Fit For Purpose?

ONE OF RUGBY UNION'S USPs is that it is: “A game for all shapes and sizes”. It allowed the fat lads to play as props; the two-legged giraffes to fill the two lock positions; the dwarf psychopaths to either hook of play scrum-half, and athletes of various dimensions to fill the back row and back division positions.

That “fat boys play prop” rule was first questioned in 1990, when Leeds Rhinos signed prop Dai Young from Cardiff and immediately put him on a diet, since he would be required to do a bit more running around in Rugby League than he had been doing in Union.

Fast forward 35 years and today's props, whilst still large individuals, have a lot more muscle definition and a lot less sheer bulk than in the amateur era, because, as with the Union game as a whole – they now do a lot less scrumming and a lot more running than of yore.

But, you still get the odd player who has perhaps a bit too much sheer weight, put on at the expense of stamina – eg the fact Australia's two main ball-carrying, hard yards forwards in the first half last Saturday – Will Skelton and Rob Valentini didn't have sufficient (to use an old Ayrshire expression) “pith” to get back on the park for the second half.

OK, in their defence, both had come back from injury, but, even with the professional game's far-too-lenient view of the number of replacements allowed, the fact neither could come out for the second half is a poor reflection on the fitness levels expected of them by their clubs and their international managers.

I often wonder – are our game's strength and conditioning coaches doing a good job in preparing today's players for the rigours of 80 minutes of professional sport?

Mind you, strength and conditioning training is not an exact science. I still chuckle at the story the late, great All Black Colin “Pinetree” Meads told in his excellent autobiography, written some 50 years ago. The New Zealand Government introduced a scheme to bring marginal land into agricultural use, so Colin and younger brother Stan, who was also an all Black, set to, converting such land on their farm to productive use. This involved back-breaking labour with hand tools, scythes, picks and shovels and kept them going most of the off-season, with the result, both had lost a considerable bit of weight.

The All Blacks coaches, while acknowledging that farm work had kept the pair fitter than most, told them, they would have to go into the gym and lift weights to bulk themselves up again. As Colin told it: they were recommended to the best gym for miles around and the first question the coach there asked them was: “right fellas – do you want to look good or be strong”?

So, it appears different regimes give different results – are our S&C guys always using the correct regime for the needs of our game?

IT IS ALMOST a given here in God's Orange County, to have no time for “The Orange Clown” who currently owns Turnberry Hotel. Even before we knew he regularly and with impunity breaches the 12^th commandment: “Thou shalt not cheat at Golf” and equally regularly ignores the 11^th: “Thou must not get caught” we had little time for the ex-pat Gael, Donald-John Trump.

That said, to partake of the Sunday Brunch at Turnberry is to enjoy one of life's great dining experiences – provided you leave room for the desserts – which are the highlight of the occasion; while, if not quite as good as its owner repeatedly hypes it up to be, Turnberry's Ailsa Course is one of the finest places on which to spoil a good walk.

We are repeatedly told, the reason for Turnberry's absence from the Open Championship roster is as much to do with infrastructure as with the unwillingness of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrew's to give golf's biggest and most notorious cheat what another divisive (but more adroit) politician dubbed: “the oxygen of publicity”. I mean, given his behaviour at the recent FIFA World Club Championship final, Donald-John would probably keep the Claret Jug and insist he won it fair and square, with a new Open record score of 70 shots – for the four rounds.

Mind you, considering, after many years of delays and excuses, since the last time The Open was at Turnberry, the powers that be have finally managed to build the Maybole By-Pass. That bit of road was supposedly on the drawing board, when I bought my first house, in Maybole, when I got married in 1968 – it finally arrived in 2022. All we need now is to see Minishant and Kirkoswald by-passed, but, don't hold your breath.

It doesn't help Turnberry either that South Ayrshire Council, the local authority, is, if not the worst Council in Scotland, very-definitely in the conversation as to which is.The coonsilors I've come across couldn't get elected unopposed to the position of dog-catcher in a red-neck town in the Deep South, while the paid officials strike me as incapable of running a menauge.

That said, there is also the problem of our elected officers at Holyrood. OK, I accept a whack of the tax money which we Scots gift to the Exchequer each year is kept back, so we can subsidise our Imperial Masters in Westminster, but, really, the A77 – the main road past Turnberry, is the route from the Central Belt to the important ferry port of Cairnryan, our link to Ireland – it really should have been dualled lang syne. Even the new Maybole By-Pass is single carriageway.

