Between The International And S6 - The New Season Has Kicked Off

DOMESTIC RUGBY burst back to life this weekend, with the opening salvoes in the FOSROC Super6 Championship. The fact that the start of S6, and Saturday's Famous Grouse international against Italy overlapped with the final games in the World Under-20 Trophy and the Rugby Championship games in the Southern Hemisphere demonstrates that the game is now an all-year-round one.

Heriot's got off to a winning start in the 2023-24 S6 campaign, sticking 50 opener points on a youthful Boroughmuir Bears. This win demonstrates exactly where The Junta has got S6 wrong. Heriot's won because they had the more-experienced and battle-hardened squad, however, S6 is supposed to be less about winning and bragging rights, and more about developing players who just might be able to make the jump from being good club players to being at least journeymen professionals.

By that measurement, it isn't yet working. The stand-outs in the Heriot's team, guys such as back rower Charlie Jupp, tight-head Euan McLaren and centre Matt Davidson have all had their shot at glory and been sent back to S6.

We only have two full-time professional teams; yes, we should maybe be getting rid of our NSQ journeymen to make room for young Scots, but, even so, there are never going to be too many openings for our emerging talent.

So, within these parameters, Jupp and Davidson are highly-unlikely, good players though they are, to be invited to sign for either side. McLaren, finally maturing into the prop he has long promised to become, might have a chance, but, Ah hae ma doots.

The Boroughmuir kids, being a year or two behind in their development, might have a better chance of making it to the pros, but again, I am not holding my breath.

One guy on show on Friday who does have a chance of progressing was referee Johnny Perryam, who is now one of a clutch of youngish Scottish referees who I believe could, were it not for the malign influence of the Dublin Refereeing Murphyia, make it onto a bigger stage.

THE BIG Issue in Saturday's Scotland v Italy Famous Grouse Summer Series opener wasn't the result, it was – which of the fringe players given their chance to stake a claim to not be cut out of the final World Cup squad could grab their chance.

To be honest, nobody played themselves out of contention, so, Toony still has some big calls to make, but, not that the squad system allows such shocks – there were no arrivals from the far left field to lay down a definite selection marker.

I can still see Blair Kinghorn's versatility condemning him to a bench place – but he will still be in the RWC squad – that versatility guarantees his inclusion. So, Ollie Smith perhaps moved closer to being the Heir to Hoggy with a sound 80 minutes.

Debutant Stafford McDowall had his moments. If there is to be a “bolter” into the final World cup squad, it could be the big Galloway Irishman. Ben Healy deserved his MOM call and his kicking for touch could be a weapon in the big show.

Up front, we had no failures, and maybe one or two previous “shoo-ins” will be looking over their shoulders as all the challengers did well. I thought wee Javan Sebastian had a particularly-impressive spell off the bench, shoring-up a part of our game which had been creaking in the first half.

Italy, as a team, always have and perhaps always will, cause us problems; so I am not going to be too critical of our victory. Ok that brilliant late try by Josh Bayliss gilded the lily somewhat but, over the piece, I thought we deserved to win.

THAT WAS my feeling too about my second game of Saturday, the Ayrshire Bulls v Watsonians S6 match.

It is no secret, I am an Ayrshireman and I want to see the Bulls topping the tree, but,well though Watsonians played, particularly in defence, to be honest, Bulls just didn't show up.

Pat McArthur's squad crawled across the line in the Sprint Series, taking “winning ugly” to new heights (or should that be depths?) in doing so. But, they were out of sorts for the second half of the sprint series, and the malaise continued into Saturday's new season opener.

I thought the Bulls' half-backs were non-existent, their ruck delivery speed was glacial – although it perhaps quickened after the break. We didn't see the ever-dangerous Bobby Beattie with ball in hand until the final minute. But, all credit to Watsonians, who definitely won this on the back of fantastic defence and line speed.

They struggled somewhat to put a squad together and this victory could be the boost they need in their efforts to hold onto their title. It was certainly a great start for new Coach Nikki Walker.

