I HAD a wee laugh over the weekend at a post on one of the Facebook rugby groups which I follow. A South African fan was moaning about the refereeing in Friday night's Ospreys v Sharks game – which, by the way, The Sharks won.
On checking on the match, I discovered my unhappy Saffer had just had his first introduction to the refereeing ways of Frank Murphy. I hope I managed to convince him, Rugby's version of “Murphy's Law” translates as: “If I can fuck-up a game – I will.”
I fear, however, he may not yet have realised, since thankfully John and George, the men themselves have retired from officiating in what is now The United Rugby Championship, but, Murphy's Rugby Law makes a lot more sense than Lacey's Law or Clancy's Commandments ever did.
The Dublin Refereeing Murphyia, messing with non-Irishmen's rugby heads since 2000 – and still going strong. It maybe doesn't help the South African teams that they are taking advice on how to work with northern hemisphere referees from – John Lacey!!!
Speaking of referees, it was good to see wee Hollie Davidson back on top of her game in Friday night's Southern Knights v Stirling County Super6 game, after her form had dipped slightly for the Ayrshire Bulls v Knights game the previous week.
THE FINAL regular week of the FOSROC SUPER6 tournament has been a strange one, with the teams ringing the changes as they prepare for next week's positional play-offs.
There have been a few personnel and positional shuffles which has added interest to what were really “dead rubbers.” For instance, I was delighted to see Gavin Lowe making the bench for Ayrshire Bulls. When it comes to getting injured at the wrong time, the former Scotland Sevens star is one of the masters, i.e. awfully unlucky. Sunday's outing at Myreside was his first taste of 15-a-side for literally years. But, that was just about the only good news for the Bulls on a really bad day at the office.
First of all, Head Coach Pat McArthur was ill and couldn't travel. Then they metaphorically stayed on the bus and the game had gone by half-time, after which there was no way back. Probably a case of too-many changes and having half an eye on next week, but, this was, by a lang Scots mile, Bulls' worst display of the campaign and one or two of the fringe players, offered their chance, may have played themselves back to club rugby.
Fair play to Watsonians, however. This was more like the type of play the Myreside faithful expected and, on this form, they will be favourites to win the third v fourth play-off against Stirling County, on Saturday.
County were pretty-well worked over by a rampant Southern Knights on Friday night, but, the way they dug in and Archie Russell scored that late consolation try, well Watsonians will face a tough fight on Saturday.
The Saturday game, between Heriot's and Boroughmuir was a full-scale dress rehearsal for the fifth v sixth play-off. Heriot's won, courtesy of a couple of breakaway tries, to claim home advantage on Friday night. However, here again, I would not be in a hurry to assume a home win. Some of these days, the Bears will get the luck their adventurous play deserves.
I WARMED-UP for the Watsonians v Bulls game by watching Free Sports' coverage of the Chile v Canada World Cup qualifier. With a half-Canadian wife, the Canucks are my second team, and it was disappointing to see them fail, but, this can take nothing away from a good Chilean team, they6 deserved to win.
Maybe, as a means of blooding our young Scottish plaeyrs at this level, we should be looking to play “Development Internationals” against Tier Two orThree sides such as Chile. And maybe it's time we were back in Canada, there are an awful lots of Scots over there.
I THOUGHT luck was on Sean Maitland's side in Saturday's Saracens v Newcastle Falcons game, when he only copped a yellow card, for a clear head shot. It was a very-good piece of refereeing by Ian 'Tempo' Tempest and his TMO to mitigate down from red to yellow.
Mind you, they weren't so clever minutes later, when they allowed Mike Brown to be awarded a try, when he clearly didn't actually ground the ball in-goal. But, that's the swings and roundabouts of officiating – or is it just, I still cannot stand Brown?
FIFTY-FOUR YEARS after he played for Scotland, Sir Alex Ferguson finally, on Saturday night,joined the ranks of Scotland's full internationalists. So, what's this got to do with Scottish Rugby?
For a year or two now, I have been agitating for the SRU to bring in something like the Welsh Rugby Union's “President's Caps” for guys whose only international appearances were in games, ranked as not full internationals at the time, against opponents who have since become worthy of receiving a full cap for playing against them. The Welsh system also rewards guys who played in war-time internationals, but who never got a peace-time cap. There are nine Scots who come into this category.
I suggested the award of “President's Caps” to Ed Crozier, when he was President. Ed tried, but TCD and The Junta weren't having it. “Corporal Jones” and Dee Bradbury weren't interested, during their terms as President. I hope maybe Ian Barr, as SRU President, will take-up the cudgels on behalf of those players who merit “President's Caps.”
Mind you, to be fair to Ian, he's got enough windmills to tilt against at Murrayfield before he gets around to awarding this type of cap.
FINALLY, that was quite a solo try young Marcus Smith scored for Harlequins v Bristol Bears on Friday night. Option Five in The Finn Russell Play Book, if I am not mistaken.
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