Maybe if the SNP had spent less time cosying-up to the Trans and Gay lobbies and a bit more time sorting-out Scotland's inadequate infrastructure, we'd have been a lot better-off and maybe more-willing to think of Independence – but, this again supposes the SNP still believes in Independence, rather than simply in keeping their own snouts in the feeding trough.

Back when Turnberry Hotel first opened, in Edwardian days, the driving force was Alexander Kennedy, third Marquess of Ailsa. He even persuaded his fellow directors of The Glasgow and South West Railway to build a light railway line – The Dunure and Miadens Light Railway, which ran from Ayr to Turnberry, then on to Girvan. In truth, this was a loss-making venture, mainly kept open into the 1960s, before Dr Beeching killed it off, by having a station at Butlins Holiday Camp, at the Heads of Ayr.

I might be talking out of my backside here, but, given the new houses which have sprung up around Alloway, Dunure and Maidens since then, the presence of the Craig Tara Holiday Park, plus another three smaller holiday parks, the fact it runs past Culzean Castle – The Robert Burns Centre, Ayr Rugby Club, Ayr Cricket Club and all the way to Turnberry, a re-opened line, with modern trams, just might be the catalyst for South Ayrshire regaining some of the holiday traffic it has lost over the years. Such a line would also largely answer the vexed question of access to Turnberry for the big show.

On the basis of – if you build it, they will come, it might be worth a punt. However, given the intellectual capabilities of South Ayrshire Cooncil and Swinney and the disciples of Wee Nippy at Holyrood, Ah hae ma doots.

Thoughts On A Melbourne Media Melee

MY OLD GAFFER “Stormin'” Norman Macdonald took the Editor's chair at a desperate time in the history of the Paisley Daily Express – the smallest daily paper in the UK. The paper was losing circulation and the owners were seriously considering stopping daily production and making it a weekly. But Norrie decided to go on the attack, put the pride back in Paisley and get the paper's circulation and influence back to where it had once been.

The next seven years were a roller-coaster ride, but, he doubled the circulation and for those of us who were at the sharp end in the Newsroom – it was a fun ride. One of Norrie's early wheezes was that he would publish “A Good News Edition” - nothing but good news stories.

This suited most of us, but not, unfortunately, the late Brian Brough, who had the crime beat. Paisley at the time had a major drugs war ongoing and was being seen as “The Murder Capital of Scotland”. Big Brian was secretly loving his job, but, as he complained to me – in our capacity as the Statler and Waldorf of the Newsroom – sitting up the back and criticising - “where am I going to get a good news story this week?”

He managed it somehow and the Good News Edition sold well and made everyone smile. This is unusual, we journalists revel in bad news, controversy and argument; that, to us, is far more fun than when everything is sweetness and light.

So, this week, the Australian media, never people to hide their light under a bushel, will be having a ball, since they have a morsel to cling to following the Lions' series-clinching win in Melbourne on Saturday – their belief that: “We wus robbed” when Andrea Piardi decided that Jac Morgan's clean-out of Carlo Tizzano was legal. Of course, the Australian view contradicts The Laws of the Game of Rugby Union – these clearly state: “The Referee is the sole judge of fact”. But, the fact the Referee has ruled has never stopped the side which felt it had been wronged, or its national media from publishing a dissenting view.

In the long and storied history of Match Officials getting it wrong, Mr Piardi's ruling is not particularly controversial. It's not as if the Referee and his Linesman got it wrong as to whether or not a ball had crossed the line in a World Cup Final, or if a TMO ignored his rules of engagement in another World Cup Final. And I honestly don't think the Australians will still be whingeing they wus robbed by a wrong decision, 120 years on – as the New Zealanders keep going on about a disputed try in Wales in 1905.

Those Australian upholders of fair play and the spirit of the game, have been awfy quiet over the past ten years regarding how they eliminated Scotland from the 2015 World Cup on the back of a clear mistake by the officiating team. What goes around, comes around.

No, it might suit them better to mark the sage advice of the late, great Jock Stein, one of whose pillars was the belief – you never give the referee a chance to make a difficult decision which might tell against you.

To put Saturday's result into a football context, which most Scots could understand: Australia were three goals up before half time – and lost. Don't blame the referee for that, blame yourselves.

Received opinion appears to be that Australia began to go backward as soon as Will Skelton and Rob Valenti went off. OK, the over-generous replacement laws allowed for their early removal, but, a player or players who are not fit enough to last longer than one half, to my mind have no right to be in an international squad.