Test Match Special Can Get You Thinking Of Things Other Than Cricket

MORE THAN occasionally, you review a decision made by the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Ruling Junta and, that great quote from Lord Foulkes of Cumnock comes to mind: “They're doing it deliberately.” Yes, this ought to be the motto of The Junta: “If we can fuck something up – we will.”

If I had £1 for every time I've written this, I'd be a rich man, but, truth is, all the problems with the FOSROC Super6 have been caused by Murrayfield.I will maintain to my final breath, S6 is a good idea, badly implemented and administered by a mob who couldnae run a gird, or a bath for our younger readers.

Take this latest wheeze – the FOSROC Future XV, which is unveiled tonight, against Southern Knights, at The Greenyards. I wish them well, but – and it's typical SRU that there should be a but – Ah hae ma doots. These doubts are multiplied by my memories of the old Gael Force squad, which competed in the 2009-2010 edition of the British and Irish Cup.

They opened with a 8-29 loss to Cornish Pirates, down at Camborne. They then lost 0-15 to Exeter Chiefs, then still a Championship side, down at Sandy Park. On then to Newport and a third straight loss, 5-27.

Back up the road to Bridgehaugh, but, no change of fortune, as visitors Plymouth Albion won 25-0, before a hugely-disappointing campaign stuttered to a close with a 22-33 home defeat, at the hands of Leinster A.

Five straight defeats, and home attendances of 69 and 300 for the two games at Bridgehaugh, no wonder the SRU immediately pulled the plug on the concept of warehousing their youngsters.

That squad was coached by Stevie Gemmell, assisted by Graham Shiel and Steve Scott and was selected from the then National Academy contracted players, who were:

Grant Anderson (Ayr), Alex Blair (Edinburgh Accies), Chris Bloomfield (Currie), FRASER BROWN (Watsonians), TOM BROWN (Edinburgh Accies), Tom Bury (Boroughmuir), Nick Campbell (Glasgow Hawks), DAVID DENTON (Edinburgh Accies), Struan Dewar (Heriot’s), Michael Doneghan (Stewarts-Melville), ALEX DUNBAR (Selkirk), CHRIS FUSARO (Heriot’s), GRANT GILCHRIST (Heriot's), Finlay Gillies (Heriot’s), ROB HARLEY (West of Scotland), Robin Hislop (Boroughmuir), STUART HOGG (Heriot’s), Rory Hutton (Heriot’s), Peter Jericevich (Glasgow Hawks), James Johnstone (Currie), Nicky Little (Hawick), Ashleah McCulloch (Watsonians), STUART McINALLY (Watsonians), Lewis Niven (Edinburgh Accies), Neale Patrick (Boroughmuir), Neil Rodger (Haddington), Joe Stafford (Glasgow Hawks), Steven Wilson (Edinburgh Accies).

Not all the 28 players named actually played for Gael Force, several played in the B&I for their nominated clubs – some of which appear strange today, However, nine of those Academy students (32%) went on to win at least one full cap – and Robin 'Bomber' Hislop could yet hoist that total to ten.

I wonder if that many of this season's squad will go on to wear the full thistle. However, the previous experience of the Gael Force squad makes you fear for the Futures XV, although, to be fair, S6 might not be as tough a competition as the B&I Cup was.

The headline over the SRU website story about the formation of the Gael Force is a cracker: “Gael Force Set To Cause A Storm” - aye, maybe not the storm they envisaged, but, what's new in Scottish Rugby?

The portents are not good for tonight's match, given that 16 of the named squad are still in Zimbabwe with the Under-20 team, getting ready to face Samoa in the third-fourth play-off match on Sunday.

Pressure will obviously be being applied to certain other clubs to borrow players and complete a squad. Not a good look for the governing body. I might have to get old Private James Frazer out to brighten up this post.

LOOKING ahead to the Famous Grouse Summer Series opener this weekend, I was intrigued by a comment on Test Match Special this afternoon. The commentary team were discussing how, with the more-compressed schedule on tours today,it has become more-difficult for a player who doesn't get into the Test side for the start of a series, now faces a far-harder task to break into the team.

