Scottish Rugby Blog was formed by myself and Al following Rugby World Cup ’07, and the first post appeared 3 years ago today, so that means it is our 3rd birthday!
We would like to thank all of our readers – especially the ones who comment – and the team of writers that has grown with the blog. We hope you will keep coming back!
So in the end last week wasn’t so bad. Glasgow conquered the Dragons. Edinburgh where unlucky to lose (Thanks to the ‘Knee of God’). In Delhi Scotland just missed out on a semi-final place, and finished a respectable 6th. This is almost erring on the side of a positive week! Throw in some liberated miners, some fat-headed American tycoon-types getting chased out of Liverpool, and some posh people getting slagged off on the Apprentice. Yup…good week so far!
So how do we keep the good times going?
Premier 1 rugby is a bit of a family affair for me.
My father has served as President, Coach and Captain for Dundee HSFP. My two Brothers Andrew and Neil play scrum half and prop, respectively, for the same club. Myself, the black sheep of the family, I play prop for Heriot’s. I’m pretty sure my Mum hates rugby.
So the other night I was out in my shed, trying to finish off the bed/woodwork project I have been working on this summer (mostly while having to suffer football on the wireless) and listening to BBC Radio Scotland’s live broadcast from the Glasgow vs Sale game (which I think Gregor may have a report on for you soon). Apologies if this turns into Dr Seuss.
Busy busy in other areas at the moment, so with not much happening on the Scottish Rugby front we’re keeping a low profile. However any little tidbits and nonsense will go up on the twitter feed (see the sidebars) until the pre-season excitement starts building…hope you are all enjoying your summer, or as we call it in Scotland, “summer”…
I’m an open-minded guy. I’ve tried sushi, and I even watched ‘The Proposal’ with my girlfriend, once.
So when I arrived in Canada to play rugby I did so without expectations. A good thing I did, too. Within my first two days I received cultural shocks; shocks that highlighted the differences, both rugby-related and social in nature, between New World rugby nations, and ‘established’ ones.
The revelations of the last few days that the SRU don’t want to tour the big southern hemisphere nations because it will stifle our developing players has, understandably, been met with disdain from some quarters. Robbo says “as far as our overseas tours are concerned I do not believe it would be beneficial for us to play a series of three Tests against the individual SANZAR countries at the end of our season. What I believe works for us, from a performance perspective, is a mix between SANZAR and Tier 2 unions as that gives us the opportunity to develop players which is part and parcel of touring”. Meanwhile, a great number of Scottish fans will be saying, “WOW! Look at him spin!”
Sorry for the belated piece, guys; I’m currently playing rugby in Canada and have been enjoying, *ahem*, what North America has to offer. That is a report for another day, though…
So the Premier 1 season is done! Over! Finito! And what a surprising and refreshing season it has been for Scottish Club Rugby. With all the grumblings about the proposed changes to structure and format for the top divisions and whether it is what ‘amateur’ rugby needs, and a rumoured step away from an allegedly ailing cup competition perhaps it is a good time to reflect on the positives of this season.
Congratulations to Sean Lineen and the Glasgow team who have made it through to the playoffs with one week of the season remaining. A strong showing against the Scarlets and they may still sneak a home semi, which would be invaluable considering the candidates in opposition are likely to be Leinster, Munster or the Ospreys. New boy Duncan Weir in on the bench for the injured Ruaridh Jackson seems to have had a good 9 minute cameo before the stirring send off given to Dan Parks and Kelly Brown by the sizeable Firhill crowd.
The reason for Glasgow securing such a position? Another pretty woeful performance from Edinburgh, who unfortunately seem to have gone backwards under Rob Moffatt this season, losing the head in attack and the plot in defence. Thank goodness for Tim Visser, the dutchman who is at the moment the only one with his finger in the dyke holding back the tide of mediocrity.
Edinburgh have lost a number of internationalists to long-term injuries this season and clearly missed the ability and leadership of Chris Paterson and Ally Hogg.
As someone pointed out in the comments over on the Scotsman site, is this the same Ally Hogg that has hasn’t been given a contract for next season?
Every time you turn on the news these days you are bombarded with the word ‘CHANGE’. The politicians are all screaming it. Travel agents can’t get enough of it. Even the chief exec.’s of Rangers and Celtic seem to be on the streets begging for some spare. So what is set to change in Scottish rugby next season?
The answer to that appears to be the squads of almost every single ‘top level’ team.
Due to congestion a special fixture sits nestled in the middle of a busy fixture list. The match that should crown a glorious moment for one club at the end of the season will pit virgin finalists Ayr against cup specialists Melrose.
The semi-finals finished Melrose 31-8 Currie, and Ayr 23-14 Heriot’s. The final will be held on the 24th of this month, and while Ayr may be more confused than Caster Semenya, competing on two fronts, they will definitely be pumped for their first ever final against record-breaking finalists, Melrose.
Your faithful team of Scottish Rugby Blog pundits sat at a virtual round table, quaffed mead, gnawed meat from the bone, kicked the dogs and generally caroused their way through the highs and lows of this years Six Nations. Then Al threatened to get Excalibur out and everyone went back to their little corners. Camelot is a silly place…
This saturday sees the men’s semi’s (classic!) of the Scottish Hydro Premier Cup in which league leaders Currie travel south to face Melrose and Champions Ayr host cup holders Heriot’s. Both of these fixtures are interesting, to say the least. While it has been noted that the league’s trailblazers have been kept apart this does not necessarily mean that Currie and Ayr will play each other on the big pitch later this month.
Our teams of the tournament and the winners and losers of the RBS 6 Nations 2010, as compiled by the whole Scottish Rugby Blog team in our “infinite” and possibly blinkered wisdom…
A delayed roundup of last weekend’s premier 1 matches. Things are getting tight at the top as Hawks beat Dundee, Melrose got the win they had needed and every top half team is ravenously hunting for a top four spot rumoured to earn the highest placed teams a station in next years British and Irish Cup. Of course this is all supposition right now. Something that is true, however, is that Watsonians are staring into the relegation abyss after losing to Selkirk. It could come to the wire between them and fellow strugglers Accies but with two of their remaining games against Melrose and Hawks, things aren’t looking good for the men in maroon.
Here are Saturday’s results:
