I Worry For Edinburgh

GIVEN THEIR recent form, I am concerned for Edinburgh, as they head for Leicester on European duty tonight. Welford Road has never been an easy place to visit – Glasgow have particularly painful memories of going there on European business – and you have to worry for the capital side.

However, I have long thought this aura of exceptionalism around the more-established Gallagher Premiership sides such as Tigers is shite. Yes, they are a good, well-coached side, but, the fact this is an Anglo-Scottish clash, to me this means, you can ignore form, to an extent.

Edinburgh ought to have beaten Saracens – a superior side to Leicester, in an earlier away match this season. So, if they can get their heads together, why shouldn't they beat the Tigers?

The Edinburgh team is certainly loaded with talent; all 15 starters are full internationalists, with a further five full caps on the bench. With that amount of talent and experience, they must have a chance. But, I fear that will only happen if their heads are right – and that has seldom been the case with Edinburgh this season.

The match-day squad, again in 1-23 order is:

P Schoeman, S McInally, W Nel, S Skinner, G Gilchrist (co-captain), J Ritchie (co-captain), H Watson, V Mata; H Pyrgos, B Kinghorn; D van der Merwe, J Lang, M Bennett, D Graham, E Bofelli. Replacements: D Cherry, B Venter, L de Bruin, M Sykes, L Crosbie, B Vellacott, C Hutchison, D Hoyland.

SATURDAY tea-time sees Glasgow Warriors entertaining Dragons in the Round of 16 of The European Challenge Cup. On paper, fourth-placed Warriors should comfortably see-off their Welsh visitors, who lie 15^th of the 16 clubs in the BKT United Rugby Championship. I fully expect them to justify this difference in status in the same league, however, you can never say never: as in “Dragons can never beat Warriors at Scotstoun.”

That said, if the loaded squad which Head Coach Franco Smith named at lunch-time today doesn't win, there will be one helluva Stewards' Enquiry in the rugby watering holes of the city.

Smith has brought back the big guns, in a match-day 23 which reads:

Allan Dell, Johnny Matthews, Lucio Sordoni, Scott Cummings, Richie Gray, Rory Darge, Sione Vailanu, Jack Dempsey; George Horne, Domingo Miotti, Cole Forbes, Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones, Kyle Steyn (Captain), Ollie Smith. Replacements: George Turner, Nathan McBeth, Simon Berghan, JP du Preez, Lewis Bean, Ryan Wilson, Jamie Dobie, Tom Jordan.

That there is no place for the Fagerson Brothers, Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, Ali Price or the in-form Sam Johnston and Stafford McDowall demonstrates the fire power Smith can call on.

Good too to see Ryan Wilson back, although, he will be missed in the commentary team. Methinks, Glasgow can go a long way still in this season's European campaign.

UNTIL financial common sense arrives in England – and with this bunch of Tory Spivs and City of London gangsters running things, this is not going to be any time soon – The Gallagher Premiership clubs will be seen as a good place to escape to for domestic Scottish players keen to make a bob or two out of their short careers.

Certainly in the recent past, the likes of Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray to Exeter, Gordy Reid, Allan Dell and Kyle Rowe to London Irish, Magnus Bradbury to Bristol, Adam Hastings to Gloucester have taken the High Road south. But, can we honestly say moving to England has improved them? I would argue not.

Indeed, I would argue, the likes of John Barclay and Richie Gray have enjoyed Indian Summers in their career, after returning to Scotland, where, I would suggest, they have been better looked after by the SRU than they were by their English (and in Barclay's Welsh) clubs.

Of course, there is a case for suggesting, moving to France freed Finn Russell to realise his ful potential – but, that's another argument.

Now it seems, the High Road to England might not be the road to riches for much longer, with the news that, following-on from the collapse of Wasps and Worcester Warriors another two Gallagher Premeirship sides – London Irish and Newcastle Falcons are having financial crises. Apparently Irish have debts of £30 million, while stringent cost-cutting is underway at Falcons, who have been forced to issue a statement denying they wished voluntary relegation from the Premiership, so they could regroup, with lower costs, in the Championship.

French clubs benefit from practices such as playing in Municipally-owned stadia. The four Irish provinces benefit from the lack of professional football on the island. As I have frequently pointed-out, aside from Belfast Giants in ice hockey, the four provincial teams are the only full-time sports teams in all of Ireland.