This might be more of an issue with Lions sides, but, it could be argued that it also applies to individual national Rugby Union teams. In the amateur era of longer tours fringe players had many more chances to show what they could do.

For instance, Gordon Brown went on his first Lions Tour in 1971 as very-much one for the future. He was, at best, third-choice lock on that tour, however, he had plenty of chances to show what he could do. The tour involved 26 matches; the last Lions' tour, to South Africa, only contained ten games.

The tourists had an 11-game build-up to the First Test, while Broon From Troon didn't get into the Test side until the Third Test, which was Match 22. As I say, it's not perhaps so-difficult for a fringe Scotland player to get into the Test side today, but, with greater emphasis on squads, unless there is a disaster at some point, in Six Nations or World Cup campaigns, the coach will go in with an idea as to his best squad and be reluctant to change things.

Thus, Summer Tests and the like are just about the only chance a fringe player will have to make his case for a game. Unfortunately, this fact of life seems to have passed several feet over the heads of many social media keyboard warriors following the announcement of tomorrow's Scotland team.

Another interesting fact which Jonathan Agnew produced during the evening TMS session was a comparison between the careers of the great Yorkshire fast bowler Fred Trueman and today's England player Stuart Broad.

 

Broad has played 168 Tests, and during his career he has bowled a little over 2000 overs. Trueman (above), during his 70 Tests England career bowled over 10,000 overs. The difference was, Trueman had to, at the end of a Test match, pack his bags and head off to wherever Yorkshire were playing, to play for his county, today, Broad, on a central contract, can put his feet up until the next England game.

It was the same in Rugby Union in the amateur era. The likes of Andy Irvine or the above-mentioned Gordon Brown might be playing Wales in Cardiff one week, then find themselves seven days later, down at Langholm, or up in Aberdeen, playing for Heriot's or West of Scotland.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I found my record of an Ayr season in the early 1970s, where tight-head prop Johnny Burston played every minute of 33 club games that season, plus games for Ayrshire and Glasgow – no tight-head prop today would be expected to play that many minutes/games.

Many in Scottish Rugby might still believe: “It's aye been and aye will be,” however, the times have definitely changed, and are still changing.

 

Another Disaster For Scotland

ONE OF my oldest football memories is of watching Scotland lose 0-7 to Uruguay in the 1954 World Cup finals. This humiliation was taken badly by everyone in Scottish football at the time.

• They were oblivious to the fact the South Americans included some of the world's best players of the time, stellar names such as Josė Santamaria and Juan Schiaffino.

• The fact, the Uruguayans were the reigning World Champions wasn't factored-in.

• The ludicrous preparations – we went with a very-inexperienced team was overlooked.

• The fact, since we were going to Switzerland caused the SFA to order heavy winter weight jerseys, for a tournament played in a summer mid-European heatwave was overlooked.

• The pre-game resignation of Team Manager Andy Beattie was barely an issue.

Aye, when it comes to fucking-up a major campaign, the SFA could clearly, then and still to an extent today, have given the British Army High command of the old Empire years lessons.

But, with this latest setback for our Under-20 team, losing to Uruguay in Zimbabwe, I fear The Ruling Junta at Scottish Gas Murrayfield (right, that's the sponsors had their obligatory free plug) has been taking lessons from the stumble-bums along the sixth floor corridor at Hampden.

OK, the usual suspects who entertain us so successfully in the BT: (below the line) comments on The Offside Line are already on the case: (memo to self: suggest to David Barnes, he invests in green ink for certain of his regular commenters). There already are calls for Kenny Murray to be sacked, that's a given. There are calls for a total overhaul of the Academy system, and the schools system – another given; but, hey, this is the SRU – I reckon I will have been in the Great Press Box In The Sky, listening to Jock Wemyss, Norman Mair and Bill McLaren for several centuries before any meaningful change shakes Murrayfield to its foundations.

Within half an hour of the game ending, the first: “SCRAP SUPER6” posts were up on Facebook – some Scots don't do unpredictable.

Mind you, I do predictions, and here's one I am sure of – No change which handicaps the usual suspects at the top of the private school tree will be allowed.