If they are that influential and that limited in how long they can operate, maybe they ought to be on the bench to start with – did Joe Schmidt get his selection correct.

I felt it was one of Andy Farrell's few good decisions when selecting his team, that he put Ellis Genge on the bench, to bring his particular form of enthusiasm and aggression into play down the home stretch – maybe Schmidt just isn't as good as Farrell when it comes to man management?

I started this with a mention of Norman Macdonald. One of Norman's gospel truths of journalism is: If you're picking-up a story, say to given it a local “spin” - if you cannot add value to it, don't bother.

I just wish the many media commentators who have jumped on that controversial ending to the game on Saturday could ingest that sage advice. It might have calmed the furore a bit.

All these different takes on what happen matter not a jot – the only opinion that mattered was that of Andrea Piardi – and he had already given his ruling.

 

Let's Talk Lions

WELL, THAT WAS a real Test Match, the outcome in doubt right up to time added-on. As I feared it might, Andy Farrell's tinkering with a winning side almost back-fired, but, the Lions somehow found a way to win at the death.

The Lions had a poor first half, their discipline was, not for the first time on the Tour, poor, but, as good sides do, they found a way to get over the line. I was delighted for Jac Morgan, getting on to make that crucial clear-out in the build-up to Hugo Keenan's match-winning, series-clinching try.

Australia were more like themselves, but, I always felt, the Lions' bench might prove crucial and so it proved. Of course, I look at these games from a Scottish stand-point. Huw Jones simply did Huw Jones' things, scoring a crucial try, while Finn Russell, even at only 7-7.5/10 level, was still above the level of the potential alternatives at 10/10. I don't think Bundee Aki was as-influential in this Test as Sione Tuipulotu was in the first game, while Blair Kinghorn gave new energy when he came on, and I would definitely start him on the wing in Sydney.

Knowing their past record, the Australian media will have a field day in moaning about the legality or otherwise of Dan Sheehan's try for the Lions, then Morgan's clear-out at the end. “Whingeing Poms” have nothing on “Whingeing Wallabies” - as we are about to re-discover this coming week.

Still, the Series has been decided and the Lions now have a chance of a rare 3-0 series win – the drama continues.

THE WEST – OR IF YOU LIKE the First World – invented the world of sport. Dr Arnold and the concept of “Muscular Christianity” and the Much Wenlock Games got things going, before the concept spread across the British Empire. In time, the lesser nations cottoned-on and, before ere long, The Sports Business was born.

Fortunately the Americans were slow to get into the empire-building business in sport, otherwise we would all be playing American Football, Baseball and Basketball; but, our trans-Atlantic cousins appear to prefer, in the world of sport, to stick to games which only they play, so they don't have to try too hard to be World Champions.

The true days of empire may be passed, but, the pale-skinned District Commissioner class have managed to hang onto control of Cricket and Rugby Union, the two principal sports of empire – perhaps because, while Cricket has embraced professionalism from the very start, both have been mainly amateur sports until very recently. Football, having become the most working-class of the games which grew out of Muscular Christianity in Britain's public schools, was the first to surrender control to foreign influence, but, this may have had something to do with the British Football Associations looking down on FIFA for long enough for that body to find its own identity.

Still, I am old enough to remember when rich, older white men ruled the world of sport – the Olympic Games, FIFA and so on. Then, a couple of mavericks: Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch and Brazil's João Havelange managed to get the rest of the world well-enough-organised to bread the “Old West's” grip on the top jobs.

To date, the British Empire nations have managed to keep control of World Rugby, but, I can see the day coming when they drop the ball, after which, things will never be the same again. How long we must wait for that change, I do not know, but, I can see the day when the four Home Nations, plus Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have things their own way ending – maybe sooner rther than later.

When that happens, look out for an end to the Six Nations, once England decides there are more bums prepared to sit on the seats inside whatever Twickenham is being called then, to see England beat Germany, Spain, France and Italy, than to see them taking a beating from Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Then, once they individual countries realise, letting their best players go off to play for The Lions at the mid-point of the four-year World Cup round, and dropping World Cup ranking points to a lesser nations isn't a good idea – for all the merchandise they shift, for all the profits the supporters tours organisers make, The Lions will very-quickly be history.

