Knocked out and Locked down
Welcome back to the Thistle newsletter! We have just about recovered from Edinburgh crashing to another knockout rugby defeat to bring you the latest and greatest in the world of Scottish rugby. We hope you are still enjoying reading our ramblings just as much as we enjoy writing them. Please do subscribe below and share with your mates.
BORD-DOH: Edinburgh were consigned to a 23-14 defeat to Bordeaux in their rearranged Challenge Cup quarter final, once again losing at the knock-out stages of a major tournament.
Richard Cockerill pulled no punches in the press this week when discussing last week’s Pro 14 semi-final defeat to Ulster - “We sh@t the bed” - and sadly it was a case of deja vu for the capital side in the south of France. A dropped kick off set the tone for a woeful first half where Edinburgh’s basic skills let them down massively and allowed their hosts to build a comfortable lead that was ultimately never clawed back.
This rather sums up the mood at Thistle HQ watching the match:
While some familiar failings reared their ugly head, namely errors at key moments and some poor decision making, at least Edinburgh managed to fire some shots in last weekend’s Ulster fixture. Bordeaux are certainly no mugs, yet they appeared for the taking, especially in the second half.
This season’s truncated resumption has doubtless been difficult for the players, yet the events of recent weeks do raise questions over both the strength of leadership in the squad and the ability of the current coaching staff, particularly when things aren’t going to script.
Absent some magic from Darcy Graham (see below), game breakers like Bill Mata and Hamish Watson were never given a foothold in the match. Although Jaco Van Der Walt is seen as a steady presence at 10, there is a niggling doubt at Thistle HQ that he has the overall quality to lead Edinburgh from being a good to a great team.
Hopefully Edinburgh can channel the pain of recent knockout defeats and take this into next season. The squad is doubtless packed full of talent and tantalisingly close to getting over the line, while it is easy to forget just how far the side has come in a relatively short time under Cockerill.
COVIDIOTS: A member of the Edinburgh academy tested positive for Covid this week after attending a house party with three other team mates. All four are now self isolating, presumably from the massive bollocking they will be getting from Cockers when they return to camp. The lads even got a stern reprimand from National Clinical Director - and semi regular guest on the SRU podcast- Jason Leitch. We understand the lads are in serious trouble, with some talk about contracts being torn up.
Luckily the lads going on the sesh didn’t effect the first team’s fixture as it did to the Castres team, where a Covid outbreak led to them forfeiting their QF vs Leicester Tigers. That being said, judging on the opening 20 minutes of the Edinburgh game, maybe a lot more lads were at this house party than the club are letting on?
HOGGY LETS LOOSE: recently launched theXV.com opened up with an interview with Scotland captain Stuart Hogg (paywall). Jamie Lyall’s piece makes interesting reading and appears to be part of a push to get Hogg increasingly out in front of the camera/behind the mic/on the page.
Hogg takes a few minor digs at:
Rennie - “His Glasgow team was often too predictable and too loose “
Young Glasgow talent - “We had young players and you would sometimes try and help them out and it would almost be in one ear and out the other” (would love to know who this is in reference to)
Hogg is clearly loving life down on the Devon coast and his game appears to be going from strength to strength in a team aiming for a league and cup double. For Scotland fans it is great to see him calling out Jamie Ritchie’s impact over the Six Nations and there is the usual brushing the ‘Russell Incident’ under the carpet. However, he does say Russell will be back for Scotland soon. Blessed be the fruit!
Hogg has been on the media round all week, with a lengthy interview with the Good, Bad and Rugby Pod as well. Worth an hour of your time.
SAM THOMSON INTERVIEW: in an interesting departure from the recent norm (“ex-Glasgow player bags David Rennie in Rugby Pass interview”), former Edinburgh second row Sam Thomson gave an interesting take in the Sunday Times on his brief spell at the capital side.