However, if losing to a Tier Two nation doesn't plant a much-needed bomb under the apparatchiks at HQ – then, it's time to bring this guy out again:

 

Jim Mallinder has already spoken to David Barnes and given Kenny Murray his backing. OK, at the moment, Rugby is not like Football, where such a vote of confidence in a coach means they are already working-out the terms of his departure. Having known KM for a number of years and respecting his coaching credentials, I would say, it would be a mistake to drop him on the back of what was a disappointing defeat.

However, we have to face reality – Kenny can only pee with the implement he was given and he is on-point in a flawed system which hasn't worked properly for years.

Until we discover a system which works better than the current one, we will continue to struggle at world level. That's reality, but, as you can see from the wee story with which I began this post, facing reality hasn't been a virtue obvious among the guys who run our major team sports for a couple of generations at least.

I still maintain, Super6 is a good idea which is being badly-implemented. Any faults in this system are down to the SRU, who seem unwilling to rectify them.

To save money, they franchised S6 out to the clubs – but, they have allowed the clubs to maintain a “club” mindset:

• The priority here is to win the thing

Yes, winning is important, however, we appear to have forgotten:

• S6 is a DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE

It is after all being run, not by the Council via the participating clubs, but by the SRU Development Department.

For this league to effectively develop the young players who can, after a spell there, move up to the full-time professional clubs, then surely there has to be an upper age limit applied to the bulk of each squad. Thus, if the player develops, me moves up, if he does not cut the mustard, he can either revert to the amateur club game, move elsewhere, or give up.

Yes, there is a case for a few more-experienced players in each squad, however, I have been saying for ages now – the bulk of each of the S6 teams' playing squad should be Under-23, if they haven't made it by then, they are unlikely to train-on enough to make it to the pros. (I can accept, props, who tend to mature later, might well be exempt from any under-23 age ruling, however).

Why don't we, therefore, change the ground rules for S6 so that:

• Each team is limited to a 30-man squad, at least 20 of whom must be Under-23 that season.

• That two-thirds U-23, one-third O-23 split must be maintained at all times on the field in each game.

• At least 25 of each 30-man squad must be Scotland Qualified.

That way, we just might give the younger players a platform on which to perform and improve.

We cannot go on fannying about the way we currently are, since it clearly isn't working.

 

It Would Be Best For Edinburgh, Were Their New Saffer To Send Diamond Into The Rough

I HAVE written in this blog before of my initial impression the first time I encountered Steve Diamond on a professional basis. This was at a pre-season game in Sale – Gregor Townsend's first game as Glasgow coach. I left Sale FC's old Heywood Road ground convinced of one thing: Mr Diamond was what we call in the West of Scotland: “a fanny.” Nothing I have seen since has caused me to alter that initial impression.

Ach! I suppose we are still a long way away from being rid of “The Scottish Cringe” - that impression so-many Scots give of us being incapable of running our own affairs and institutions. Too-many Scots appear to have swallowed, hook, line and sinker, the notion that we are not mentally conditioned to running our own affairs, so we have to import English experts to keep us right.

Ah hae ma doots about some of the imports currently embedded within the Ruling Junta at Murrayfield. Diamond, I definitely have doubts about, and I honestly cannot see Edinburgh going anywhere while he, as he seems to be, has what we used to call in the much-shifting world: “The Big Squeak.”

It might therefore be interesting to see how things pan-out with the appointment of Sean Everitt as 'Senior Coach.'

I honestly didn't know too-much about Mr Everitt. He is certainly not a coaching super-star, indeed, he doesn't even have the track record of Glasgow's Franco Smith. But, let's be honest, not many of us were impressed when Mr Smith was unveiled as Warriors' coach and we have had to eat humble pie – might lightning strike twice, this time at the other end of the M8?

Everitt is a Saffer, so, we can take it as read that he knows his stuff; personally I hope he has the self-confidence to tell Mr Diamond to go off and work on his golf handicap, leaving him to sort-out Edinburgh and the team's penchant for showing old Partick Thistle levels of inconsistency.