We don't have the history of the Irish provinces, and yes, probably our High Heid Yins are too-fond of being control freaks for our system to work properly, but, our system, our version of the Irish one – just might work.

I would like to see us having a third full-time professional side, and we should certainly have a better central contracts system than we have. But, at least, the SRU has realised: The only form of Rugby Union which can make money is the International Game – and is cutting its cloth accordingly.

Looking ahead, I can see more Scottish players biding at hame to further their careers.

FINALLY – far be it from me to suggest the High Heid Yins at BT Murrayfield would ever be guilty of a pauchle – or that some of them even had the wit and wisdom to pauchle something to the extent they could get away with it, but, when I see the semi-final draw for the Tennent's Scottish Cup, I wonder.

I was actually hoping against hope for an Ayr v Marr final – but, assuming Ayr can get past Selkirk, which, even with home advantage will be a huge ask, then they will entertain Marr in the semi-final – assuming the Troon team can go to Currie and win – again not an easy task.

In the other half of the draw, Heriot's Blues or Glasgow Hawks will face Hawick, who were handed a walk-over into the last four by GHK's withdrawal.

If we do get an all-Ayrshire semi-final, some of the regulars on Hecklers' Hill at Fullarton Park will have a big decision to make. They would rather kill their first-born than pay good money to enter Millbrae. Decisions, decisions, perhaps.

 

We Are Losing A Legend

IT IS OFTEN said, the hardest part of sporting greatness is deciding when to quit. As the great Merle Haggard wrote: “Down every road, there's always one more city,” in sporting terms, another cup to win, another step to climb. Great sportsmen and women work so hard to get to the top, then even harder to remain there – it must be difficult to decide when to get off the carousel.

Few sporting greats ever get it right. We watched Ali, the greatest boxer ever, being extended and finally defeated by guys who, at his height, would not have got a job as his sparring partners. Today, Sir Andy Murray, who would surely be on the short leet of any contest to name Scotland's Greatest Sportsman, handicapped by a metal hip, still putting himself and us, his loyal fans, through the wringer, then losing to players who, at his peak he would have thrashed in straight sets; when he could easily have hung up his racquets and relaxed as a commentator.

So, in light of the above, I have to congratulate Stuart Hogg on announcing that, when Scotland goes out of the Rugby World Cup, in the Autumn, he will hang-up his boots. He knows his time has come. He believes he can still, if selected, do a job for Scotland, but, he knows he is no longer the Stuart Hogg was was twice voted Player of the Six Nations, and he will call it quits.

I certainly hope Gregor Townsend takes Hoggy to France. Yes, we appear to have the succession well in hand, via Blair Kinghorn and Ollie Smith, but, Hogg's experience and, even if he doesn't start, what he could offer off the bench, should ensure he goes to his third tournament.

Then what? He will be just 31 when he hangs-up his boots, which means, he's got at least 30 years of a real working life ahead of him, so, what will he do? As yet, he has given no indication, but, I would like to think, he could return to live full-time in Hawick, in which case, what an off-field asset he could be to that town and to its heartbeat – The Greens.

Hawick and that green strip means an awful lot to him. The first time I met him was at Old Anniesland. He was playing for Glasgow then, but, was injured and sitting in the stand, suffering untold agonies as a very-poor Hawick team was put to the sword by Glasgow Hawks.

Every point Hawks scored that day was clearly a dagger to his heart I get the impression, you cut Hoggy, he bleeds green. Whatever else his post-playing career holds, I sense Hawick Rugby will be in there somewhere.

We will miss him – he has been a towering figure in the Scottish game. The late, great Ken Scotland will always wear the 15 jersey in any Greatest-Ever Scotland Team that I select, Hoggy covers him from the bench,

PROOF, if it should be required, that is often safer to take ill at a rugby match than any other sporting occasion.

On Saturday, during the Mull v Hyndland FP match, on Mull, an elderly spectator collapsed. He was attended to and looked after, until the ambulance arrived, by four of the visiting team, all of whom are from the medical profession.

Well done the Hyndland guys.