And if say a charismatic Frenchman, Argentinian or Fijian can emerge and command the backing of the non-Empire nations in World Rugby – or say a non-Afrikaans-speaking South African emerge to unite the other rugby-playing nations in that vast continent, the changes will happen quickly, and be extreme.

So, enjoy The Lions, today and next Saturday, because there will not be too-many such days in the future I suspect.

 

I WILL NOT be around to see its final demise, but, the British and Irish Lions are dying as a concept and Andy Farrell's blatantly wrong selection for the Second Test will have gone a long way to killing it off. They might as well play in green and white shirts, notwithstanding his decision to pick Wales's Jac Morgan on the bench. As Farrell Pere plays favourites and ignores form in his choices.

The chosen squad is:

I can accept Sione Tuipulotu missing out with a tight hamstring, horrible bad luck for the boy, who was looking forward to playing in his home city – but the suggestion he was going to play both Irish centres, until Garry Ringrose also pulled out through injury – well that makes no sense. Bundee Aki has done nothing on-tour to suggest he should take the 12 shirt, indeed, on known form, I was surprised Farrell Junior didn't get the call.

I think I was alone among commentators in identifying that James Ryan would get the bench slot, once he was withdrawn early on Tuesday. He is another beneficiary of Farrell's background as Ireland coach, since, of the locks on duty, indeed in comparision with Ryan overe the entire tour – Scott Cummings ought to have been given the jersey.

I don't have a problem with Andrew Porter coming in for Ellis Genge; Farrell is clearly looking for a bit more oomph off the bench. Mind you, if the position was filled on th basis of: “which prop can best do the basics of scrummaging?” Pierre Schoeman would be starting. I also reckon, Ben White should be the replacement scrummie.

 

Melbourne's An Aussie rules Town - And It Showed

THAT WAS an “Ugly” win for the Lions of FNP in Melbourne this morning. But, I was not surprised that they struggled to beat a highly-motivated team. The Lions' squad was hastily-assembled and I think this game proved, Lions Tours, which were once about showing the flag and the fellowship of Rugby, are now all about winning the Tests.

In the Amateur Era of full-length Tours, the “Dirt Trackers” had a job to do; they were taking “Broadway-Grade” entertainment to one-horse towns, the Empire's equivalent of Smallville, Kansas. They were taking-on sides like FNP – highly-motivated players going out with the best opportunity they might ever get of bringing down a star-studded visiting squad. These games mattered. I got the impression, to the 2025 Tour Management, this was a game to be got out of the way so they could concentrate on the final two Tests and the possible kudos of a 3-0 series win.

The Melbourne Match was seen as a final chance for one or two players to force their way into the Test Squad. So, who perhaps took the chance?

1. James  Ryan – the fact the Irish lock was removed early in the second half would suggest he's at least going to be on the bench on Saturday. He is a lucky boy, I felt Scott Cummings had a better game, but, Ryan is Irish, so he gets the nod

2. Owen Farrell – with Finn Smith having a poor day off the kicking tee, and Marcus Smith going off, shortly after coming off the bench, for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA), then Andy Farrell might be inclined to select his boy in the Test squad

3. Blair Kinghorn had a good game, but, the man in possession is Irish, so he may not make it, although, he could yet get in on the wing

I thought Ben White, not for the first time on Tour, played better than Alex Mitchell has in any of his outings, but again, Farrell will not be easily moved to promote the Scot over the Englishman for the 21 jersey.

I felt for Darcy Graham, who had to go off injured after scoring a cracking try. He looked the part on the wing while he was on and his early removal will be a clear case of: what if?

The other Scots in the midweek side did nothing wrong, but, it now seems clear, barring injuries, or a total disaster of a Second Test, this weekend: their Test chances have gone and most will be flying home soon, with the consolation of a Lions' cap and number.

One other point from the game, with the exception of John Barclay – borrowed from Premier Sports for the Tour, the Sky regulars have again proved, they are honkingly-poor commentators. The double act of Biggar and O'Gara, while ROG does provide some insights on the thinking of a top coach, are about as audience friendly as Mike and Bernie Winters at the old Glasgow Empire.

 

Lions - Not An Ugly Win, But It Wisnae Braw

WELL, THAT WAS a very Scottish performance from the Lions, in winning yesterday's opening Test in Brisbane 27-19. Like Us, the Lions didn't produce an 80 minute performance, but, in Test Match Rugby, winning is everything and they got over the line.

It was, in many ways, “a game of two halves” - the Lions, with Finn Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park pulling the strings, were dominant for the first 50 minutes or more, before Australia got more from their replacements to salvage a lot of pride in the final half hour.