OF MORE CONCERN, however, is what might happen in the wake of Viaplay's announcement that they are pulling out of broadcasting in the United Kingdom.

As yet, we don't know the nuts and bolts of what will happen. Viaplay did say: “The United Kingdom.” Does this include the island of Ireland? It might be, the decision-makers back there in the company's Stockholm have got their UK mixed up with their British Isles.

I get my Viaplay stream on Amazon Prime, so it might make sense, given their increased interest in broadcasting rugby, for Amazon Prime to pick-up the United Rugby Championship coverage.

It might also make sense for TNT Sports to come after the URC coverage, after all, that league has the governing unions behind them, so there is less chance of clubs going bust during the season. With Stuart Hogg recruited into their team, they now have influential Irish, Welsh and Scottish pundits, adding knowledge and class to their long-running cheer-leaders for English rugby – might they be prepared to look outside their heartland for additional games to cover?

We are in for an interesting period while this matter is resolved.

FRASER BROWN'S new appointment as Assistant Coach to Nikki Walker with the Watsonians Super6 team is an interesting one. The chat at Millbrae on Friday night, for the new campaign's opening, should be good as Fraser pits his wits against old pal Pat McArthur.

The route into coaching in Scotland appears to be via the number two shirt at Glasgow, with McArthur, Brown and Heriot's Fin Gillies all having worn it. But, seriously, it is good to see another Scotland cap setting-off on a possible coaching career, except, with so-few full-time coaching opportunities in Scotland, we might, perhaps ten years or so down the line, find we have been producing coaches for our rivals. Unless, more of our top clubs are suddenly going to come into money and provide career opportunities for young coaches.

THERE IS an interesting name on the Ayrshire Bulls' squad for the new FOSROC SUPER6 campaign – that of Glasgow Warriors and Scotland fly-half Ross Thompson.

 

Fit again after his injury travails of the past season, Thompson will again be seen in the Bulls' number ten shirt. He has been drafted out to the Millbrae team from Scotstoun, along with Nathan MacBeth and Alex Samuel.

These signings strike me as a very-good way for Franco Smith to get guys who are not in the World Cup squad tuned-up for the new URC campaign. Young Ross will surely benefit from finding his feet in familiar pastures, and, it will do him no harm to have Frazier Climo on-hand to further mentor him.

 

Another new face at Millbrae will be Marcus Kershaw, (above) a utility back, late of Ealing Trailfinders and the Great Britain Sevens squad. I detect the hand of GB Sevens captain and player-coach Robbie Fergusson behind Kershaw's move to Burns Country.

Robbie, when not travelling the world on the Sevens circuit, will be assisting old mucker Grant Anderson, who has taken over from Stewart Fenwick as Head Coach of Ayr's National League XV.

 

Retirement Is Often All About Timing

MAYBE, because the writer wasn't a sports journalist, the line had extra significance, but, Jilly Cooper perhaps said it best of all, when she had her wonderful character Rupert Campbell-Black admit: the hardest part of being a top sportsman was deciding when to stop. Few ever get it right. Sir Andy Murray, for instance, is no longer British Number One, he didn't get past round two of Wimbledon 2023, however, the competitive flame still burns. While it is sad to see him losing to players who couldn't have lived with him at peak Murray, there is something special about watching a stellar talent raging against the dying of the light.

Denis Law perhaps went two or three games too long. OK, the first Scottish appearance in the World Cup Finals, plus the chance to beat George Young's even longer-standing caps record gave him the motivation to go to Germany in 1974. However, the Law of that 55^th and final cap against Zaire was a pale shadow of the Law of The Holy Trinity days.

 

The dream for Stuart Hogg might have been to bow out clutching “Bill” - as the William Webb Ellis Trophy is known, following a triumphant Scotland World Cup 2023 campaign in France. But, following the shock announcement of his immediate retirement, that isn't going to now happen. Hoggy has listened to his body, and it is telling him: “enough, I can no longer do it.”

Like most Scots, I am sorry to see him depart the stage, but, I admire his courage in making what must have been a horribly-difficult decision. At least, he has quit on his terms and I wish him all the best for the rest of his life.