I WAS not at all surprised at GHK withdrawing from the Tennent's Scottish Cup to allow Hawick to advance unchecked to the semi-final. Some seasons ago I watched the Old Anniesland side lose to Ayr in the cup. Some of the GHK 'Alickadoos' in the stand at Millbrae were not at all happy at the physicality of the Ayr team.

There is today certainly as much of a difference in the physicality between the sides, such as Hawick, at the top of the Premiership and GHK, from the bottom half of National League 1 as there was back then. In that case, there is a serious case of player safety to be considered.

With that in mind, I have to agree with Peter Wright, I would not have been comfortable taking a weakened GHK team to Hawick on Saturday.

However, we have now had two examples this season of teams withdrawing to leave their opponents with a walk-over into the next round. This suggests to me, the SRU needs to have a serious look at the format of the national cup.

I know I am holding a minority view here, but, the whole format of Scottish Rugby is wrong. We have too many National League. Yes, the clubs have repeatedly made it clear, they want to play National League rugby, even when they are obviously not equipped to do this.

Still, I await the day when good sense prevails, the SRU does get their “Fewer but Stronger” mantra accepted and we see the game splitting – to a small number of teams playing what I would call “Performance Rugby” - the full-fat version, paid by professional or semi-professional athletes, and “Community Rugby” - with amended, safety-orientated laws, played by strict amateurs.

FINALLY – after, in a recent blog, I waxed lyrical about the way April has gone from being a busy month playing-wise, to a period used for catching-up with unplayed fixtures, I received a missive from friend of the blog 'Left Field' who raised the issue of the demise of The Easter Tour.

Does any club still run an Easter Tour? Indeed, does any club still tour? I know there are still fixtures such the annual exchange visits between Hawick and Glyn Neath, and Ayr and Llanishen, but, I sense we are perhaps a bit more insular than we once were.

An Interesting Question

DAVID McADAM isn't a full member of the mainstream Scottish Rugby-Writing Media. Like the Medieval guilds, a lot of the members would vote to exclude him, since he does a better job than they do.

David is the go-to man when it comes to appearances and general statistics in the modern Scottish game, where he does a smashing job. He contacted me this week to enquire:

• Do we know if Academy players are going to play for Super6 teams in the sprint series or are they all going to be required for the 'A' teams of Edinburgh and Glasgow?

Fair question, which, to be honest, I cannot at this point answer; well since Buddy the Elf declared me a non-person, I cannot contact Murrayfield to ask. Mind you, given how Buddy's department works, I doubt if they would know, or even know who to ask.

However, surely common sense dictates, that since the Academy boys are all full-time with the respective squads, then those squads would have first call on them for the games against the Super clubs. In this way, the Super clubs would be able to fulfil another of their core responsibilities – by offering game opportunities to club players who perhaps failed to make the cut when Academy places were being awarded, but have the potential and talent to advance.

If I was selecting my A team, I would be looking at a mix of Academy players, plus the fringe guys who aren't getting much game time, then bigger names, perhaps coming back from injury.

I wonder too, who will be coaching the A teams. I would suspect Glasgow might go with Peter Murchie as lead coach, assisted by Pete Horne, allowing Franco Smith to sit back in the posh seats and observe. Edinburgh, who knows what's happening there.

WE SCOTS, having just come through our own wee stair-heid row about governance, can now sit back and order copious bins of popcorn, as we watch The Taffia tear itself apart, following their vote, in Port Talbot on Sunday, for a new governance system.

Ignore the 245-7 vote in favour of change, the real battle starts now to get the right people shoe-horned into the right jobs. Good luck to the WRU in finding the three new Independent directors, and, perhaps more-importantly, finding the five women they want on their board.

Things will, I fear, get uglier before they improve.

SINCE Number One Grandson told me his Amazon Prime entry code, I have been able to reduce my viewing of The Gallagher Premiership on BT Sport in favour of watching The BKT United Rugby Championship on Viaplay. It's a more-entertaining brand of rugby in any case, so, win-win.

But, on Sunday, I opted to watch Bath v Exeter Chiefs and was not disappointed. This was an old-fashioned local derby, perhaps surprisingly won by Bath, who, let's be honest, have hitherto been having a wretched season.

