures, the accounts to make easy reading. Difficult questions will, I believe, need to be answered, but, I am also certain the 2019-20 accounts will look wonderful, compared to what we can expect when the 2020-21 figures come out. So, they may as well reveal the bad news, if only to prepare us for the even-worse news in a year or so's time.

They had the perfect opportunity on Friday, with Scotland nursing a national headache after the drama of Thursday night in Belgrade. Between that and the diversion of this afternoon's match in Florence, yesterday was the perfect day on which to bury bad news, but, even when it was to their advantage, the stumblebums on The Junta couldn't take it.

For Fuck Sake, even Ollie McBurnie took his chance when he scored with his penalty. Will David Marshall be the SRU's next big-name signing? Methinks the Junta is going to need someone to save their jerseys when this accounts shite does finally hit the fan.

To return to old Euripides. Given the justifiable ill will towards them from a goodly percentage of the membership; given the way we have had calamities following disasters following mistakes since Russellgate 1, you would think The Junta might have been trying a wee bit harder to get things right.

But, no, it seems not, like Ole Blue Eyes himself, TCD just seems to keep doing things His Way, and the faithful elves follow him.

Aye, Euripides did indeed have a point; since, not even appearing to try to placate an angry membership is a sure sign of madness.

Finally, during Armistice Week, SRU Past President Ed Crozier posted on Facebook, a wee clip from the finale of that wonderful play The Big Picnic, which he helped produce. It was the full cast, singing Horatius Bonar's and Ira D Sankey's marvellous hymn Only Remembered. I defy any Scot not to shed a tear when he or she watches that.

I fear, when TCD, Howzat and some others in The Junta are finally shown the Murrayfield door, they will only be remembered for the wrongs they did to Scottish Rugby.

Red Card Row Is Worth Debating

ONE OF the plus points – or is it a minus point? - from the advance of social media is, suddenly, everyone is an expert and has an opinion. It's perhaps just as well they didn't have social media back in 1905, when Bob Deans' try for the All Blacks wasn't given; or we might have seen all-out war between Wales and New Zealand.

One of rugby's written on tablets of stone points is: “The referee is the sole judge of fact.” We forget that, or ignore it, and the game is lost. Even today, with Television Match Officials and instant replays of controversial issues, it is still the man with the whistle who has the final say. He may later be shown beyond all doubt, to have erred, but, at the moment, when he adjudicates – rightly or wrongly – then, that's it, that matter is closed and we move on.

We try to change that and all is lost. But, today, we see television commentators and analysts, few of whom have ever had to make a perhaps match-defining decision, castigating the poor referee and insisting he boobed.

I mention this because the fall-out from Saturday's Australia v New Zealand match, with its two red cards, has got some of our antipodean cousins frothing at the mouth rather more than usual.

The answer to eliminating such red cards in the future is obvious: just get the players to tackle below the chest. Even then, there will still be mis-timed, high tackles, but, in time, I hope we will see them eliminated totally.

 

Sir John Kirwan

 

All Blacks Legend Sir John Kirwan has demanded that the red card should be banished from the game; thereby proving wingers are thick. In a game of such ferocity and physicality as Rugby Union, there has to be a cut-off point, a line which, once crossed, means the guilty player has to go. That has to be obvious.

However, I do feel we should be making players responsible more for their on-field behaviour. By all means keep yellow cards with the ten minutes in the sin bin for less-serious foul play. Keep red cards too for serious foul play, but, I do believe there is a case for not penalising the team.

Kirwan is suggesting, a red card should carry a 15-minute sin bin sanction, after which the player rejoins the game. For me, yes, 15 minutes at a man short, after which, the red-carded player is replaced. The guy sent off stays off, but, the overall team is not handicapped beyond the 15 minutes.

OR – how about adapting a suggestion I have heard the great Alan Hosie make numerous times over the years. Alan has long maintained serious foul play should be penalised by a potential ten-point penalty, to be kicked from a penalty spot, on the offending side's 22 metre line, in the middle of the goal. Red card, a ten-point penalty and say ten minutes a man short, before the offender is replaced – I think that might be a suitable deterrent to serious foul play. It's maybe worth a trial.