At least, we have some sort of inheritance in place. Gregor Townsend now had four warm-up games in which to decide whether Blair Kinghorn, Ollie Smith or maybe Huw Jones will take over the number 15 jersey, we have choices and, with the way the squad has been coming together over the past couple of seasons, not having Hoggy, while still a loss, isn't as bad as it might have been.

Hoggy retires with 100 caps and holding the Scottish international try-scoring record, with 27 touchdowns. I have never deviated from my belief that Ken Scotland is the full-back against whom everyone else should be judged. Since the great Herioter, we have had some stellar players in that 15 jersey: Andy Irvine, Peter Dods, Gavin Hastings, Glen Metcalfe and Chris Paterson, to name but five. However, for the sheer excitement he brought to the role, I reckon Hoggy is the closest to KJF Scotland – he was that good.

This World Cup is turning into one of those changing of the guard tournaments. Several long-serving Welshmen will not be there, now Hoggy has joined them. I fear, given the ultra-attritional nature of the elite game today, we will see a number of other players follow him into retirement once each country goes out in France.

Hoggy is the first to go, but, I suspect several other members of Toony's squad in France will decide, or, as in Hogg's case, their bodies will tell them, enough is enough, at the conclusion of the tournament. Also, Bath, for instance will surely be seeking to get value for money from their £1,000,000 per season investment in the unique talents of Finn Russell by persuading him NOT to disappear for a large part of the season on Scotland duty. I would not be surprised to see The Gallus One call it quits at the end of our campaign in France.

AT 10am on Monday morning, there were 55 BTL comments on The Offside Line's story about Ruth Davidson's appointment to the Board. The majority, by a long way, were against her appointment. There are even, I understand, a couple of petitions going round, calling for her removal.

I fear that sort of opposition will merely harden TCD's determination to keep 'The Mooth' seated at the big table. Our Glorious Leader does enjoy seeing us mere Jocks wound-up at his decisions, so I suspect we are stuck with her – unless, of course, the appointment causes such a stooshie at the AGM that The Fat Manc back-tracks. Mind you, I am not holding my breath on that one.

 

TCD Takes His Piss-Taking To The Limit

WHEREVER you were in Scotland, you maybe heard the explosion, late yesterday afternoon. It was not an ultra-loud thunderclap, or an accident at Coulport; that loud roar, followed by a howl of anguish was in fact my reaction to the news that Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links has joined the SRU Board as a Non-Executive Director.

 

Jing, crivvens, help ma boab; what next? When will TCD announce to the world that we are changing the Union's name to The North British Rugby Union? Does this mean, that under the order of precedence of the British Establishment, this Baroness, even one appointed for being a good Tory, gets to sit next to The Princess Royal at Murrayfield?

Still, it could have been worse – they might have offered the job to Wee Krankie – Duchess of Dreghorn, or “Wee Fatso”, the “simple crofter” from Ardnamurchan - so we should be thankful for small mercies.I am sorry, but I cannot think of any positive outcome from appointing this political lightweight to the board.

Mind you, political failures, kicked upstairs to the overloaded 'Other Place' 'The Upper House' do have a tendency to pick-up non-executive directorships, after all, it must be difficult to bob along on £342 per day at current London prices.

To be fair to Her Ladyship, she has a long and distinguished track record of getting her smug face into the papers, atop a buffalo, in the turret of a tank and so forth, so I dare say Jeff Holmes and the other snappers will welcome her to HQ with open arms.

I suppose too, being a top Tory, she will have good contacts, perhaps unfortunately at the murkier end of the City of London, so, let's not rush to condemn her. However, if any appointment helped reinforce the SRU as the organisation of choice of the BPHB (The Bonnie Purple Heather Brigade) and the PSBs (Proud Scots, But), it is this one.

She's not the first pro-Union Tory to be parachuted onto an SRU Board, but, at least the last one, Lord Malcolm Offord of Garvel did have a connection with the game through his long membership of London Scottish.

