Can I Get This Off My Chest?

RECEIVED WISDOM tells us - “History is written by the winners”. If this is true, then the battle for the bigger budget inside Scottish Rugby has been won by the 'Performance Department'.

The SRU's total costs, according to the 2022-23 Accounts, came to £75,382,000. Of these accrued costs, £13,683,00 – 18.2% of the total were charged to 'International Rugby'.

A total of £25,683,000 – 34% of the total, was charged to 'Professional Rugby' – Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors.

A total of £4,672,000 – 6.2% of the total, was charged to 'Performance Rugby' – Super Rugby etc.

For comparison: £4,251,000 – 5.2% of the total, was charged to 'Domestic Rugby, with a further £4,293,000 – 5.7% of the total was charged to 'Club Support Funds'.

So, the SRU spends £39,366,000 – 52.2% of their costs for the season, on International Rugby and the two professional sides. Add on the costs of Super Rugby and probably the currently out of their depth Edinburgh and Glasgow Women's teams, and the spend as a percentage of the SRU's season's costs rises to 58%.

Consider these figures again, and add this fact: 58% of the Union's costs last season went on International, Professional and Performance Rugby. Yet, for all this spend, only 18 players – 46% of the International squad, came through the domestic Scottish taelent pathway.

That disgraceful figure cannot be laid at Gregor Townsend's door – he can only work with the talent he is given. I honestly believe, we are such a small nation, many of whose most-talented and driven sons and daughters have left Scotland. We cannot afford to ignore any talent we might be able to recruit from the Scotland-Qualified programme. But, it is obvious, a clear-out of the stumblebums and time-servers who have allowed the Scottish talent pool to evaporate is long-overdue.

Also, the current talent pathway, such as it is, needs radical rerouteing.

It's not as if the Scottish Rugby Union is rolling in cash, a wee bit of budgetary restraint, in view of the £10.5 million deficit might well have played better with the clubs than what looks like a bit of a junket.

My own position is, I want the national team to be coached by a native Scot, even an Anglo-Scot. I will stick with 'Toony' – because I cannot think of a better-qualified Scot. However, I do feel he could do with a bit of help, because I don't think he's as good at team selection as he is at other aspects of the job.

I honestly do not see why it is necessary to take 40 players, plus assorted coaches and backroom staff off to Spain for a week. Yes, the weather will be better than in Scotland, but, given Scotland has access to the excellent indoor training facilities at Oriam, is there any reason other than: “because we can” for flying some 50 people out to Spain?

For a start, I think he is being pampered, by being allowed to take such a big squad off to Spain. If 33 players were considered sufficient for a Rugby World Cup campaign, why do we need to take 41players, an additional half a team, off to Spain in readiness for the Six Nations?

My point above, around the failings of the domestic talent progression holds good to an extent too, when it comes to players from outiwth domestic rugby. There does not appear to be any joined-up thinking when it comes to player progression.

Will Hurd – for example, played nine games for Scotland Under-20s in 2019. Then, like so-many Under-20 caps, he spent two years holding tackle bags and lifting weights in the wider Glasgow Warriors squad, before joining Leicester in 2021 and finally progressing his career, to the extent he was a left-field pick for the 6N squad.

Hurd then withdrew, to be replaced with another left-field pick, Northampton's Elliot Millar-Mills. The tight-head has already represented English Counties, and was released by Edinburgh after three games, nearly six years ago. Presumably the fact his sister Bridget has already been capped by Scotland made the the SRU aware of his eligibility. But, his sudden call into the national side was even more of a left-field selection than that of Hurd, although, not perhaps as much of a punt in the dark as the decision to call-up Australian-born, previously England-capped Alec, Hepburn of Exeter Chiefs.

Townsend is also open to criticism for selection indecision elsewhere. Two weeks after Hurd was picked, then a week after Millar-Mills got the call, we discover that Javan Sebastian, not originally selected due to injury, was now fit enough to travel to Spain, whereas WP Nel has suddenly got injured and is out of the squad.

Then, when Adam Hastings picked-up yet another injury, into the squad came Ross Thompson, another somewhat injury-prone ten, who has barely featured for his club, Glasgow Warriors since his return from injury. In addition, Glasgow's Jamie Dobie and Euan Ferrie were added to the squad.

Is Toony incapable of walking down a Murrayfield corridor to ask somebody from Edinburgh about Javan's fitness; is there no telephone communication between Murrayfield and Scotstoun?

