XV-a-Side rugby column: greatest league? recent results suggest not...

WEEKLY ANSWERS

Last week’s mystery player was JPR Williams. Last week’s teaser was FALSE. He was an orthopaedic surgeon, not a dentist.

GREATEST LEAGUE?

There were some eyebrow-raising results in the last round of the Champions Cup pool games; notably Toulon 72 Saracens 42, Leinster 62 Harlequins 0, Glasgow 43 Leicester 19 and Stade Toulousain 38 Sale Sharks 15.

It makes a mockery of the claim that the Gallagher Premiership is the best league in Europe.

The richest? Maybe... but the French Top 14 league might dispute that.

While credit should rightly go to the winning teams, there remains a hint of suspicion that changes might be imminent.

Have the big English clubs lost interest in the current structure? Surely not a Rugby World Cup Club Championship?

EUROPEAN RUGBY

Edinburgh are the only Scottish team left in contention for European honours after Glasgow’s exit.

3G FAMILY QUIZ

Last week’s answers. First generation: Gavin Hastings, Willie John McBride. Second generation: New Zealand, Glasgow Caledonian Reds. Third generation: Wales, Fiji, South Africa, Portugal. Mastermind: Sandy Hinshelwood, Jock Turner, Gordon Connell.

This week’s questions. First generation (1970-1999): Which Scotland player won a World League of American Football winners medal in 1996? Second generation (2000-2020): In the 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand there were three Scots. Their initials are GB, CC and ST Who were they? Third generation (2020-2025): Who was the first Scotland player to score a hat-trick of tries against England in a Calcutta Cup match? Mastermind: Who scored more tries against Scotland – Jonah Lomu or Gareth Edwards?

A HUNDRED UP

March 1925 saw the first international match being played at Scotland’s new ground at Murrayfield. A grandstand “second to none in the world of sporting spectacles” it was an astute land purchase from the Edinburgh Polo Club. There were at least 70,000 in attendance to see Scotland lift the Calcutta Cup in one of the best games seen at the ground. Scotland won 14-11,but the outcome was in doubt until the last seconds. A drop goal attempt by England’s Tosh Holliday would have given the visitors a 15-14 win had it gone over. Three of the Scottish team were born in the Antipodes, four of the backs played from Oxford University, two of the forwards played for English club sides and there was only one Borderer. Amazingly, there was a Gaelic speaker playing in the match. Roderick MacLennan, and he was playing for England!

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS

Falkirk went down 29-5 to Lasswade in Bonnyrigg to complete their league programme. Grangemouth Seconds pulled off an impressive 50-24 win in Kirkcaldy.

THIS WEEK’S FIXTURES

Grangemouth Seconds end their league season with a home game against Perthshire Seconds. Kick off time is 3.00 pm.

MYSTERY PLAYER

Who is this All Blacks scrum-half?

TRUE OR FALSE?

Our Mystery Player was an ordained bishop in the Mormon Church?