Now, I would not go as far as the late Aneurin Bevan, so wonderfully portrayed by oor ain Brian Cox in the biopic Food For Ravens, which was shown on BBC4 this week to mark the 75^th anniversary of the NHS. Not all Tories are: “lower than vermin.” However, there are very-few 'One Nation Tories' active in today's party.

If we had to appoint a Tory peer to the board, I could have lived with Baroness Goldie of Bishopton, 'Auntie Bella' is for my money the last decent Tory left in Scotland. 'Ruth the Mooth' no thanks.

Before posting this, I had a quick look at the BTL comments on The Offside Line story of The Mooth's appointment. They are running more than 90% against her involvement in rugby; and one of the very few in-favour is from a poster who uses the same nomme de plume as a notorious Unionist troll on Wings Over Scotland, so hardly an unbiased opinion. Still, negative publicity has never bothered TCD, or Ruth the Mooth.

THE DEATH of Greig Oliver has come as a great shock to everyone in Scottish Rugby. After the Robbie Dyes' tremendous league and cup double in the season just ended has been a welcome boost to everyone in Hawick. That feel-good factor has been broken by the terrible news of Greig's passing, following a paragliding accident in South Africa.

Mind you, it says much about how they build them down there in Hawick that Greig should even be attempting that dangerous sport at the age of 58.

I would normally write a full obituary of a legend such as Greig, however, having reading the heart-felt tribute penned by his life-long friend Malcolm Grant, the Hawick RFC vice president, I will not bother. Malcolm said all that was necessary better than perhaps anyone else could.

I spoke with David Barnes yesterday afternoon, Big Barney has already re-printed Malcolm's tribute in The Offside Line – that says it all. I encourage everyone to read it. Greig's passing is truly sad, he has been taken far-too-young. My condolences to his family and to everyone in Hawick.

GOOD TO SEE Kyle Rowe signing for Glasgow Warriors this week, following the collapse of London Irish. I am certain, once he regains full fitness, Kyle will offer a welcome addition to the serious fire-power Warriors now have behind the scrum.

GOOD TOO to see Scottish match officials strutting their stuff across the world this weekend. Our leading referee: wee Hollie Davidson will be in-charge for the Georgia v Wales match at the World Under-20 Championships in South Africa; while Mike Adamson will have the whistle for the Japan v All Blacks World Cup warm-up game in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, the women's Pacific 4 tournament is taking place in Ottawa, where my second favourite Scottish referee, big Andy McMenemy, is on TMO duty for the clash between Canada and The Black Ferns. There is Scottish interest too in the other game, between The Wallaroos and the USA. TMO in this one is Canada's Andrew Hosie, who is, of course the son of that legendary whistler: 'Lord Hosie of Hughenden,' former SRU President Alan.

 

Scotland Should Take A Leading Role In Growing The Game Globally

IN THIS 21^st century, if you want to take the temperature of the body of the kirk in Scottish Rugby, the best place to look is in the below the line comments section of David Barnes' excellent The Offside Line website. Big Barney and his Gang have neatly stepped-in to offer a forum on the game, ever since The Scotsman followed the Herald down the stank of deciding 'SPORT' in Scotland means:

1. The Bigot Brothers football clubs

2. The Scottish national football team

3. Sir Andy Murray

4. Everything else

Thus, it has been interesting to read the BTL comments anent the World Rugby proposal to initiate a biennial global international tournament, due to kick-off in 2026.

For a start, as more than one commenter has noted, there is a distinct lack of detail or clarity about the proposals, so clearly the great brains at Rugby House in Dublin are, as usual I fear, making it up as they go along. I fear too, given their long-established custom, they will place additional obstacles in the way of those lesser nations looking to progress.

Given this lack of clarity and the fact the protocols for the new tournament are still being worked-out, commenting too soon could well lead to a severe attack of egg on one's face. I am, for once, loath to speculate on how it might look come 2026, but, I will say this – Rugby Union has perhaps evolved more in the little over a quarter of a century since the game went Open than it did in the 124 years prior to that watershed, and I have a distinct feeling: we aint seen nothin ' yet.

