- Happy birthday Francesca McGhie, who turns 20 today (Sunday)! The sprightly centre/wing scored her first international try versus Ireland last weekend and her two solo efforts yesterday helped Watsonians win the Sarah Beaney Cup Final. She has x-factor which can light up any game she plays in, however with Scotland’s top women players being encouraged to move down south she will likely follow suit, and it is hard to see how this pattern can help the domestic leagues north of the border strengthening any time soon.
- It was heartbreak, again, for Corstorphine Cougars, who have now lost out in the Premiership and the Sarah Beaney Cup finals this year – but they are a great example of a club built on solid foundations. Head coach Eric Jones, assistant Gav Paul and captain Emma Turner head up a women’s section at Union Park which is going places and they now have a 2nd XV in place. Jones is a great people-manager who has helped players like Fiona Cooper move to Wasps and works tirelessly to help players, whatever standard they may be, develop.
- It is no coincidence – and the Men’s Cup Final reaffirmed this – that the best performing clubs in the Premiership over recent seasons have systems in place to develop local talent.
Silver Saturday: Hawick defeat Marr to claim league and cup double
Sarah Beaney Cup Final: Watsonians come from behind to defeat Corstorphine Cougars
Glasgow v Munster: 14 man Warriors fall at first URC play-off hurdle
- Marr have bounced back from a shaky start to the season to come within 80 minutes of making club history. Credit to the Troon men for producing a game plan that Hawick struggled to deal with in the first half, and for battling all the way.
- Kudos to the Hawick ‘Invincibles’, who became the first men’s club side to go a full Premiership and Cup season undefeated since the knock-out competition was introduced in 1995-96. Their ability to win in many different ways meant that changing tactics at half time was simple, and that switch paid off within a few minutes of the restart as they built a lead they never looked likely to lose. Matty Douglas has a good coaching team around him at Hawick, but the 28-year-old is without doubt a talented up-and-comer whose ability is already being recognised further up the tree.
- We all love to see attacking rugby, but defence often wins matches and in West of Scotland’s case it played a major factor role in their Women’s Shield triumph over Cartha Queens Park’s 2nd XV. Time and again during the second half they stood firm under pressure.. As a former international prop, head coach Lindsey Smith will have been delighted with the way her players put their bodies on the line.
- A new tier was added to the women’s cup competitions this year meaning four finals on the day as opposed to three for the men. The continuing rise of the women’s game in Scotland is great to see, but sometimes you have to walk before you can run and a score of 100-10 to Hillhead Jordanhill 2nd XV versus Perthshire in the National Bowl Final (for teams from the ‘Aspiring League’ which sit below Scotland’s Premiership, National and Regional Leagues) is not a great look when it comes to trying to grow the sport. Good on Perthshire for making it all the way to the last hurdle – hammering Greenock Warriors 72-7 in their semi-final – and it’s great to see a diverse range of clubs at the big dance, but one-sided affairs like this one do nobody any favours.
- The number and fervour of fans of finalist teams in all the competitions showed the importance to traditional rugby communities of having a strong club with its own identity. Special credit is due to supporters who set off on their travels early in the morning (with the first match featuring Stewartry from Castle Douglas against East Kilbride kicking off at 10am) and hung around to add colour to the other finals after their own match was over. Generally, the whole day can be ranked as a success but there is always room for improvement.
- Silver Saturday wasn’t pushed by Murrayfield with anywhere near the same fervour as we see for SuperSeries, pro and international rugby. Output during the build-up was limited to Scottish Rugby’s own media channels with the few independent outlets which could be bothered shining a light on that level of the game doing all the leg-work themselves. It wasn’t so long ago that there was a media day at Murrayfield with all participating coaches and captains in attendance during the lead-up to this event. “The weather didn’t help, but the seemingly half-hearted support of Scottish Rugby created a vibe of the governing body renting out Murrayfield for someone else’s party rather than hosting a special occasion for its grassroots members,” said one knowledgeable observer.
- Time to aim big. Target a crowd in excess of 20,000 by 2028 which would be achieved by promoting Silver Saturday as an end-of-season celebration for all of club rugby. The Murrayfield campus can accommodate live bands, big screens, fairground and other entertainment attractions, touch tournaments, rugby taster sessions, coaching clinics and so on. As Kevin Costner said: ‘If you build it, they will come.’ The ball is in the new Club Rugby Board’s court.
- Contributions from Colin Renton, Gary Heatly and David Barnes
Glasgow v Munster: 14 man Warriors fall at first URC play-off hurdle