The dream of a 3-0 series win is still on, but, with some (to use the current “buzz-phrase”) BGPs - “Big Game Players” - Will Skelton & Co, to come back, it would be rash tp write-off the Wallabies. They will come out with all guns firing at Melbourne next week.

It wasn't “an Ugly Win” for the Lions, but, they didn't reach the heights we supporters perhaps think they should, and still won; so we cannot really be critical.

The (slightly) more contentious selections – the two wing forwards, less-so selection-wise - Sione Tuipulotu - all did well. Sione and Tom Curry both scored, while Tadgh Beirne was a worthy call for Man-of-the-Match. So, a good result for the Lions management, and a challenge to the “Dirt Trackers” to try to force their way into the match-day 23 via the midweek game.

FOR ALL the current infatuation with The Lions, the world of Rugby Union is changing. As with Football, the International game is now driven by the World Cup round – and what happens in that competition which, like the Olympics and indeed Lions' Tours, only comes along every four years.

This summer, being the mid-point of that four-year World Cup cycle, is the time when you start to see established players being eased aside by thrusting newcomers. This hasn't affected Scotland too-much, we haven't seen too-many “bolters” emerge from our tour – indeed, we haven't seen any such new guys.

That has, however, not been the case with The All Blacks and France. Fabien Galthie copped a bit of flak by leaving some of his Galacticos at home. OK, the All Blacks won the series 3-0, but, in the Third Test, it wasn't until Jordie Barrett came off the bench to sprinkle his star-dust, that the home team pulled clear.

From the performances he got from some of his fringe players, Galthie now has a nice selection problem going forward, as some of his new guys have indeed stood up to be counted.

On the other side, Scott Robertson will I dare say, continue to be criticised in his home land, up until the moment he beats the Springboks with style; but, he has some terrific talent in his squad.

Our Saffa friends are obsessed by Cheslin Kolbe. I shudder to think what some of the game's supporters forums would be like, if Will Jordan was a South African.

SPEAKING OF our friends from beyond the Limpopo; they enjoyed a fairly routine win over Georgia yesterday. It was however a day Edinburgh's Boan Venter will long remember.

His 40 minutes on the park may well be his only ones as a full Springbok, but, he's got the cap and the jersey, plus a typical close-range try. He held up his side of the scrum well against a team who take their scrumming seriously, so he can be pleased with his efforts in the cause.

NEXT UP for me was Uruguay v Argentina, with the Uruguayans giving a rollicking display in the first half, before being worn down in the second. Both sides produced some flowing rugby and some of the younger Pumas are going to be big players for them.

Oor Ain Mikey Adamson had a very-good game in the TV gantry. There was one incident when the technology let him down, but he was unobtrusive when called on to intervene, and spot-on when he did so.

Finally, deep into the night, I watched USA v England. This one was arguably the longest Rugby Union match ever. Thunderstorms around Washington DC meant the kick-off was delayed for an hour. Then, some 20-odd minutes in, Referee Sam Grove-White, who was lavishly-praised by the American commentary team, and rightly so, took the teams off for 40 minutes, while another thunderstorm passed over.

So, it was nearly 2am before the visitors could celebrate a fairly simple victory. OK, they were not playing a Tier One nation, but the easy way in which Steve Borthwick was able to introduce his new caps demonstrated, England may not have many Galacticos they can call on, but, they have a depth of squad we can only dream off.

The fans in the Audi Stadium appeared to be enjoying themselves too.

THE GREAT SCOTTISH QUOTE has long been attributed to the late PG Wodehouse – the one about a ray of sunshine and a Scotsman with a grievance. I think it may be time to relegate the English wordsmith to second place, in favour of a quote from a Great Scot – Groundskeeper Willie – who said: “Damned Scots, you ruined Scotland.

I offer up this tit-bit, as I review the reaction to our victory over Samoa, in Auckland on Friday. That reaction may best be summed-up as: “So what – we won”. Only six BTL comments after The Offside Line's match report – clearly, when there isn't a lot to moan about, the usual suspects among the keyboard warriors are left frustrated.

It's right what some say: when we don't have the English to fight with, we are happy to fight among ourselves. Seymour Skinner was right, we Scots sure are a contentious lot.