 

 

Alan Hosie, calming things down in his refereeing days

THE SCRUM is rugby's means of re-starting play after a breakdown in its spontaneous progress. Unfortunately, it is also – certainly at the elite level – the biggest plook on the game's visage.

I don't think we will ever be able to stop props fucking-up scrums, but, following a wee discussion I spotted on Facebook yesterday, there might be a means of stopping another minor blemish on the face of scrums – the squint feed.

Any scrum half who obeyed the letter of the Law on scrums, and attempted to feed the ball down the centre of the tunnel, would surely be dropped for the next game. They all cheat, and, what is really worrying is, the referees appear, under instructions form the very top of the game's law-making body – yes you and your committee John Jeffrrey – are letting them get away with it.

In my lengthy career in sports-writing, I have covered over 50 different sports, and, in doing this, I have seen how other sports restart play following a break. For instance, in ice hockey, when there is a break, play resumes with a face-off, when the referee drops the puck between the sticks of a player from each side.

In basketball, occasionally you see a restart from a tip-off, which sees the referee throw up a ball between competing players from either side, while in Austrtalian Rules Football, their umpires restart play by bouncing the ball between a player from either side. And, let's not forget the good old-fashioned fitba stoat-up. The dropped ball, to give it its proper name, is still in the rule book, but seldom used these days.

[Speaking of stoat-ups, over 60-years on, I can still remember a stoat-up at Celtic Park, featuring Neil Mochan of Celtic and Bobby Shearer of Rangers, in which the ball never got a chance to bounce, in fact, how it didn't deflate as these two wee, hard men jousted for it, I will never know.]

So, why don't we eliminate squint feeds from scrums, by having the referees feed them. As an added bonus – make the rival scrum-halves stand behind their packs to wait for the ball arriving. This would also, at a stroke, stop these wee nyaffs from squabbling and starting further fights.

FINALLY, speaking of scrum-halves, it was good to see Stirling County's Caleb Korteweg (pictured below) getting the call-up to Glasgow Warriors for their game with Ulster on Monday night. He even got six mintues off the bench, replacing fellow County man Sean Kennedy.

 

 

Korteweg may be an import, but, he is Scotland-qualified and still Under-23, so, by calling him up, Danny Wilson has shown, at least somebody within the SRU's Performance Department knows that Super6 is out there. No hard to Caleb, but, I believe there are Scottish scrum-halves as good, if not better, in S6. Let's hope we see more S6 players called up, and fewer cheap imports brought in.

English and Welsh Ways Might Not Be The Best Ways for Scotland

I CANNOT help thinking, it is maybe time President Ian Barr and Chairman John Jeffrey called our four most-prominent non-|Scots: TCD, Jim Mallinder, Richard Cockerill and Danny Wilson into BT Murrayfield, and told them the facts of life.

I would start by telling them, their big salaries and high-profile jobs are made possible by one thing – that they work towards producing - a winning Scotland team, capable of filling Murrayfield, by playing attractive rugby.

The man primarily charged with this is, of course Gregor Townsend, but, it is up to Mallinder, Cockerill and Wilson to produce the players Townsend employs towards this, and it is up to TCD to ensure they have the money and the infrastructure necessary to under-pin this.

I just feel, in recent weeks, by bringing-in players I have had described to me by Murrayfield insiders as: “cheap foreign imports,” our three non-Scottish DoR and coaches are handicapping the management model. Time they were telt to stick to the script.

I bring this up after reading of Wilson's disquiet at having so-many of his Glasgow Warriors' players held back in the Scotland squad for the Autumn Internationals, leaving him short-handed for the continuing PRO14 games.

OK, for tonight's meeting with Ulster, Wilson is without 11 players – his starting front row, one of his starting locks, his starting number eight, scrum-half, both his starting centres, his first-choice full-back, his reserve hooker and reserve scrum-half, all on Scotland duty.