Can I at this stage return to my friend from my intro – Received Wisdom; this has it, that the only sphere of Rugby Union which makes money is the International Game, that's the only area where there is heavy media interest, where live television is guaranteed to attract a large audience, where big business will want to be involved through corporate hospitality and the like.

The whole SRU player management plan is based around having two full-time teams, to keep our very-few international-class players operating a level whereby they can competeon the only stage that matters prestige-wise.

In the amateur days, that job was done by the Inter-District teams, the clubs found and developed the players, but it was at Inter-District level that the real sorting-out took place. More than 25 years ago now, Jim Telfer realised, with the advent of professionalism, the Districts would have become the main focus for Development and training of our international team – but, through a combination of Murrayfield mis-management and a failure to properly capture the imagination of the spectators, we have never got it right.

I can recall the abuse the old Scotland and District committees had to absorb. The natives, being Scottish, were in a seeming-permanent state of rebellion, but, hey. That's Scotland. However, today, with the so-called professionals running things, affairs around Murrayfield seem more chaotic than ever.

OK, shit and injuries such as Nel's happen, but, really, it's a mess, almost as if they are making it up as they go along.

 

Sevens Should Be About More Than Melrose

MORE THAN half a century ago, I was a proud, but very-junior member of Team Inglis – the hardy band of volunteers who, under the benign dictatorship of the late Tom Inglis, got Millbrae ready for the annual Ayr Sevens.

I enjoyed that, we all had our tasks, we turned up, got the job done, enjoyed the day, and the Sevens Dance afterwards. On the subject of that dance, it was having a very-expensive suit, worn for the first time, being ruined by a spilled pint, spilled by a Glasgow High School FP forward whose handling wasn't up to the task of carrying four pints, which kick-started my continuing dislike for certain denizens of Old Anniesland.

I digress. Sevens was good fun back then, when it was a familiar ingredient in a vibrant Scottish Rugby scene, today, the short game is Scottish Rugby's embarrassing distant cousin.

The way in which Melrose RFC has built its annual tournament into something akin to a Scottish Royal Ascot is admirable, kudos to them for making the annual “sports” one of those bucket list, “must-attend” occasions.

But, the fact is, compared to the HSBC/World Rugby Sevens Circuit, it's small beer indeed. Its diminished status on the calendar, long gone are the days when Rugby Union's stellar names strutted their stuff at The Greenyards on the second Saturday in April.

Scotland, via the Melrose club, invented Sevens, is it not yet another indictment on the toxic mismanagemnt of the Union by the current CEO and The Junta that not only does Scotland not host a leg on the World Sevens Circuit, we don't have an international Sevens squad – being instead, one-third of Team GB.

[I recognise that Scotland will most-likely only again have our own international Sevens squad, after we are again an Independent nation, and we have a Scottish Olympic Committee so we can compete as Scotland in the Olympic Games.]

I look at Golf, another game we gave to the world. In spite of the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to buy-up the professional game, regardless of the efforts of many in the USA to hype some of the newer events on the PGA Tour, the fact remains, the four “Majors” - The Open Championship, The US Open, The PGA Championship and The US Masters remain regarded as the most-important events.

Of these, The Masters is something on an anomaly, being very-much organised by an individual club, The Augusta National Golf Club. It is a pity Melrose could not be reinvigorated as Rugby Union's version of The Masters and put on the Wortld Rugby Circuit schedule, perhaps, hopefully even, as the final event.

Otherwise, is it not about time the SRU Junta removed their digits from their anuses and got Sevens organised properly, perhaps even (and here comes the left-field heretical statement) moving Melrose to be the final event – the big finale.

I HAVE already binge-watched the much-hyped Netflix series: Full Contact, which covers last season's Guinness Six Nations. Of course, as these series usually are, it's very personality-driven, and the definite star of the opening episode is oor ain Finn Russell, giving a display of gallusness which will be difficult to replicate, far less beat.

Being Finn, he came up with a provocative statement, likening himself to Lionel Messi. Not for me I am afraid Finn, I see him as more a latter-day Jim Baxter, except, unlike the Fife genius, Finn has a bit of common sense and control. Some of Finn's crossfield kick passes are reminiscent of Baxter at his best.

Baxter, of course, operated in an era well before social media; perhaps fortunately for him. Today, Finn makes a jocular, off the cuff remark and the internet implodes, that, I suppose is progress.

Finn had great support from England's Ellis Genge, who, in episode two came across as a far-more level-headed and likeable young man than some pieces from the English media have hiterto cast him. Bonus points too to Italy's Sebastian Negri, who, in the same episode revealed a back story I was previously unaware of. Negri is another impressive young man.

Ireland's Andrew Porter was the poster boy for episode three, alanother cracking story, although to be honest, he's not much of a singer. Again, he came across well, but, for me the big reveal was the Irish squad playing American Football in training; that explains all their forward passes then!!!

Gael Fickou then stepped up as the French poster boy, continuing the programme's pattern of focusing on players who didn't fit Rugby's stereotype of entitled public schoolboy stars. Again, an unlikely icon. I loved too, the contrast between Fabien Galthie and Shaun Edwards. The Frenchman, an absolute romantic, and the pragmatic, dour, former Rugby League player from “somewhere oop North”. An unlikely pairing, perhaps, but what a team. We even got a rare smile from Edwards.

Andy Farrell and Kieran Crowley also came across well, more-so than Owen Farrell, Marcus Smith. Steve Borthwick and Johnny Sexton. Blair Kinghorn also came over well, but Stuart Hogg's contributions I found less than impressive.

To me, the as usual and previously mentioned action of the producers focussing on who they thought were the big personalities was the series' big failing. There are other arguably better stories out there which they ignored. For instance, a big part of the appeal of the Six Nations is how it affects the most-important people involved – the supporters; there are a loty of gteat stories among that constituency, maybe they should seek them out for Series Two.

The Guardian's reviewer, a Michael Hogan, or as we perhaps should call him, Micahel Who? Wasn't impressed, giving the show two stars out of five. Perhaps this was down to the England contingent playing as well off the park as they did on it.

Well Mr Hogan, I wasn't impressed by your effort, at least you stuck to the London media's script and virtually ignored the Jocks. How anyone could review this show, and not mention The Finnster; words fail me.

 

Picking a Team Is Not Like Picking Your Nose

BACK WHEN Rugby Union was THE amateur game, and the top players all had real jobs from Monday to Friday, the SRU Selectors came in for a lot of criticism for some of their selections. Some of this criticism was no doubt justified, but the system of the time, whereby you got your cap by progressing through a series of steps:

1. Feature regularly in a top club side

2. Get picked for your District and show-up well there

3. Impress in the National Trials

4. Get capped.

That system worked. The, we progressed via having an “Advisor to the Captain” to the days of a Head Coach, who not only prepared the team for each international, he also got to – football-style – pick the team as well.

Today, we are in the age of “The Coach as God” the all-powerful main man who can make or break careers. This is ok, for as long as the team is winning, however, if that coach cannot meet the often unrealistic aspirations of the average fan in the stand, well, no matter what he does, he is going to cop some flak.

Received wisdom also has it, the hardest part of any coach's job is actually selecting the side. The alternative view, best expressed by the legend that is Jock Stein, has it that: “The hardest part of a coach's job is making sure the five players who love you have more influence on the team's performance than the five who hate you.” I suppose, in Rugby Union, the side would be split seven and seven.

For the moment, Gregor Townsend is being rather well-paid to make the big decisions for the Scottish Rugby Union, and the wider Rugby Union family in Scotland. Some of us love him, some of us hate him – the majority have an opinion somewhere between these two extremes.

My main beef with Toony, at the moment, is his seeming under-valuing of home-grown talent. I get the impression when I see some of his selection calls, that he is channelling his inner Graeme Souncess; Mr Souness, you might recall, seemed to have a serious aversion to selecting home-grown players.

Take today's news, that, injury having ruled Will Hurd out of our Guinness Six Nations squad, Toony has called-up Elliot Millar-Mills of Northampton Saints as his replacement. This has brought cries of “Elliot Millar-Who?” from across the land. So, who is the new boy?

Stockport-born, to a mother from Hamilton, the 31-year-old new boy had a short spell with Edinburgh in 2017-18, playing three games after being signed as injury cover for WP Nel. He then went to Ealing Trailfinders, then Wasps. After Wasps folded, he had one further game for Edinburgh, before signing for Saints, for whom he has made 15 appearances, mostly off the bench.

Looking at his professional career, it is, I think, fair to say, Millar-Mills is nothing more than a journeyman player, which beggars the question: what does his call-up say about Townsend's and the SRU Junta's view of their home-grown players?

Let's look at our resources in the tight-head position:

1. Zander Fagerson – 28 years old, British Lion, 62 caps, over 100 appearances for Glasgow.

2. WP Nel – 37 years old, 61 caps, approaching 200 games for Edinburgh.

3. Javan Sebastian – 29 years old, 7 caps, 70+ games for Scarlets and Edinburgh (currently injured)

4. Murphy Walker – 24 years old, 3 caps, 11 games for Glasgow (currently injured)

5. D'Arcy Rae – 29 years old 1 cap, 126 senior games (85 for Glasgow)

6. Murray McCallum – 27 years old, 3 caps, a Barbarian, now with Newcastle Falcons, approaching 100 professional games, for five clubs, including both Edinburgh and Glasgow.