Cockerill has been praised for bringing a no nonsense attitude and hard edge to the club, yet Thomson spoke of the Edinburgh coach in less than glowing terms, decrying the negativity of training sessions and the disenfranchisement of non-first team players - echoes of the common criticisms of Dave Rennie. Arguably this is once again symptomatic of the difficulties both Edinburgh and Glasgow coaches have in keeping a 45-strong squad happy with limited opportunities, yet it is not too hard to see how Cockers can rub people up the wrong way. We have a feeling that whenever the former England hooker does head for newer pastures, there may be a fair few Edinburgh players with some axes to grind…
FIXTURES ANNOUNCED: Whilst there has been nothing official concerning the Pro 12/13/14/16/18 fixture list, Wales Online have leaked a document outlining 20/21 fixtures
Some interesting info to digest:
The season is set to start on the 2nd/3rd/4th October…so in two weeks supposedly
Glasgow open up with an away trip to Connacht and Edinburgh start at home vs Ospreys
A two month break is scheduled between January and March
The Cheetahs and the Kings will re-join the league from March 8th (WTF) - this is in spite of the fact that the Kings have put themselves into voluntary liquidation…
The view from Thistle HQ is that the experiment with SA rugby should be parked for the 20/21 season and revisited next summer. COVID isn’t going away anytime soon and whilst the Cheetahs have had their moments, I think its fair to say outside of more broadcast income, the introduction of South African’s poorest two pro sides hasn’t exactly set Celtic rugby pulses racing.
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WHATS A “POLO SHIRT”? Edinburgh launched their kit for the 2020/21 season this week, and - disappointingly for the authors of piss-take newsletters - it is a pretty good looking effort.
One of the big talking points in the marketing guff was the introduction of a “polo shirt” style collar - more commonly known as a collar. Further good news for fans of meaningless marketing speak is that the shirt comes in Macron’s patented “Armevo” fabric. Nope, me neither.
Overall, the launch seems to have gone down well apart from the lack of a dedicated woman’s shirt available on the shop. It does seem like a funny omission and hopefully one we will see change sooner rather than later.
BEST OF SOCIAL
Ryan Wilson had some kind words for Finn Russell post Racing 92 QF win:
Darryl Marfo might have left Edinburgh but we’ll always have the memories
Glasgow CEO Nathan Bombrys recently took the time to speak to Warriors supporters, with a particular emphasis on recruitment plans and how the club is approaching corporate sponsorship in the current environment. Here is the full chat on YouTube:
SCOTS ABROAD
Saracens victory over Leinster was mightily impressive, helped in no small part by a Scottish-heavy effort, with Sean Maitland, Duncan Taylor, Tim Swinson and Callum Hunter-Hill all playing a role. Taylor in particular showed his undoubted ability when fully fit, with a monumental effort in defense and some nice touches going forward, Maitland was his usual dependable self, while Glasgow fans may well be wondering where that Tim Swinson performance has been over the last 12 months. Hunter-Hill appears to be highly rated by the reigning European and English champions, which does make you wonder just exactly what he did to upset the top brass at Edinburgh…
Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray once again impressed as crucial cogs in the well-oiled Exeter Chiefs machine, as they defeated a battling Northampton side. Fellow Scots Sam Hidalgo Clyne and Sam Skinner continue to play important roles from the bench. Times scribe Stuart Barnes took the time to sing the praises of the Chief’s Scottish contingent in his column this week
Finn Russell masterminded a deserved Racing 92 victory away to Clermont in their Champions Cup quarter final. While perhaps slightly quieter compared to last week’s virtuoso display against Montpellier, Finn continues to get Scotland fans excited about a potential return in the Autumn
Murray Douglas was part of the Brumbies side that defeated the Queensland Reds in the final of Super Rugby AU, joining a rare group of Scots who have collected silverware in the professional era. It has been quite some journey for the Kirkcaldy-born second row, and the fact that he has now played for three Super Rugby sides - the Rebels, the Hurricanes and the Brumbies - speaks very highly to his talents. Douglas appeared to impress during a short stint at Edinburgh, which begs the question of whether the SRU have missed a trick here [insert standard comment about Glasgow desperately needing front five reinforcements]
In the same match, a quick look at the line ups - particularly the Queensland Reds - would have many Scottish ears pricked up. How can players with names like Jock Campbell, Hamish Stewart, Angus Blyth, Angus Scott-Young, Fraser McReight not be Scots qualified? Queensland rapidly becoming a left field choice for Scotland’s third professional side
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