The Bath boys are awaiting the arrival of The Gallus One for next season and, on the evidence of some of the lines he ran on Sunday, particularly to score the opening try, the combination of Russell's passing and Cameron Redpath's running should be great for both Bath and for Scotland.

Speaking of that Redpath try on Sunday; the BT Sport commentary is a classic example of The Italian Gelding's absolute pro-England bias. As the move unfolded, Dallaglio waxed lyrical of the run by Bath stand-off Orlando Bailey. According to him, it was a wonderful solo run. Then, when the replay came up and he realised the player cutting through so brilliantly had been Redpath – suddenly the Exeterr defence had been terrible.

You know, I now realise, Wee Austin Healy is the competent commentator, it's Dallaglio who is the useless pratt.

WHEN I WAS a boy, we could play a lot of rugby here in God's County of Ayrshire. We kicked our season off on 1 September, and while we could not play 15-a-side after 30 April, we always held our club sevens tournament on the first Saturday in May.

The leagues were generally done and dusted by the end of March, but, in April we had plenty of sevens tournaments. Not just the well-established 'Borders Sports' here in the West, we had a couple of circuits.

I had a look at the Glasgow Herald for April, 1973 – 50 years ago, and, the final season before the official leagues were formed. It made interesting reading. The Borders Circuit was going strong then, with Bill McMurtrie and/or Bill McLaren providing Monday morning readers with a comprehensive picture of what had transpired.

However, the Herald also paid full notice to the West of Scotland Sevens Circuit of the time, where the big events were: Greenock Wanderers, Glasgow University, Ayr, Clarkston, Kilmarnock, Hillhead and Cartha.

But, there were other tournaments, the April 1973 Herald archive includes at least notification of the winners at tournaments run by Helensburgh, the Lanarkshire clubs, Lenzie, Drumpellier, Dumfries, Wigtownshire, Stirling County and Cumnock.

There were also County Cups being run in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire, plus The Glasgow District Knock-Out Cup of blessed memory.

So, there was a lot of rugby being played in the West back then. For comparison, I had a look at what April will hold for the eight Ayrshire clubs:

• Ardrossan Academical – 1 game left to play

• Ayr – minimum of 3 games, maximum of 5 left to play

• Carrick – 1 game left to play

• Cumnock – 2 games left to play

• Garnock – 1 game left to play

• Irvine – 0 games left to play

• Kilmarnock – 3 games left to play

• Marr – minimum of 1 game, maximum of 3 left to play.

The uncertainty around Ayr and Marr is because they are still involved in the Tennent's Scottish Cup.

OK, I accept there may still be some Sevens tournaments going, but, what used to be terrific social occasions are now, except for Melrose, withering on the vine.

Rugby Union, we are always being told, is “A Players' Game” so maybe it's time the SRU and the clubs put a bit of work into keeping them playing in good weather. Or is a a plot to get us paying to watch Edinburgh, Glasgow and Super6?

 

Back When We Had A Rugby Media In Scotland

 

LET'S BE honest, the mainstream media in Scotland doesn't give a fuck about Rugby Union. However, we should not allow this to upset us too much; if it isn't The Old Firm, the Scotland football team, or Sir Andy Murray, well as far as the High Heid Yins at Pacific Quay and several other places are concerned, it isn't sport.

I accept Tom English has freedom to publish pish about the game, when the notion takes him, but, the reality is, as far as the British Propaganda purveyors up here are concerned, Rugby Union is a minority sport.

As I have pointed-out before, when I was starting out in the murky world of journalism, the media was awash with talent:

1. Scotsman – Norman Mair and Harry Pincott, later Chris Rea
   

2. Edinburgh Evening News – Reg Prophit and later Bill Lothian

3. (Glasgow) Herald – Bill McMurtrie, Bill McLaren and John Downie

4. Evening Times – Jack Robertson and “Wee Harry Shorthouse), sorry, a forgotten name

5. Daily Express – Brian Meek and the Chief Sub in Edinburgh, whose name I forget

6. Daily Record – Hugh Young

In addition you had guys such as Alan Lorimer, Glen Stirling, Alan Christie, Jack Nixon, Neil Drysdale, David Kelso, Alasdair Reid, Lewis Stuart and a hooligan from East Ayrshire operating as freelances and filling-in the gaps. You also had Ian Anderson covering rugby for STV, who today pay even less notice of the game than the BBC and other freelances and local newspaper guys such as Atholl Innes, who also wrote for the nationals.