7. Oli Kebble – 31 years old, 11 caps, over 140 senior professional games, primarily a loose-head, but has been capped by Scotland on the tight-head side.

8. Angus Williams – 30 years old, uncapped, 25 games for Edinbnurgh

I have not included the injured Will Hurd in this listing, but, at aged 24, and with over 30 senior appearances for Leicester, he was certainly worthy of a call-up before Millar-Mills.

No disrespect to Millar-Mills, but, Rae and McCallum are younger, have more experience and are 100 per cent Scottish. Kebble is the same age and has already played for Scotland. Williams has been a consistent player when called upon by Edinburgh. Why pick Millar-Mills ahead of these four, it does not make sense?

The fact that this on-paper tenth-choice player has been caled-up ahead of four home-based players again beggars the question – what has Toony got against fellow SRU employees, or genuine Scots?

ELSEWHERE, the worst-kept secret in Rugby Union is out, and Owen Farrell is joining Racing 92. This is perhaps another case of the Coach as God picking a favourite player. Stuart Lancaster clearly rates Farrell highly and wants him on-board.

Sure, he will kick a very-high percentage of the place kicks he gets, yes, he is very-experienced, but, after Dan Carter and Fin Russell isn't this a move down-market by the Paris club?

Farrell is now on the downward slope of his career, he will certainly be well-remunerated while in Paris and you cannot fault him for cahing-in on his fame at this stage of his playing career.

But, I think there are other, younger players who might have represented better value for money for his new club.

FINALLY – 'David' a regular reader of the blog, pulled me up after my last post, by naming one or two young Scots who I had left off my list of home-grown players with our two teams. He mentioned the likes of Logan Trotter and Ross McKnight, to name but two. Unfortunately, these players' names do not appear on any up-to-date list of Glasgow players I have seen. I am a fan of both, particularly young McKnight, who has been very-impressive for Stirling Wolves in Super Rugby.

Maybe if the Junta, particularly their Media department, was fit for purpose, we would have a better idea of which players were still in the system and which were not. However, as with so-much of the workings of the SRU these days, you get the distinct impression, the lunatics are running the asylum.

 

Reflections On A Square-Eyed Weekend

WITH BOTH Edinburgh and Glasgow playing on Friday night, I didn't have a dog in the fight, as I made myself comfortable for a long day of televised rugby watching on Saturday.

My rsolve faltered somewhat early-on in the Saracens v Lyon game. I think, by then I had had enough of one-eyed English commentators telling me how wonderful the English clubs were and making pathetic excuses when things weren't going for them, but, I persevered. Thoughts on the day:

1. It's just as well Joe Marler is playing today, back in the bad old days of the 1970s, he'd have been booted out of the game long ago with his antics, such as his efforts to undo the Ulster scrum-half's laces. Back in the day, that would have earned him (in Fin Calder's great phrase) “a guid shoein'”.

2. Northampton just might be the real deal. The way they battled back, with 14 men, to beat Munster at Thomond Park, was worthy of the highest praise.

3. Marcus Smith may be the pundit's favourite, but, to me Fin Smith of Saints is the better bet at ten. He showed nerves of steel to slot those kicks which did much to win the day for his club.

4. Good to see wee Robbie Smith get on for Saints after Curtis Langdon's red card. OK, a couple of his throws went awry, but, he hung-in there and began to hit his jumpers well.

5. Those were a couple of cracking tries which Louis Lynagh scored, his Dad ought to be proud of his boy. A real chip off the old block.

6. We really should be sending somebody from Murrayfield over to Dublin, to find out how Leinster keep producing exceptional young talent.

7. Peter O'Mahony is that rare but priceless type of player – something goes out of his team when he goes off the field.

8. I am sure every man watching it felt the pain when POM's attempted clearance kick hit his team mate in the family jewels – sharp intake of breath all around.

9. Maro Itoje is a very unlikeable young man, but, the way he scored that try off the ruck was athleticism of the highest order.

10. When Saracens' Rotimi Segun learns to catch the ball, he will be on hell of a winger.

TOULOUSE v Bath on Sunday was a cracker of a game. Two quality sides going at it hammer and tongs; some brilliant individuals strutting their stuff; it was a joy to watch. I include in this praise, referee Andrew Brace, who to my mind, gets better and better every time I see him.

