ALAN Watt has dropped out of Glasgow's team for the McEwan's district
championship match against North and Midlands this afternoon, but his
withdrawal, more than half-expected, is not the only loss from the pack.
His Glasgow High/Kelvinside colleague, Eammon Murphy, also has called
off.
Both players were injured in the Richmond match that Glasgow lost to
the Exiles on Wednesday. Murphy broke a finger without immediately
realising the extent of the damage whereas Watt hurt his left knee, an
injury that forced his retirement from the match. Ligament damage is
suspected.
Two Stirling forwards replace the GHK pair. John Gibson now takes over
from Watt, and Malcolm Norval returns at lock for Murphy.
Any team playing three games in eight days, as Glasgow are doing, will
run the risk of being handicapped by such injuries. Robertson, for
instance, would not have missed a championship match if Glasgow had
played all of them on Saturdays instead of having to fit in a midweek
game.
Nor would Watt's fellow cap, Ian Smith, have been left out of the
Exiles' team for the Mansfield Park match against the South today. The
Gloucester captain did not have time to recover from the shoulder injury
that was a relic of the Barbarians' contest with Australia last week, he
missed the Exiles' win over Glasgow, and, though now fit, he cannot win
back his place.
It is a foretaste of what the districts can expect when they contest
next season's new championship with their counterparts in the Irish
provinces. That competition is to be crammed into 11 days, with games on
two Wednesdays and two Saturdays.
Already players are muttering against those demands. Clubs, too, are
unhappy.
So that such views can be aired and consolidated, Melrose have invited
all 28 clubs in the first and second divisions of the national league to
a meeting on Thursday in Heriot's clubrooms at Goldenacre. The
intention, however, is not to rebel against the Scottish Rugby Union.
Each side -- the SRU and the clubs -- has the aim of strengthening
Scottish rugby. They differ in the means.
As for the current district championship, it has reached its halfway
stage with four of the five contestants in the running, although Glasgow
will have to run in a barrowload of tries against North and Midlands.
Try-scoring is the tie-breaker if two districts finish level at the top
of the table next Saturday.
So far the Exiles have looked most likely to win the title, the
trophy, the tankards, and the ticket to a game against the New Zealand
tourists next season. Even in their opening championship match, beating
Glasgow on Wednesday, they came on to an effective, efficient game,
though that should not have been surprising when they had 11 players
from one club, London Scottish, well versed in the upper flight of
English rugby.
Today, though, the South should be a more complete team than they were
in defeat by Glasgow last week. Craig Chalmers and Gary Armstrong are
back as half-backs, and the pivot ought to be more secure.
Glasgow's enforced changes switch the balance of the pack -- now five
from Stirling, three from GHK -- though one from the latter club, Walter
Malcolm, is seen as the key to opening the district team's potential.
The GHK flanker has been restored at blind side.
Derrick Lee, Watsonians' 19-year-old stand-off, is close to an
individual record in Glasgow's under-21 district championship match
against North and Midlands at Auchenhowie this morning. His total of 47
points so far in the campaign well surpasses the previous best for
Glasgow in a championship campaign, 31 by Calum MacDonald in 1989-90.
Glasgow -- D N Barrett (West of Scotland); R A G Porter, C T Simmers
(both Edinburgh Academicals), I C Jardine, K M Logan (both Stirling
County); G M Breckenridge (GHK), F H Stott (West of Scotland); J T
Gibson, K D McKenzie, G B Robertson, M Norval (all Stirling County), D S
Munro, W H Malcolm, F D Wallace, captain (all GHK), B Ireland (Stirling
County). Replacements -- S M Simmers (Glasgow Academicals), D R McKee, S
Blair (both West of Scotland), J Brough (Stirling County).
North and Midlands -- S A D Burns (Edinburgh Academicals), captain; M
A Cousin, P R Rouse (both Dundee HS FP), R J S Shepherd, J F Swanson
(both Edinburgh Academicals); B R Easson, A D Nicol; J J Manson (all
Dundee HS FP), M W Scott (Edinburgh Academicals), D Herrington (Dundee
HS FP), B H Bell (Highland), S J Campbell (Dundee HS FP), D J McIvor
(Edinburgh Academicals), J G Mathieson (Morgan Academy FP), D H Mitchell
(Dunfermline). Replacements -- A E Milne (Boroughmuir), A K Carruther, W
D Anderson (both Kirkcaldy), D R Milne (Dundee HS FP).
Referee - R S Clark (Stewart's Melville FP).
South -- G J Aitchison (Kelso); M Moncrieff, G P J Townsend (both
Gala), A G Shiel (Melrose), I Tukalo (Selkirk); C M Chalmers (Melrose),
G Armstrong (Jed-Forest); G R Isaac, I Corcoran (captain), H A Hunter
(all Gala), R R Brown, G W Weir (both Melrose), D J Turnbull (Hawick), C
D Hogg (Melrose), J P Amos (Gala). Replacements -- S A Nichol (Selkirk),
B W Redpath, S J Brotherstone (both Melrose), R J Johnstone
(Jed-Forest).
Scottish Exiles (London Scottish unless stated) -- M E Appleson; N
Grecian, F J Harrold, M Sly, D W Caskie (Gloucester); R I Cramb
(captain), D B Millard; A V Sharp (Bristol), L M Mair, A P Burnell, D F
Cronin, A Reed (Bath), N G Provan, D L M McIntosh (Pontypridd), I R
Morrison. Replacements -- J Hamilton (Leicester), I R Smith, P M Jones
(both Gloucester), D C M McGavin (Bedford).
Referee -- J M Fleming (Boroughmuir).
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