Wee Jack Adams, in retirement from the Sunday Mail, formed Half Day Press and covered rugby. After a life time of being patronised by the blazers at the SFA, Jack could not believe how welcoming the SRU blazers of the time were to the press – changed days. That was, of course, before the current CEO, who seems to love the “That Cunt Dodson” moniker he picked up from the NUJ Chapel members he hated at The Guardian.

Today, neither the Herald nor Scotsman, the two papers for whom the rugby community should be the natural sports-reading community has a dedicated 'Rugby Correspondent. Indeed, Mark Palmer at the Times might well be the only staff journalist in Scotland who is paid to write about Rugby Union.

Otherwise, the coverage of the sport is down to a mere handful of freelances, principally David Barnes of The Offside Line. Back when I started, the Scottish Rugby Union Writers Club could field a full 23-man match-day squad, and more. Today, if that club was still functioning, it would be struggling to put out a Seven.

In the aftermath of this dereliction of duty by the mainstream media, it behoves the game itself to become the rugby media. Aye Right!!

Putting the boot into Buddy the Elf and his staff at the SRU's Media Department is becoming boring. By 5.30pm last night, I knew which eight clubs would be in the quarter-final draw for the Tennent's Scottish Cup. All the results, however, were not up on the SRU website. The SRU apparently hadn't told BBC Scotland that the cup ties were being played. The BBC Sport Scotland results service, which is generally about an hour ahead of the SRU's service, had some National League results, but, no mention of the Cup – that's crazy.

If these guys cannot do the basics of their job – and I've been highlighting this results service failing since Wee Ron Evans died – why are they being paid?

I checked-in again after that wonderful Munster v Glasgow Warriors game, and the Stirling County v GHK result still wasn't up on the SRU site, that was at quarter to eight on a Saturday night, some three hours after the game ended. Frankly, this is embarrassingly inept.

SPEAKING OF that game in Limerick, and that superb 38-26 bonus-point win for Warriors – jings, that will go down as one of the greatest-ever Scottish club performances. In such as competitive league as the URC, nothing can be taken for granted, however, Warriors now have a genuinely strong opportunity to clinch a home quarter-final, after which, who knows what might happen.

To so-comprehensively out-play Munster in Limerick shows, Glasgow need fear nobody in the remainder of the season. Some of their play was absolutely top drawer, in particular, I thought the break-out which led to Domingo Miotti's second half dropped goal. When that went over, I just knew, Munster would not overhaul their guests.

There were no failures in the Glasgow squad, but, one or two went beyond the call of duty: Man of the Match Sione Vailanu, skipper Stafford McDowall, Zander Fagerson and Rory Darge in particular stood out for me.

If Glasgow's performance left a warm glow of satisfaction, watching the second half of Connacht v Edinburgh was a tough gig. I missed the first half, since I was watching Scotland v Cyprus at Hampden.

The feel-good factor from that one didn't last long into that second half at Galway. I would say Edinburgh were rank rotten, only, I couldn't rate them that highly. Clearly, the SRU needs to carry-out a deep mucking of the Edinburgh byre, there are a lot of players there who should maybe be let go.

HAVING had a justifiable go at Buddy and the Elves for their failings in covering the Scottish Cup round of 16, I suppose I really have to tell you how the games went.

Well, the scores were:

1. Currie 57 Melrose 20

2. Dundee 27 Glasgow Hawks 33

3. Edinburgh Academical 12 Hawick 23

4. GHA 28 Ayr 41

5. Kelso 12 Heriot's Bluesd 38

6. Selkirk 38 Musselburgh 7

7. Stirling County 26 GHK 43

8. Marr w.o. Watsonians withdrew

The Quarter-Finals will be held on Saturday, 1 April, and they are:

1. Ayr v Selkirk

2. Currie v Marr

3. Hawick v GHK

4. Heriot's Blues v Glasgow Hawks

FINALLY – to be fair to the SRU's Media team, they did manage to come up with a good round-up of the several Youth Cup Finals which were played at Murrayfield on Saturday, and also cover the Women's Under-20 game against England.