 

A Scotland Win - Disaster For The Toony-Haters

OH DEAR! OH DEAR! OH DEAR! Disaster for the TMG (Toony Must Go) group – a comfortable win, achieved on the back of a terrific display by the pack, and some great running by the backs. How do the critics play down this win. A seven-try: 41-12 win is not to be sneezed at.

OK, it was the 8th-best nation on Earth – Us – playing the 13th-best. Ignore the “neutral” venue, that wasn't a factor. How cash-strapped the Samoan Rugby Union is; they are even-poorer than the SRU, and this was the first time the Samoans had been together since September. This showed, they were much-better in the second half than the first. But, we've slipped-up in similar games before, so let's look at the positives.

• We started well, something we don't always do

• Once we got in front, we kept our pedal to the metal and had the game won by half-time

• We were able then to make changes on our terms and give everyone a run out

• We handled and off-loaded better than in the other two games, probably as a result of having time together in training to work on things

• There was no fall-off when the replacements came on

• We again defended well

OK, it wasn't perfect, Toony will, as all coaches do, have one or two pointers around things we might have done better, but, from 1 to 23, everyone contributed and we had no failures.

I do not like picking out individuals in a good team performance, but, Fin Richardson when he came on, answered a few questions, just as Elliot Millar-Mills, the man he replaced, had during his spell on the park. Jamie Dobie gave a cracking display and thoughts of putting Grant Gilchrist out to pasture may still be premature.

I would consider this Tour to have been a success; I refuse to criticise the loss in Suva, but, really, we need to look at more Scotland A games from somewhere, to meet the needs of the expanded squad of players Toony now has at his disposal.

Onwards and Upwards.

 

Farrell Has Spoken

BEING A WORKING-CLASS Northern lad, who played the ruffians' Rugby code, rather than Rugger, Lions Coach Andy Farrell has never been “Officer Material” - damned fine NCO perhaps, but not bred for command. So, kudos to Andy, for proving himself the classic British General – he's prepared to fight the last war – if his selection for the First Test is any guide.

Had he come up with a starting XV containing 8 Irishmen, 4 Englishmen and 3 Scots this time last year, few would have complained; although, as ever, there would have been debate over one or two individuals. But, I feel, in naming the above squad, he has perhaps been over-loyal to one or two, whose current form is not as good as some he has left out.

I have never been one for the great media game of second-guessing what team a Coach will pick, but, while mentally assessing the likely team, I did have a feeling Tadgh Beirne would be at six, in spite of not being at his best in the warm-up games. Tom Curry, on the other flank of the pack, is another who can count himself lucky that Farrell has gone for past experience rather than the on-tour excellence of Wales's Jac Morgan. I do worry that the absence of Morgan's jackalling prowess might be exposed in the Test.

But, it is on the bench where Farrell has, I feel, gone with the wrong horses. Ben White has out-played Alex Mitchell on-tour and should have been the back-up nine, and, while “Fleet Street” loves Marcus Smith – a Lions Test is no arena for a show pony.

The Lions should still win, but, it may not be the easy game some are forecasting.

THE 2025 LIONS' series doesn't finish until 2 August, with the new Club season kicking-off three weeks later, on 23 August, the Northern Hemisphere Rugby Union season is an all but all-year-round campaign. In fact, the clubs in the Arnold Clark Premiership are already in the throes of pre-season training. Indeed, I have heard of clubs who will be holding a “Lions Breakfast” and TV showing of the Third Test on 2 August, before a pre-season hit-out that afternoon.

One of the funniest items in the chequered history of that classic Scottish TV programme 'Only An Excuse' had Chick Young – or maybe it was Jonathan Watson impersonating El Chico – was a simple one-liner: ”The Junior Fitba close season is on a Wednesday this year”; still memorable, and it was back in the days when OAE was funny. Is Rugby Union heading down that road?

Back in the Amateur Era it was not uncommon for Lions tourists to not get back playing until November or December. The there is the legend of Jimmy Greenwood, after his exertions in South Africa in 1955. He apparently, the following season, played one game for Dunfermline, one game for North and Midlands, two Scottish Trials and the four internationals in the 1956 Five Nations. Full-time professional players in 2025 don't have that luxury.

The 1955 Lions did not arrive back in the UK until 1 October, 1955. So Greenwood and his fellow Lions had, in effect, six to eight weeks' recovery time before they were back playing.

This year's Lions, should they be allowed the same recovery time, would still, in theory, be available for their clubs opening League matches. The Amateurs had a bit of personal freedom denied their playing successors in the Open Era.