His first-choice stand-off and his other probable first-choice lock are also injured. But, he is still able to select a 23-man squad which contains eight full internationalists, a trio of Sevens caps, and a handful of other players who, while still uncapped, have been exposed to full international squads.

The official Warriors' squad page lists 47 full-time players, plus four full-time Academy players, a total of 51 players available to Wilson. Take away the 11 on Scotland duty, he still has 40 players, subtract the seven listed as injured, and he has 33 players, from which to select his match-day 23.

That leaves him with more than enough for his needs. Wilson should either shut up and get on with things, or, if he feels some of these players are not up to standard, either put in the extra coaching work needed to get them up to that standard, or, save Scottish Rugby some money by getting rid and working with a smaller squad. Same thing applies to Cockerill at the other end of the M8, by the way.

In both PRO14 squads, including Academy players, 84% are Scotland-qualified, so they certainly meet the criteria of bringing-on Scottish players to be in contention for the national squad. However, if the fringe players among that 84% are not going to be given the opportunity to show what they can do – what are they there for? They have to be given the opportunity to play.

In England and Wales, there might be a presumption that the clubs are more-important than the national side. This is not the case in Scotland, and, it's time the non-Scots were made aware of this fact.

SPEAKING of which, it must be very-difficult being a club player at the moment, absolutely in the dark about when they will next see action, and fearing this season 2020-21 might, even-more than 2019-20, be written-off by Covid restrictions.

Over the weekend I was chatting to one of club rugby's best-known players, former Ayr, Ayrshire Bulls and Scotland Club XV captain Pete McCallum.

 

 

Pete McCallum in familiar pose

 

Note the use of the word “former” there, because, while not announcing his retirement – he insists: “I will never let Ayr down and will make myself available if required when play resumes,” McCallum has decided to temporarily step away from the game at this time. However, he remains registered with Ayrshire Bulls, and is looking forward to playing for some time yet.

He is unable to commit to training and playing at the moment, but, we have not seen the last of McCallum in pink and black.

He said: “I am completely fed-up with the current situation, the not knowing when we might get back to playing. I have been really struggling, without a goal to aim for, even training on my own, I found motivation difficult.

“My situation hasn't been helped by my work situation. I simply could not risk catching Covid, so I took a backward step to more individual training. I certainly have missed the camaraderie, the dressing room banter and so forth.

“Also, I was supposed to be getting married {to Katy Service, daughter of former Ayr, West of Scotland and Glasgow scrum-half Sandy Service] but, we have had to put that match back for a year.

 

 

Pete and fiancee Katy

“Before the Covid restrictions came in, we were able to have our annual golf day, which was great fun, but, reflecting on what a great day that was merely makes you realise how much you are missing.

“Mind you, it's not all doom and gloom. We may not be able to train as a group, but, the new guys we have recruited for the Bulls, some of them are flat-sharing and that has certainly helped team bonding, but, it's just not the same as doing things as a team. But, this is the short-term future, so, we had better get used to it.”

In spite of the problems which have befallen Super6, Pete remains certain, this is a big part of Scottish rugby's future. He firmly believes when play was suspended in March, things were just about to get interesting – with the play-offs and the cross-border games with the top Welsh club sides.

“I noticed, in the final season of the Premiership, it was occasionally difficult to get up for some games. For instance, we would go down to the Greenyards to meet Melrose, knowing we were in for a very-hard day and we would need to be at the top of our game to come away with anything. Then the following week, we would maybe be playing a struggling bottom of the table side, in a game we knew we would win easily.

“We tripped up once or twice because of this, but, even in the curtailed S6 programme last season, every one of knew, before every game, we would need to be at our best to win. The games were all much closer and more physical, it was far-more enjoyable for us. We really had to come together and stick together.

“These sorts of games, bringing through younger players, can only be good for Scottish rugby.”

If a prominent player such as Pete McCallum can admit to such concerns around the club game, how bad must things be further down the food chain? We are in big bother, I feel.