But, it's the small details which are telling and, that's where they let themselves down. There are some talented kids in there, the trouble is, when as in that department at Murrayfield, the Honcho is the Chocolate Fire Guard's Chocolate Fire Guard, it is never going to work.

For Warriors - Today Is A Biggee.

 

THE GUINNESS Six Nations may be over for another year, but, there will be international-level intensity at Thomond Park, Limerick, tonight at tea-time, when Munster and Glasgow lock horns in a crucial BKT United Rugby Championship encounter.

Trips to Limerick are never easy, and, this one matters; with Warriors lying fourth in the table and Munster fifth, a mere two points adrift. So, if Munster win, they will leap-frog Warriors into fourth place and a potential home quarter-final draw. However, on paper, Warriors appear to have the easier run-in, but, winning tomorrow would be a huge step in that fight for the home quarter-final.

So, with so much at stake, Warriors' Coach Franco Smith has loaded his match-day squad, bringing back nine of their players who have been on Scotland duty throughout the Six Nations.

The Warriors' squad, as ever in 1-23 order is:

Nathan McBeth, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, JP du Preez, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Sione Vailanu; Ali Price, Domingo Miotti, Jamie Dobie, Sam Johnson, Stafford McDowall (Captain), Cole Forbes, Ollie Smith. Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Allan Dell, Lucio Sordoni, Lewis Bean, Alex Samuel, Thomas Gordon; George Horne, Tom Jordan.

Smith has gone with a six-two forwards/backs split for his bench, obviously expecting the usual forward-dominated game from the Munstermen.

The match kicks-off at 5.15pm and can be watched live on Viaplay.

HOWEVER, the big news from today's URC programme is – Darcy Is Back. The Hawick Hero has been named on the right-wing in the Edinburgh team which faces Connacht tomorrow afternoon, kick-off 3.05pm.

Graham's return is a welcome boost for Edinburgh, who are badly in need of a win following some disappointing recent reverses. Also back, having completed his spell in 'Tackle School' after his red card against France is Scotland lock Grant Gilchrist, who captains the following side – as ever in 1-23 order:

Boan Venter, Stuart McInally, Leroy Atalifo, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist (Captain), Ben Muncaster, Connor Boyle, Bill Vata; Henry Pyrgos, Blair Kinghorn, Damien Hoyland, James Lang, Mark Bennett, Darcy Graham, Emeliano Boffelli. Replacements: Dave Cherry, Luan de Bruin, Wilem Nel, Marshall Sykes, Glen Young; Ben Vellacott, Chris Dean, Nathan Sweeney.

It might be asking a lot for Edinburgh to make the last eight, from their current twelfth position in the league – seven points adrift of today's hosts, who currently occupy that last quarter-final place. However, perhaps the arrival of Steve Diamond can galvanise a late run in which Edinburgh can upset the odds.

ONE OF the worst things about great age is – you go soft. In physical terms, you lose muscle mass, you become more-easily tired and can no longer do what was once easy.

You also go, for want of a better expression, soft in the head. You no longer tolerate things you once did, while you start to do things you would never do. Aged 76 now – I have become aware of that this week, because, I've become sorry for those bar stewards at Marr RFC.

I jest somewhat, I have a few guys around Fullarton I am proud to call friends – yes, even the Still Game Gang, particularly the SGG.

I am sorry for them because this excellent club, which is – local jealousies aside – one of the best in Scotland, has been denied what promised to be a good day today, by Watsonians scratching from their scheduled Tennent's Scottish Cup clash with Marr, at Fullarton.

Marr had one of their excellent lunches planned, while they intended to make use of the big crowd tha game promised to attract, by honouring their league-winning Third XV.

Apparently, the Colinton Toffs: “cannot raise a front row.” Naw, tell the truth boys – you cannot find a prop prepared to be torn a new one by propping against Gordy Reid. That is perhaps closer to the truth.

This season, Watsonians have been regularly fielding three full Xvs in official SRU-run competitions.

• Their First XV lies ninth in National League 1, having fulfilled 20 fixtures

• Their Second XV lies 2^nd in East Regional Reserve League 2, having fulfilled 16 fixtures

• Their Third XV finished second in East Reserve League Three, to qualify for stage two of that competition, where they lie second, after four fixtures.