In the end, the French side's greater quality told, particularly once the replacements came on, but, full marks to Bath for pushing them all the way.

Speaking of referees, I thought Sam Grove-White and his all-Scottish team of Hollie Davidson, Mike Adamson and Andy McMenemy were very good in the way they controlled the Saracens v Lyon game.

BAYONNE v Exeter was also a cracking game, with the French side bouncing back well from last week's thrashing at Northampton. Some of the Bayonne continuity play was top drawer, while Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli again confirmed he is one of the game's top officials; his handling of the yellow and red cards was first-class.

That game concluded the group stages and we now know the line-up for the last 16. I honestly think Warriors can go to The Stoop and beat Harlequins, to secure their last eight spot. If they do win that, they will be on the road again in the quarter-finals, at either Bordeaux or Saracens.

Edinburgh have finished ranked eighth in the Challenge Cup Last 16, which means they have home advantage against Bayonne – the highest-ranked of the four teams dropping into the Challenge Cup from the Champions Cup.

This is an intriguing clash. If the Bayonne who travelled to Northampton rock up in Edinburgh, the home team will surely ualify. However, if the Bayonne who beat Exeter on Sunday arrive, then Edinburgh will have a game on their hands. A last 16 win will then see Edinburgh travel to either the South African Sharks or Zebre Parma in the last eight.

A MINOR Stairheid Rammy has erupted over Ross McCann being called-up to the International squad, as cover for the injured Darcy Graham. The fact that Graham usually plays on the World Rugby Sevens Circuit for Great Britain has got more than a few people annoyed. So, with Ollie Smith injured, I had a look at our back three resources, and discovered:

International squad: Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham (injured), Duhan van der Merwe, Kyle Steyn, Kyle Rowe, Aaron Reed, Harry Paterson, Ross McCann.

Other Scots on SRU books: Jack Brown, Finn Douglas, Jordan Edmunds, Jacob Henry, Nathan Sweeney (all Edinburgh), Kerr Johnston (Glasgow).

Scots in England: Ruaridh McConnachie (Bath), Sean Maitland (Saracens),

Geordie Gwynn (Ealing Trailfinders. U.20), William Robinson (Caldy. U.20).

If you look at that list, Gregor Townsend has pretty-much called-up every available Scottish back three player into his International squad. There are not too-many available Anglo-Scots to choose from.

And here's another list to consider:

Non-Scots on SRU books: Emeliano Boffelli, Wes Goosen (Edinburgh); Sebastian Cancilliere, Facundo Cordero, Ollie Horne, Josh McKay (Glasgow). So, our two professional teams between them employ as many non-Scots in the back three than they do uncapped Scots. So, foreign mercenaries are denying Scottish talent a chance at the professional game.

 

Glasgow's 'Alligators' Bit

MY LATE elder brother was a Rocket Scientist. I vividly recall him returning from one of his periodic trips to Cape Canaveral and coming up with a line he had heard over there, while working with the Americans. This line was: “When you're up to your ass in alligators, it's difficult to remember, you're supposed to be draining the swamp.”

I think that piece of downhome Florida philosophy had something to do with Glasgow beating Toulon at Scotstoun on Friday night. A look at the French Top 14 table shows Toulon sitting in fifth spot. However, while Racing 92 are four points clear at the top, Toulon are one of seven clubs – half the competition's strength, engaged in a massive dog fight for position behind them.

Given the riches on offer in the domestic championship, it probably made sense to the decision-makers inside the Toulon club to rest some of their big names for a trip to wintry Glasgow and abort a European campaign that was already a bit of an uphill battle.

They could have arrived in Glasgow, determined to give it a go, but, draining the swamp to prosper in the Top 14 is clearly their priority.

The game was far from a classic, but, Glasgow were well worth their victory, achieved with the added bonus of some sparkling form from those Glasgow players who will, on Sunday, swap their Warriors' kit for Scotland ones and drive along the M8 and into the pre-Guinness Six Nations training camp.

As he strolled off the field, smiling quietly to himself, I already knew, Huw Jones had bagged the Man of the Match call, and on Friday night's form, Gregor Townsend has a problem on his hands: does he go with “Shuggipulotu” as his centre pairing for the trip to Cardiff, or does he opt for the club pairing of “The Gallus One” at 10, with Cam Redpath at 12. Factor-in the good form of Rory Hutchison and Stafford McDowall and we have midfield riches galore – had we the same strength-in-depth elsewhere and we could confidently predict a good Six Nations for us.

One aspect of Glasgow's win which struck me was, towards the end of the match, we got a glimpse of the future, when Scott Cummings went off, to be replaced by Alex Samuel, who immediately slotted-in beside Max Williamson in the boiler-house, and soared into the night sky to claim the first line-out thrown to him, seconds after arriving.

These two kids are big lumps, they are getting game time, and a year or three down the line, could be as firmly-established as the fabled Gordon Brown – Al McHarg pairing. We are now well-off for locks, pity is, we are still lacking depth elsewhere in the squad.

We are fortunate too in having a couple of more than useful Kiwis in the Weegie ranks. Josh McKay is starting to show Hogg-like levels of X-factor broken field running, while Tom Jordan is no Russell, but, he keeps the back division ticking-over and is pretty-much the glue which keeps the show on the road. Add sparkling come-backs from skipper Kyle Steyn and Jack Dempsey and more than useful cameos from youngsters Ally Miller and Euan Ferrie and it is clear, Glasgow are building nicely into 2024.

An away draw in the last 16 will not be easy, but, with a bit of luck and a fair wind, they might go further in Europe than the other city football club still involved in their continental journey.

Finally on the Glasgow game. I have long been a critic of Matthew Carley as a referee, I thought he had a very-good game at Scostoun; credit where it is due.

I HAD HOPED to be able to watch the Scarlets v Edinburgh game on catch-up this morning, but as yet no luck. So, I have had to rely on the TOL match report. Apparently there were a few yellow cards, including the two flashed at Grant Gilchrist, for high tackles. These could have a knock-on effect for the start of the Six Nations.

Sara Cox has long struck me as another over-promoted English referee: “The Jocks and the Paddies have both promoted women officials, so we had better promote one of our gels to keep-up”. (That's my take on how she got to where she has). I don't, regardless of gender, have much time for an official who flashes multiple cards.

Any way, Welsh rugby is in a bit of a bind at the moment – which probably means we will crash and burn in Cardiff – so I wasn't surprised at Edinburgh winning, and winning well. Hopefully, after this success, they can have a more-even and successful second half of the season.

FINALLY – a couple of the rugby pages on Facebook have, since the end of the Rugby World Cup, been forced to clamp down on two facets of the outcome – South African gloating and Kiwi whingeing. Things had started to calm down since the turn of the year, but, this week things have flared-up again, with the news of former Springbok back Elton Jantjies copping a four-year ban for steroid use.

This merely goes to show, some people on Facebook should not be let-out unsupervised. Given Jantjies' Springbok career was over before the event even started, those calling for the South Africans to hand back the William Webb Ellis Trophy really need to get a life.

I am sure there are drugs cheats in South African rugby – some already caught, some still awaiting discovery. However, it's not just a South African problem. I reckon there are drugs cheats all over the world – aye, sadly, including some here in Scotland.

Big Games For Both Pro Teams Tonight

TONIGHT is, it goes without saying, a hugely-important night for our two professional sides. Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, as they face must-win European games.

Glasgow are at home at Scotstoun, where they entertain Toulon in an Investec European Cup match. In Group 3 of the competition, Glasgow go into the game in fourth place, the final place guaranteeing qualification for the knock-out phase. Warriors have five points, while their French visitors are lying bottom of the six-team group, with just two points from their three games,

A win, any win, takes Glasgow through, while should they draw, or lose, then whether or not they stay in the competition could then depend on how things pan out in the other two matches. Here, the already-qualified English pair of Northampton Saints and exeter Chiefs face, respectively Munster and Bayonne.

There is also the possibility, depending on results of Glasgow either dropping into the second-tier European Challenge Cup, or, in a worst-case scenario, dropping out of Europe altogether. It doesn't help Glasgow confidence too, that, last time they met Toulon, in last season's Challenge Cup Final, they lost.

The significance of the game is obvious when you look at the Glasgow team sheet for tonight's game, which kicks-off at 8pm and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports. Coach Franco Smith has named the following side, in 1-23 order:

Jamie Bhatti, George Turner, Lucio Sordoni, Max Williamson, Richie Gray, Ally Miller, Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey; George Horne, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe, Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones, Kyle Steyn (Captain), Josh McKay. Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Oli Kebble, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Henke Venter, Euan Ferrie; Ben Afshar, Stafford McDowall.

That's 11 internationalists in the starting XV, with a further five on the bench, including skipper Steyn and Jack Dempsey, both of whom have been brought straight back following injury. Indeed, only two of the pack from last week's game against Exeter – Ally Miller and Matt Fagerson have retained their places.