I can see a continued parting of the ways between the grass-roots 'Community Game' – a strictly amateur pastime where the onus is on fun and recreation and the hard-nosed 'Performance' game, played by well-paid athletes, perhaps in time to different Laws in some respects. This will bring serious challenges, not least in how we bridge what I can see as a widening gap between the two variants of the one game.

Here I repeat my old chestnut – the only area of Rugby Union which makes money is the International game and while this new tournament will bring challenges for the Unions who are the custodians of the game, it also brings opportunities; which they may or may not grasp.

The English will act like a parachute braking drone on the progress of the world game. I fear a few more of their big clubs will have to follow London Irish, Wasps and Worcester down the stank, before it will dawn on the self-centred club owners: “This isn't working, we have to change.” Even then, one worries as to the readiness of the '57 Old Farts' inside the Twickenham bubble to see this, and their ability to step up to the plate and sort things out.

The Welsh will continue to do their headless chicken act, happy to win the odd Grand Slam but, longing to be more-closely linked with their friends at the other end of the M4.

The Irish will, hopefully now they have found a system that works, continue along their own way. But, what you ask about Scotland? There's the worry; I fear too many folk in Scottish Rugby are still wedded to: “It's aye been and aye will be;” forcing through the necessary changes will be extremely difficult up here and, given a choice between employing a Scot who has shown promise and some failure up from England, I fear The Junta will still, 99 times out of 100, go with the English candidate.

Back at the start of the 'Jet Age' – in 1960, the SRU demonstrated they weren't the hide-bound traditionalists everyone imagined them to be, when they set off on the first short tour, to South Africa. One of the unintended consequences of this was, over the years, particularly in the amateur era, if a regular in a given position couldn't get time off work to go on such tours, then his deputy might pick-up a cap, and, occasionally, could perform well enough to usurp the previous first pick.

For instance, the largely-forgotten and unmourned 1985 North American Tour saw one of the youngsters taken along for the ride - a certain Andrew Gavin Hastings – wrench the number 15 jersey from the incumbent, Peter Dods.

However, in the Open era, the way the club programme at elite level has expanded, has seen such tours all but vanish. If a nation such as Scotland does venture south of the Equator in the summer, it will be to play Test matches, warm-up games against provincial sides now rarely happen.

Rugby Union, with this new global tournament, it could be argued, is following football, where UEFA's introduction of the Nations League has all but done for 'Friendlies' – or as they have been identified of late: 'International Challenge Matches.' These were the games in which new, younger players were given their opportunity to show what they could do, free from the pressure of competitive play.

Of course, the way the elite performance level of the game in Scotland is organised, it could be argued, the Edinburgh and Glasgow squads are more-akin to the summer touring squads of the amateur era.

For instance, the current Glasgow squad contains 22 full Scotland caps. Edinburgh boasts a similar number, while both also have a goodly number of as-yet uncapped Scots learning from the big names and bursting a gut for their chance.

So, perhaps not the same need for summer tours to bed them into the international game. I would argue, however, there is still a bit of a gap and the SRU may have to get creative in bridging it.

Might there be a case for bringing back a 'Scotland A' squad, perhaps to go off and play Tier Two nations, or similar age group teams from th Tier One nations?

Or, how about maybe sending hybrid squads – a mix of uncapped Undere-23 players and the best of the Super Rugby players, to take on the top European nations other than the top-ranked 'Championship' nations.

I recall, back in the 1990s, interviewing Richie Dixon about his and the SRU's involvement with Swedish Rugby. Richie had been across in Stockholm coaching. That relationship seems to have foundered, but, might a 'Scotland B' squad of players mainly from Super Rugby, playing the European Nations Trophy contenders: Croatia, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Switzerland, Sweden and Ukraine not be of value.

Going further down the food chain – what about The Scotland Club XV, drawn from Premiership and National League players – the pick of the newly reconvened Inter-District Championship – playing against the next level of European nations – Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Norway etc?

Rugby is changing, why shouldn't we, as happened with the short tour, be in the vanguard of change – after all, hasn't going out into the wider world and seizing opportunities, always been a real Scottish virtue?