What Is Happening With Scottish Front Rows - And They Are Not Even Scrumming?

I AM really concerned for the future direction and management of the Scottish Rugby Union, given Dominic Mc Kay, for my money the only one of the salaried high heid yins to have a working brain cell, was allowed to de-camp to Celtic.

I just ask myself – who is making the decisions these days? That thought was further added to with the news Murray McCallum (pictured below), having been freed from tackle bag holding duties with Edinburgh, has earned a short-term contract at Glasgow Warriors. To me, it doesn't make sense.

 

McCallum, I feel, was for some unknown reason side-lined by Edinburgh. He arrived as a tight-head, then efforts were made to convert him to a loose-head, then he all but vanished from the Edinburgh scene, was freed, and is now at Glasgow.

Also moving along the M8 has been Simon Berghan, who was ahead of McCallum in the Edinburgh pecking order. So that's two ex-Edinburgh tight-heads coming in for Darcy Rae, who has gone off to Bath, from whence Jamie Bhatti (again ex-Edinburgh), has made the reverse journey to Scotstoun – where he is replacing the Hong Kong-bound Alex Allan..

For my money, Darcy is the best prop of the five, although, if McCallum can indeed play both sides to the required standard, then he is worth his weight in gold.

It may also be that McCallum's is indeed a short-term deal, as cover for Zander Fagerson, who will surely deserve his time off following his Lions' trip. However, regardless of this, he is part of a major propping reshuffle which has seen six props leave the club to be replaced by the three new boys, McCallum Berghan and Bhatti. Just what is going on?

WHILE I am being a grumpier than usual old git this morning, can I say, even with the additional Scottish representation this year, I am struggling to get behind the 2021 British and Irish Lions.

It just seems to me the money-making side of the Lions concept has completely overwhelmed the rugby side, I am struggling to muster any enthusiasm for this tour.

It doesn't help that there is no 100% Scottish media presence. Gone are the days when The Herald and The Scotsman had the money and the desire to send their rugby correspondent on-tour, so what we get now is wire copy, or stuff from English media outfits, who have their own agenda.

In the black and white days of the 1950s, Lions' tours were generally covered by two giants of Welsh journalism, JGB Thomas and Vivien Jenkins. They were like Bill McLaren in their ability to mask any bias in the interests of telling the story to a British audience.

But, as the song says: these days are past. Now, if the journalist is English, as most are, it's written from an English perspective, to an English audience. Ditto if the man with the lap top os Irish or Welsh. So much for Boris Johnston's notion of a four nations approach.

Also, the whole Covid thing has put me off. I reckon they should bring them home, save a lot of money and a lot of bother.

In any case, having listened to tales of being put-up in pretty basic hotels in one-horse towns miles form civilisation, only for the tourists to be totally over-whelmed by the warmth of the welcome from the locals – that's what Lions' tours should be all about. But now, they base themselves in big cities, travel out to the game then come back, seldom meeting the locals or seeing the coutnry, so-compressed is the schedule these days. Not for me thank you.

I REALLY am looking forward to what should be my first live rugby match for about 18 months, the Ayrshire Bulls v Watsonians, FOSROC Super6 game, scheduled for 1 August.

My interest was heightened by this week's announcement that World Rugby's laws revision will take effect from that date, so, we will see the 50:22 kicking to touch law, the goal-line drop-out law and the other laws revisions which have been tried-out recently, coming into general use.

It should make for some interesting rugby as the coaches do what coaches have always done, and try to find ways to circumvent the new laws.

I still believe, there is another way to create space – which has been given as one of the reasons for the 50:22 law – bring back real rucking and force forwards to get into the breakdown, on their feet, thereby creating space to be attacked further out.