So, Watsonians have had no problem in meeting their fixture schedule thus far this season, but, O.K., we hear suggestions a lot of Edinburgh players are unable to go beyond the city limits. Suddenly, facing an away trip, past Harthill Cross, to a higher-ranked team, they cannot find enough front rowers. “Aye Right!” as we say here in the West of Scotland.

I expect better of one of Scotland's Establishment clubs.

WATSONIANS' withdrawal means, Marr have become the first club into the last eight of this season's Scottish Cup. By tonight, they will know who the other seven clubs are.

There are some interesting games today, in a draw which reads:

1. Currie Chieftains v Melrose

2. Dundee Rugby v Glasgow Hawks

3. Edinburgh Academical v Hawick

4. GHA v Ayr

5. Kelso v Heriot's Blues

6. Selkirk v Musselburgh

7. Stirling County v GHK.

Match of the round is probably the Raeburn Place meeting of Accies and Hawick, who are aiming for a League and Cup double, and of course, keeping hold of the Bill McLaren Shield.

However, there are some other cracking ties, such as the clash of GHA anfd Ayr at Braidholm. I must in particular highlight one aspect of the final game on that list – the Bridgehaugh clash of Stirling County and GHK.

This will be County legend Johnny 'Joffy' Hope's final home match for the host club, he deserves the best-possible send-off after a terrific career.

AND ANOTHER thing, the most-unpleasant match of the weekend is likely to be on Sunday morning, when the Welsh Rugby Union holds a special meeting in Port Talbot.

It's fair to say, things are fairly toxic down in the valleys. Things could get nasty at this meeting, with the clubs being asked to consider some very-radical, and hugely-controversial options.

I know The Murrayfield Junta doesn't have a lot of time for the awkward squad up here, but, when compared to the Taffia, The Scotia Nostra of rugby are a bunch of pussy cats.

FINALLY – I believe the FOSROC Super Clubs will, this season and going forward, find it increasingly difficult to justify importing NSQ (Non-Scottish-Qualified) players into their squads, but, I do welcome one import from outside Scottish Club rugby.

When Ayrshire Bulls played Newcastle Falcons last Friday, the man in the number two shirt was former Scotland hooker Grant Stewart.

With both Fraser Brown and Stuart McInally now both in their mid-thirties and surely heading for the exit door, I reckon, a good season with the Bulls could see Grant back at Scotstoun.

He was one of the unfortunate Scottish guys who fell out of favour during the Dave Rennie/Danny Wilson years, but, I reckon, under Franco Smith, given a fair crack of the whip, he could rebuild his career, starting with a good game when Bulls play Warriors A in the Super Six Sprint Series. I certainly wish him well.

Developing An Argument

THE ARISTOTLE THINK TANK has been greatly-excited over this past week or so by the ramifications of Scottish Cup player qualification – and whether or not club players who are being scouted by the Super team franchises should still be able to participate in the Cup with their home club; or whether they have disqualified themselves by dipping a toe in the Performance Rugby duck pond.

Of course, that it should come to this is yet another example of The Murrayfield Junta: #Fuck-Ups Are Us - being unable to run a gird (or for our younger readers a bath). As has been evident from the start with S6, if the High Heid Yins at HQ can muck something up – they will.

A side issue on this debate is the continuing problems facing our Under-20 squad and how best we give these kids the best-possible chance of progressing, getting back to the top tier of Under-20 rugby and perhaps having a meaningful career as professional players.

Back in the 1980s I was involved, on the fringes, with what was then the best basketball coaching system in Scotland – at my old school, Cumnock Academy. Over a ten year period, the combination of the school and Cumnock Basketball Club produced a conveyor belt of good players who won Scottish Schools Cups, Scottish Schools Caps and produced a stream of full Scotland internationalists, plus a clutch of coaches who went on to coach national sides. Indeed, so good was the Cumnock system, three boys made their full adult Scotland debut while still at school.

Along the way, Cumnock supplied the entire starting five, plus the second player off the bench, the first time Scotland ever beat England in a schools international and one at least one memorable occasion, the full starting five for Scotland in a Home International was made-up of Cumnock boys. Indeed, one street in my home village boasts seven international basketball players.

That success wasn't down to chance, Bill Baillie, the Head of PE introduced boys to basketball in the First Year, and he coached that base line team. He then handed each year's team onto one of the other coaches – who stayed with that squad all the way through to Senior Level in Sixth Year.

Sadly, Bill retired and all of the coaches got promoted and moved to other schools, while Bill's successor wasn't a basketball fan. Then there was the Teachers' Strike - the whole edifice collapsed.

But, I have always felt, with the right people in place, that Cumnock Basketball system could work for a rugby club. It's not rocket science, just best practice put in-place and properly managed.

One of the pillars of the system was, the club always had a couple of Americans who were more than players – they were Basketball Development Officers, who went round the local primaries selling the benefits of basketball, but, more-importantly, were in the gym every lunch-time playing in 3 v 3 games with the senior team, or coaching the younger players. The kids loved the chance to test themselves in these scrimmage games.

I know, the likes of Marr RFC have first team players employed as Rugby Development Officers, embedded at Marr College, and their work is one of the reasons for the rude good health of the game in Troon – and Marr's success across more than the big team. Would that more clubs would be as pro-active in boosting rugby.

But, I have, as usual, gone stravaiging of route map, time to get back to the basics. One of the subjects the think tank has been debating is how best to get our Under-20 players the game time they need in S6.

Since Super Rugby is run by the Performance Department at Murrayfield, I think they should be more-involved in ensuring the right players are playing in Super Rugby. So, they ought, I feel, to be setting parameters for who can play.

For instance – we are told S6 is a bridging tier, between the club game and full-time rugby, so:

• Why don't we have a strict age group rule – perhaps that 70% of each match-day squad should be Under-23

• Similarly, we could insist that a set number of these players – say three or five, should be Under-20

• I have no qualms about fringe Edinburgh and Glasgow players playing down in S6, but, again, let's have a set limit on this – again say three on the field at any time.

• Demand the coaches and the clubs select within pre-set guidelines and we would be giving our young players a chance to show what they could do.

• I would also insist, any players brought-in from outside Scotland, be Scotland-Qualified.

Tighten-up on player eligibility, be pro-active in encouraging young players and S6 could be the success we want it to be. Well, those of us who are fair-minded, there will always be a constituency within the club game, for whom S6 is the Devil's spawn.

Just this week, the excellent THE OFFSIDE LINE published a very-interesting interview with Nigel Carolan, the Glasgow Warriors' Attack Coach – a man who had hands-on experience of how things are done in Ireland, from his time with Connacht.

Carolan made the point that the main thrust of the development work should be done at Under-15 level, rather than at Under-20. He also said:

“The systems they [Ireland] have, especially at age grade, is a little bit ahead of Scotland at the moment.”

“When Scotland catches up, they’ll get there through local, indigenous players again, so they just need that foundation.

“Ireland are maybe 10 years down that road having invested in players as 14 or 15-year-olds, and the under-20s over the last three or four years have been successful off the back of that; but that’s just a by-product of the system – it’s not like they invested in the under-20s.”

OK, let's be fair – there's a lot going on at the moment, but, surely somebody inside The Murrayfield Junta should have the gumption to say: “Wait a minute, this guy has been inside the Irish system, so he knows how it works – maybe we should get him in here and pick his brains.”

But, since Mr Carolan is an Irishman, working for a Scottish governing body, perhaps the Englishmen who have so much power within that governing body don't want to ask anything of a “Tick Mick” or maybe, in other areas, a “Stroppy Scot.”

A final statistic; since we went to Under-20 internationals, in 2007 – 435 players have won a Scotland cap at this level. Of these, 67 or 15% have gone on to become full caps, while a further 75 (17%) have gone on to make at least one appearance for either Edinburgh or Glasgow. I don't know how that compares with other nations, but at least we know what our base line is; whether or not we can improve that figure – that's the big question.

But, what I do know is our 32% conversion rate of U-20 caps to professional rugby compares very well to the rate in other sports. It's better than the rate in football and way ahead of the conversion rate of college athletes to professionals in the big North American leagues: MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL.

We don't have the numbers, we don't have the finances, but, while we can always aim to do better, I feel, for all its failings, our system works fairly well and at the end of the day, I don't think too-many of the 293 who didn't make it can sit in the corner of their rugby club bar and claim: “I could have been a contender.”