XV-a-Side rugby column: Not-so-Super 6 leaves no tears shed, how to proceed and Falkirk's title hopes are shelved for now

WEEKLY ANSWERS

Last week’s mystery player was David Shedden. And it was false - the maximum period for a blood replacement is fifteen minutes, not twenty minutes.

FALKIRK RUGBY CLUB

It was to be an important day for the clubs at the top of the Scottish National League Division 2, but Falkirk’s game against Lasswade was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, while leaders Peebles edged home 24-20 in Kirkcaldy.

GRANGEMOUTH STAGS

The Glensburgh side played RAF Lossiemouth in a National Shield game and won 36-33 in an exciting encounter up in Moray. Stags’ seconds had a difficult game against league leaders Crieff and Strathearn and went down 61-7, reflecting their respective relative league positions.

BO’NESS RUGBY CLUB

Bo’ness were across in Rosyth to take on the Sharks and lost 26-0. The Fife side has rattled up some big scores this season.

WOMEN’S RUGBY

Peterhead were unable to field a side and so the Grangemouth Stags side were awarded a 28-0 win to maintain their 100 per cent record in their National Shield group.

TO THINK AGAIN?

The launch of the Super Six “project” in 2019 seemed a brave decision, but there were several loud voices who questioned its credibility from the outset. Six teams, and three of them from Edinburgh? No Glasgow representation and no team north of Stirling?

A look at the success of the Irish structure based on their traditional provincial identity might have proved worthy of deeper investigation. Everyone knew the gap between club rugby and the professional game was massive, but any clubhouse conversation anywhere in Scotland would have seen a remarkable consensus of opinion.

Traditionally, the game at district level was a good test bed and games against the touring sides such as the All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks gave a good indication of a player’s ability to play at the top level.

Scottish Rugby has suffered since the introduction of the professional game and there are echoes in Wales which are uncannily similar. Super Six was never the answer and the conveyor belt of talent never materialised.

The continued influx of overseas players into the national side is not an issue for Scotland alone, and the wide range of Southern Hemisphere accents in the player interviews tells its own story.

There will be few tears shed over the passing of the Super Six, but the use of paid consultants to offer “solutions” is ominous. A better investment would be to get some of the decision-makers at Murrayfield to buy a pint in any clubhouse after a club match, sit down – and listen to players, spectators, and club officials. They can’t all be wrong.

If proof was needed, just look at the teams who have had to pull out of the National Shield competition already - Cumbernauld, Ellon, Aberdeenshire Wanderers, Royal High, Paisley and Strathaven. Club rugby needs help to survive. It is a national problem.

MYSTERY PLAYER

See lead article picture… Who is this Scotland stand-off who shares his name with a well-known local sports journalist?

TRUE OR FALSE?

Iwan Tukalo played for Kelso?