Speaking of which, a great tale, told me by the late and hugely-missed 'Broon Frae Troon'. Big Gordon had gone down to Wales for a Lions Reunion, some weeks after the end of 'The Invincibles'' 1974 Tour. Chatting in the bar with one of the Welsh Lions, who had switched clubs after his return, Broon asked: “So what are you working at now you've changed clubs?”

The reply was: “Playing Rugby for X”. It took Broon a wee while to accept, his pal had switched clubs and jobs and, courtesy of one of his new club's main sponsors, all he had to do was be fit to play on a Saturday and occasionally in midweek; lunches and golf days with his new employers' main clients filled-in his “working” week.

There were clearly professionals in Wales pre-1995.

You may wonder why I mention that story: the point being, such are the physical and mental demands of professional sport at the top level, the players need to have their down time managed as carefully as their game time. One of the reasons Leinster set the bar so high in the URC is, they can better manage the game time/down time balance of their top performers than other clubs with a less-experienced and game-tempered squad.

How the SRU and the professional club managers balance the needs of the national team with player development via the clubs is an act we have yet to pull off, even half as well as they have in Dublin, but, I would hope they are giving thought to this in Murrayfield.

I accept, there will be claims of: “We cannot afford it”, but, if the Welsh Rugby Union does pull one, or even two, teams out of the URC, then I would hope the SRU would seriously consider taking up one of the vacancies. A Connacht-style third team, for development purposes, would, I suggest, work wonders for the national side, particularly if it was worked along side central contracts for our top players, to limit their number of club games.

 

Toony Tombola - The Latest Game

I CANNOT SAY there were any surprises in the match-day squad which Gregor Townsend has named for Friday morning's New Zealand clash with Samoa. After the disappointment in Suva, changes were inevitable and I cannot disagree with the five changes he has made.

I thought Will Hurd might have at least got in the squad, either starting or as back-up tight-head, while I would have played Ollie Smith at Full-Back, but, there really isn't much between our back three players on the tour.

It is interesting that he has started Jamie Dobie at nine, I reckon we can now deduce, Toony sees George Horne as only a “finisher” to use Eddie Jones' quaint phrase.

So, after Suva, we are back to the default position of the Tartan Army – living in hope; plus ca change and all that.

 

SPOILER ALERT – I have had another of my infrequent “Rushes of shite to what passes for his brain”, as my old fitba team mate “Auld Auchlin” - the great Jock Craig – refers to my off-piste thinking on Rugby Union matters.

Why doesn't the SRU take a punt on raising awareness of the sport by organising a Summer Tournament something akin to the late-lamented Churchill Cup, but, make it a Europe only event.

I had a look at the latest World Rugby Rankings, where I found the following placings:

• Scotland – ranked 8

• Italy – ranked 10

• Georgia – ranked 11

• Wales – ranked 12

• Spain – ranked 15

• Portugal – ranked 18

• Romania – ranked 21

• Belgium – ranked 22

• Netherlands – ranked 27

• Switzerland – ranked 29

• Poland – ranked 30

So, why not an eight-nation tournament, played in Scotland, in which Scotland would be represented by an Under-23 squad, some of the other nations listed. If it was felt inviting some of Italy, Georgia and Wales to participate, then they too would be limited to an Under-23 squad.

As I said, eight nations – two four-nation pools, giving each nation three games, before either semi-finals and final, or 1 v 1, 2 v 2 etc, cross-ties to give a final 1-8 ranking.

Perhaps have two venues in the East of Scotland and two in the West, with the Final, if we go down that route, at Murrayfield. Surely the SRU could drum-up a title sponsor and I dare say, one of the TV companies such as Premier Sports would be interested.

We have to do something to give our best young players a pathway into the full Scotland team, while broadening the game's media profile.

 

Lions Led By Donkeys?

IN YESTERDAY'S blog post, I suggested, perhaps the current British and Irish Lions' Tour of Australia would be the final Lions Tour. I am willing, on more-sober reflection to admit I could be premature in that forecast, but, I still believe the concept of a Lions' Tour as the Best of British taking on the Colonials might be: A dead man walking”.

I now embark on one of my occasional meanders off-piste, but I will return to the subject in hand.

In the days when the Scottish Football Association was controlled by the seemingly all-powerful International Committee, that body did a sterling job in kidding-on the Tartan Army that Scottish Football was actually stronger than the reality. This was a simple enough task for the first 60 or so years of organised football. During that time, the SFA remained strictly a British Isles entity – The Home International Championship was all that mattered, Scotland played England, Ireland and Wales, none of the other continental nations was fit to take-on the four titans of the game, and of the HIC games , the only thing which mattered was beating England.