Smith is confident Warriors' renowned home strength will see them through in what promises to be a hard game, however.

AT THE SAME time, 8pm tonight, in darkest Wales, Edinburgh will face Scarlets in Llanelli. Again, the Scottish side goes into the game in fourth spot in the group, needing to win to stay in the competition. Again, only the top four in each of the Challenge Cup groups will qualify for the knock-out stages, Edinburgh have to win, hopefully with a bonus point, or, at worst draw, in case the surprise package, the Georgian Black Lions, who pulled off one shock when they travelled to Wales and beat Scarlets, produce another earth tremor result in their final home game, against Clermont Auvergne, if they are to remain in the competition.

Coach Sean Everitt has rung the changes, some of them enforced, for the game. Injury keeps Darcy Graham out, but Duhan van der Merwe who missed last week's loss to Gloucester is back, in the following squad:

Pierre Schoeman, Dave Cherry, Willem Nel, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist, Luke Crosbie, Hamish Watson, Viliama Mata; Ben Vellacott, Ben Healy, Duhan van der Merwe, James Lang, Matt Currie, Chris Dean, Emeliano Boffelli. Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Boan Venter, Angus Williams, Glen Young, Jamie Ritchie, Tom Dodd; Ally Price, Cammy Scott.

Some of the Edinburgh fans are not happy with Chris Dean's selection on the wing, but, given theimportance of the game and the club's injury problems, I don't think Coach Everitt had many other possible options. The fact both Scottish clubs have a surfeit of potential picks in some positions, and a distinct shortage elsewhere is for another blog, the decisions on which players to put on-contract and which to not has long been a problem within the SRU; and I don't see things changing any time soon.

THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA'S main focus over this week's series of Six Nation squad announcements was on Louis Rees Zammit's sudden departure for the lure of a possible NFL contract.

The Americxans do, for a nation proud to call itself: “The Land of the Free” do love order in their sports. Whereas the path to glory in real football in this country is via playing on the streets and on waste ground, with “jumpers for goalposts” before things get organised later (although American-type club organisation is coming into our sports culture, particularly in rugby).

In America the career pathway is:

• Pee Wee or Little League at Primary level

• Specialisation at High School

• Get into a college set-up

• Enter the professional draft and get picked

• A professional contract.

The numbers playing the game are huge, the percentage of players who make it to the riches of the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB or MLS or even the new kids in town MLR are miniscule.

Non-Americans who do make it, such as “The Scottish Hammer” - New York Giants' Punter Jamie Gillan. A former player with Highland and Merchiston Castle School, Gillan is on a two-year $4 million per year contract with the Giants, as their specialist kicker – so, the money available is ridiculous.

Rees Zammit is trying to get into Gridiron via the International Talent Programme, but, specialist American Football commentators, such as one guy writing in The Guardian this week, warn, the chances of him coming through the system and winning a contract are slight to non-existent, even for a player who is seen as one of the stars of his current sport.

It will be interesting to see if the Welsh star can beat the odds and realise his dream. As The Guardian warns, in American Football, the Coach is God; playbooks are massive and the men on the touchline almost coach by numbers. Yes, the Quarterback has the power to change plays according to what he sees in front of him, but, the sort of freelance, off the cuff open field running which LRZ does so well in Rugby Union, that's not appreciated by Gridiron coaches.

Good luck to the boy any way.

 

Reflection On Selection

READING the runes of Scottish Rugby – OK, the BTL (below the line) comments on The Offside Line – I was struck with the general attitude towards the announcement of the Scotland squad for the 2024 Guinness Six Nations.

This can be summed-up in one word; that word is: “Whatever”. It would be fair to say, the body of the Rugby Kirk is under-whelmed at the names announced. Even the left-field picks, the four uncapped players on the 39-strong roster, these failed to greatly enthuse the punters.

Of course, it would help, if, as with World Cup squads, there was a definite number of players who could be nominated for a tournament squad; maybe that's something for CEO Tom Harrison, Chairman Ronan Dunne and the Six Nations team at Ballsbridge, Dublin to think about.

To get back to the chosen 39 players:

• 21 forwards

• 18 backs

• squad average age - 27 years

• squad average caps – 26 caps

• forwards average age – 28 years

• backs average age – 26 years

• forwards average caps – 28 caps

• backs average caps – 24 caps

There are 28 survivors (16 forwards – 12 backs) from the 2023 Rugby World Cup squad. So, the Scotland squad is experienced, they know each other well, they have been together for a wee while, so partnerships have been established – more-so given the make-up of the extended squad:

• 15 Glasgow players

• 13 Edinburgh players

• 11 Exiles – from 8 different clubs

The 39 players in the squad include no fewer than 11 potential club groupings - front rows, boilerhouse pairings, back row trios, half-back pairings, stand-off/inside centre pairings, centre pairings, back row combinations, so getting the squad to gel quickly and efficiently should not be a problem.

