TNT SPORTS' coverage of England's “Prem” attempts to convince us, this is the gold standard for professional club rugby: the biggest, brightest and best, the supreme example of club rugby play. This, of course is pure pish – the reality is: France's Top 14 is the best league in the world while, at its highest level, the BKT United Rugby Championship offers more attacking rugby than the still sometimes boring forward-dominated English brand. The URC also has more-rounded talking heads than the Prem.
Any way, on Saturday afternoon I started watching Bristol Bears v Northampton Saints on TNT Sports. Half an hour in, however, the game began to lose me and I nodded off. At half time, I woke up and fired-up my lap top to catch-up with the varioous twitter feeds in the Arnold Clark Premiership – and, by the way, the big Scottish clubs are not doing themselves any favours via this platform.
I discovered, however, that the Watsonians v Heriot's match was being broadcast on You Tube, so, off went the TV and I switched. Now, I am not going to lie and say the game at Myreside was played at the same pace and with the same precision in all aspects of the one at Ashton Gate; but, it was an awful lot more entertaining. It was a cracker of a game, with Watsons holding on to win an 11-try thriller: 42-35.
There were some stand-out individual performances. The Offside Line's man at the game gave his Man of the Match vote to Watsonians' centre Gus Godwin. He got that one right, but quite how he failed to acknowledge the contributions to the home team's win from Cammy's boys – the Mather Brothers – remains a mystery. Good too, to see Struan Cessford, who I think is almost as old as I am, still able to come on and propel a scrum forward in a bright cameo.
It speaks volume about the thinking within the bounds of EH12 that these You Tube broadcasts are not better publicised. In the last two Saturdays I have enjoyed two domestic games – the Under-18 Ayrshire Derby between Marr and Ayr and the Myreside encounter. The coverage wasn't perfect in both cases, but with a wee bit of effort, we could better sell our vibrant domestic game. What's not to like about that?
A final thought on the Myreside match, a couple of lovely spin pass ball deliveries from the ball boys demonstrated, they are being taught proper rugby at George Watson's College.
EDINBURGH v SHARKS was a kind of tough watch, with defences very much to the fore all game. In the end, however, Edinburgh found a way to win, with their bench seeing them home – a genuine case of Finishers really finishing.
South African sides have always been known for scrum excellence, their lines-out play, less so; and in this game they had problems at the touchlines all evening, which rather stymied their game plans.
To be fair, it wasn't as much a case of the Sharks getting it wrong at the touchlines, Edinburgh attacked just about every throw, with Glen Young and Liam McConnell particularly prominent in messing things up for the visitors.
The home youngsters again impressed and, after two games, Sean Everitt's men find themselves above Glasgow Warriors in the league table – this could be a very interesting season.
GLASGOW WARRIORS huffed and puffed, but, like with both sides across the water on the Garvachy Road, Saturday night in Scotstoun, neither party would yield.
Ulster. Like Warriors, still have one or two long-serving big names to bring in, but, on the night, I felt the visitors were just a tad sharper. It thus speaks volumes for Warriors' defence that they managed to scrape a draw.
This was a bit of a bad night at the office, but, they managed to avoid defeat and will be better for having got some gremlins out of the system.
Most critics reckoned the crucial moment in the match came when Stafford McDowall apparently butchered a two-man overlap after a terrific solo break. It's easy to be wise after the event, but, I felt, the way the last Ulster defender held-off tackling him, forcing uncertainty within big Staff as to when to pass, allowed the other defender who got back and made the actual tackle which stopped the big Warrior. Terrific work in not committing by the Ulsterman.
FINALLY – I hear there has been an outbreak of unexpected nose bleeds in Melrose, since Saturday night; from the realisation the 'Rose are top of the Arnold Clark Premiership table. This season is shaping-up to be a good one, rather than the procession of recent years.