The lesser foreign nations might have formed FIFA, they might even, in 1930, have initiated a quaintly-named World Cup, but, such daft notions were beneath the Home Nations. In 1929, Scottish isolationism ended with an end-of-season European Tour, in which we emerged undefeated from games against Norway, Netherlands and Germany. The following year France were beaten 2-0 in Paris, a year later, a 0-5 loss to Austria and a 0-3 defeat by Italy in Rome were explained away by the fact while players from clubs such as Clyde, Cowdenbeath and East Fife featured in the Scotland line-ups, no Old Firm players were on the trip.

By the time, in 1939, World War II came along to halt football, Scotland had played 15 internationals against European opponents, winning 10, but in their games against the top European nations of that decade: Austria and Italy, we came up short.

The Home Nations rejoined FIFA in 1947, but it wasn't until a decade later that their World Cup qualification campaigns pitted them against European opponents. In qualifying campaigns for the World Cup or European Championships, involving only the Home Nations in the group, Scotland has qualifed in two of three occasions. In qualifying campaigns where we have been in groups with continental nations, our successful qualifying percentage goes down to 11 of 25.

I would suggest Scottish Rugby is now where Scottish Football was before 1950 (the first time we entered the World Cup). We are used to playing the same opponents on a regular basis: England, France, Ireland, Italy and Wales in the Six Nations; the “Established” Colonial Nations: Australia, New Zealand and South Africa on a regular basis, while of late, the leading Tier Two Nations: Argentina, Fiji, Tonga, Japan, Georgia etc – on a regular basis. There is an accepted pecking order in World Rugby.

However, in my view, given World Rugby's determination to grow the game and expand the number of nations playing internationally, this situation in the game, whereby there is a group of Establishment nations who have all the perks could be on its last legs.

For instance, the use of World Rugby Ranking Points, determined by international match results, is a game changer. In past years, results such as Scotland losing to Fiji would not matter all that much in the grand scheme of things. However, if Scotland losing to Fiji has a negative effect on their World Ranking and as a follow-on, Scotland's chances of a better World Cup draw, then failure by the SRU to address the problem would be dereliction of duty.

The Scotland team that lost in Suva was an under-strength squad, minus eight players on Lions' duty, plus a couple of others on the injured list. That defeat, disappointing though it was, may not have too-great an effect on our standing. But, say, in 2029, if we again have a good representation on the proposed Lions' Tour to New Zealand, and we lose to a couple of Tier Two nations, hampering our World Ranking – well, might that be the moment when the SRU had second thoughts on releasing players for Lions' duty.

Suppose too, Wales lose to Japan, Ireland trip-up against Georgia or England mirrors a particularly-unfortunate day for their Football team and lose to the USA, with the consequential bad effect on their World Ranking, then I would say, for all the combined team's merit as a cash-generator, then the Lions, as we know them, would be dead.

We may be some years away from the rankings in Rugby Union being as crucial in international terms as they are in Football, but, a flatter playing field is on the way, and the Lions will be a casualty when this happens.

The Lions worked in the Amateur Era, today, in the Open Era, the team is an anachronism; as a Best of the Best concept, it goes against all the norms of professional sport. Football embraced professionalism a century or more before Rugby Union – as a result of this, that game has never had anything like the Lions. The strictly amateur Middlesex Wanderers used to do a Lions-type job for that game – they were killed-off when the Football Association did away with the difference between Amateur and Professional.

I may be making too huge a leap here, but, I can see the Lions going the same way, as Rugby Union expands and becomes, in its governance, more like the round-ball game.

While I am on the Lions beat, I do have a bit of a problem with players such as Ewan Ashman, Darcy Graham, Rory Sutherland, England's Jamie George and Ireland's Tom Clarkson being flown-in as cover, to hold tackle bags and get a short cameo off the bench for what in Lions terminology is: “The Dirt Trackers XV” - that is tarnishing the legacy I feel, although I am obviously pleased for the players concerned.

With world-wide jet travel it is just too easy today for the Tour management to whistle-up replacements or additional players. There is something romantic about, as happened on the 1959 Tour to Australia and New Zealand, the Lions being so-short of specialists that Hughie McLeod had to play hooker in one provincial game in NewZealand – the Lions still won.