I have a good feeling about this Six Nations, provided we get off to a winning start.

Another thing – why 39 players? All six squads were announced this week, Gregor Townsend went with the 39 players, as previously mentioned. England's Steve Borthwick named a 36-man squad, while the other four national coaches each went with a 34-man squad; although, Ireland's Andy Farrell named, in addition to his main squad, three “Trainees” - younger Irish players going there for the experien

My only problem with the squad is its size. Nobody else has as-large a squad and I feel ours may be a case of picking too-many players, as outlined in the last paragraph. But, perhaps picking the largest squad is typical of the lack of cost control within the SRU.

I appreciate, in the grand scheme of things, dropping three or five members of the squad, and thus having to pay for fewer rooms, meals etc, for the duration of the pre-tournament camp, of the tournament itself, - which includes a week of warm weather training in Spain - would not make a huge dent in the bloated costs being borne by the SRU under the present management, but, controlling costs better would be a start.

Another bone of contention with the squad has been the “left-field” selections: Alec Hepburn, Will Hurd, Aaron Reed and Harry Paterson.

Paterson, young, Scottish-bred, plays for Edinburgh; that goes down as a good pick.

Hurd, young for a prop, Scottish age group experience, that also goes down as a good pick.

Hepburn (pictured below), 30 year-old, Australian-born, already capped by England and discarded; that's a definite WFT??? selection.

 

Ditto, Reed, definite left-field pick, might work, might not – the jury's out.

In the case of Hurd, he was given a Glasgow contract as a youngster, but let go, thereby joining a lengthy list of young, Scottish props, released by one or other of our two professional clubs: George Hunter, Alex Allan, Steven Findlay, Gary Strain, Adam Nicol, Euan McLaren, Charlie Capps, Euan McQuillin, George Thornton, Tom Lambert, Murray McCallum, Tom Banatvalu, Callum Norrie and D'Arcy Rae. I also found: Grant Shiells, Jack Cosgrove, Nick Beavon and Kevin Bryce as I tried to put together a similar list for Edinburgh players, but it proved impossible to find listings for the Edinburgh squads past 2018, so, obviously this is an incomplete list.

However, to see at least 19 young Scottish props, only four of whom won even a token cap, released by our professional teams in the past decade, beggars the question – just who is making decisions on what players to pick for the two professional clubs, and what is being done to train them on to become useful pro players? Clearly, they cannot all have been duff players, but, what does that say about duff coaches within the SRU system? Add the likes of Steven Langwell, currently with Bristol Bears in the Gallagher Premiership, and you have to ask about decision-making within the SRU.

Maybe if some of the rejects had had better coaching and encouragement, we would not be recruiting England rejects to our Six Nations squad. A few less Fijians, Canadians, Italians, Tongans, Samoans and Argentinians recruited by Glasgow and Edinburgh might have given game time to some of the young Scots, who spent their time in the professional game, holding tackle bags and making-up the numbers.

Looking beyond the front row and we find, in the last decade 305 players have been selected for the Scotland Under-20 squads for either the Under-20 Six Nations or the Under-20 World Cup. Of these players, a mere 30 – that's a 9.8% measure, have trained-on to become full internationalists.

That figure actually compares favourably with that for England. In the same period, they have capped 349 players at Under-20 level, of whom 34 – 9.7% have gone on to win full England caps. However, a further 11 including oor ain Cam Redpath have gone on to represent other countries at full level. Include them in the figures and England has a 12.9% train-on rate – perhaps indicating England is 32% better than us at identifying and nurturing young talent.

These figures bring us to one of the great arguments around selecting national squads, one more often in the past heard around Scottish international football squads.

This argument goesL because England has more players from which to choose, you've more chance of being dropped after a bad performance, because there are perhaps three or four equally-talented alternatives; whereas, it is often more-difficult to get dropped from a Scotland squad after a bad game – because there are fewer alternatives. Perhaps the same applies in Rugby Union. Indeed, it used to be said, a few guys got capped by Scotland, who would never have got near the team had they been English, Irish or Welsh, because we had fewer alternatives.

The same argument is used around our imports – if you're not considered good enough for Australia, or New Zealand, if you meet the ancestral qualification criteria, head for Scotland and you'll get capped.