Glasgow and The Disapproving Neighbours 18 At Last! Whose Round is it?

I'll Put A Funny Sub-Title Here

RDW_Scotland wrote:There is not - team announcement is at 12 so you could just copy and paste the team announcement and use that to create a half arsed thread...

RDW_Scotland wrote:In jokes between lawyers. I always find they're the best kind of jokes!

George Carlin wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:In jokes between lawyers. I always find they're the best kind of jokes!

Wait until we throw some Latin maxims in. That sh!t just kills every time when you're blootered in a pub on the Great Western Road.

jimbopip wrote:Ryan Wilson will be shocked that someone was knocked out and he wasn't the man responsible

Sgt_Pooly wrote:I'd have thought Falcons would have made more sense, or maybe they've tried and failed to get something there?

We've always had a strong Scottish link I think most fans quite like the thought of us being a bit of a feeder club.

I heard we were in for Bennett last season but the deal never came off.  

George Carlin wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:I'd have thought Falcons would have made more sense, or maybe they've tried and failed to get something there?

We've always had a strong Scottish link I think most fans quite like the thought of us being a bit of a feeder club.

I heard we were in for Bennett last season but the deal never came off.  

It should definitely be Falcons - their academy has been the training ground for a very large number of our Scottish internationals.

RDW_Scotland wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:I'd have thought Falcons would have made more sense, or maybe they've tried and failed to get something there?

We've always had a strong Scottish link I think most fans quite like the thought of us being a bit of a feeder club.

I heard we were in for Bennett last season but the deal never came off.  

It should definitely be Falcons - their academy has been the training ground for a very large number of our Scottish internationals.

Falcons would make a bit more sense but they're not the one near bankrupt and looking for investment!

Sgt_Pooly wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:I'd have thought Falcons would have made more sense, or maybe they've tried and failed to get something there?

We've always had a strong Scottish link I think most fans quite like the thought of us being a bit of a feeder club.

I heard we were in for Bennett last season but the deal never came off.  

It should definitely be Falcons - their academy has been the training ground for a very large number of our Scottish internationals.

Falcons would make a bit more sense but they're not the one near bankrupt and looking for investment!

No, but we're hardly well off either. From what I understand we have the smallest player budget in the AP so any extra investment would be appreciated.

Perhaps 1 or 2 Internationals from the Scottish set-up part funded by the SRU? The club (And people of the North East) have also had a great relationship with our neighbours, I think this would be a splendid idea.

We'll take Jonny Gray and Hamish Watson please......maybe a decent LH too?

BigGee wrote:I suspect that Worcester are not going to be an AP side next season, but may have the potential to be the season after that.

Our problems is mainly in bringing prospective pros through and this is where we miss out badly only having the two teams.

Players like George Horne, Matt Smith and Paddy Kelly at Glasgow and Miller, Galbraith and Hunter-Hill at Edinburgh all probably have the potential to make it as decent pro players, but some of them won't through lack of opportunities.

Beefing up the next layer below, making it semi pro, may make the bottleneck even worse and that in itself will become dispiriting to the up and coming players. We have already seen an up and coming player like Hugh Fraser at Edinburgh abandoning his career before it really got started. lack of opportunity may or may not have played a part in that, but it is something that can't be discounted.

The arrangement with LS was along the right lines, but it now seems dead in the water. We are not sending any players down there this season and it was touch and go whether we pulled the whole program last year as well. So clearly there is something wrong with that model and I expect a lack of finance on the part of LS is a lot to do with it.

I am all for exploring new options, but his one does seem quite left field and would be a hard sell. Fact is though, unless we do something, we are going to be having the same problems for years to come. I struggle to see a third pro team in Scotland ever being viable.

RDW_Scotland wrote:

It is also worth saying Glasgow were on track for a LBP and even a chance of sneaking the win but Niko messed up, which ultimately gave the chiefs the field position for the late killer try. Chiefs put in a clever kick that was heading for touch 10m from the Glasgow line - Niko tried to force things by gathering the ball before it went out but his foot was in touch and it became an attacking lineout instead. They scored from the resulting drive with only time for one last kick off.

RDW_Scotland wrote:That last kick confused me as I thought the ref was signalling for a knock on advantage - I couldn't see what a penalty could have been called for and didn't hear him say penalty advantage.  We're going off what the commentator said and he could have just got it wrong...

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby-union/challenge-cup/cockerill-demands-answers-following-captain-bradbury-s-night-on-the-town-1-4589577 wrote:Edinburgh head coach 
Richard Cockerill is “disappointed” with the situation regarding his club captain Magnus Bradbury, who was involved in an incident last Saturday night which has seen him excluded from the squad, but won’t deal with it fully until next week after the team have returned from their European game in Moscow.

Bradbury hurt his head while on a night out and was unable to play in the weekend’s win at London Irish and will not play again until an 
internal inquiry into the 
incident has been concluded. The 22-year-old has two Scotland caps and is the son of SRU vice-president Dee Bradbury, who will become the first female president of a leading national governing body next season. He injured himself during a night out with friends in Edinburgh city centre. “I think it’s important that we find out all the facts around the situation, see what exactly went on, and then we’ll deal with it appropriately,” said Cockerill yesterday.

The coach spoke at length about the matter, which has overshadowed Edinburgh’s trip to the Russian capital to face Siberian side Krasny Yar in Pool 4 of the Challenge Cup. “I’m disappointed,” he added. “You need to find out the facts behind what happened. It may be innocent and maybe it was an accident – or we might find out that it’s not. Until I find out all the facts I’ll reserve judgment. But I’m disappointed that a player would put 
himself in that position. “It was a Saturday night, the players are adults and they choose what they do. That’s their own responsibility. I’m not going to set curfews or tell them what they can and can’t do – they know 
what’s acceptable.

“They have to manage themselves. It’s as simple as that. I don’t see any problem with anybody going out on a Saturday night and enjoying their social life. That’s just normal. Then clearly if they come into harm’s way they have a responsibility to their team. They’re professional sportsmen.” Cockerill said that there was no police involvement and that he spoke to a “very contrite” Bradbury last Sunday and, since then, the player has been told to stay away from the squad’s BT Murrayfield base.

“We’re off to Russia on Thursday, so it’s a short training
week for us,” continued the coach. “I need to make sure that we’re ready to play rugby. At this moment Magnus isn’t available to play, so he’s down the pecking order of importance. Next week when I have a bit more time, we’ll make sure that all those processes are done correctly and I’ll have that discussion with 
the player. “That’s a decision in which employment law is involved, but also there’s some team standards that will be involved. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a major say in what happens.”

Cockerill added: “He took a bang to his head and unfortunately for him he had another bang on the head against Scarlets. We need to manage that for his wellbeing. It’s unhelpful, to say the least. I would like my players to be available to play. Regardless of what went on, there is some responsibility there for the player.”

When Cockerill named his team for the game at London Irish on Friday, six days after the incident, he was questioned about Bradbury’s absence and said then that the player had a “shoulder niggle”. “I didn’t really want to play this out in the public arena,” was the coach’s explanation for that. “I would prefer to keep it behind closed doors but the world is not like that.” Former England hooker and Leicester coach Cockerill decided to go with youth in his captaincy decision as he looks to inspire a fresh start for the capital side after taking on the job this season.

Bradbury is a product of Oban Lorne RFC and moved to Merchiston Castle school on a rugby scholarship as a 16-year-old. He signed full terms with Edinburgh two years ago and made his Scotland debut in last year’s autumn Test against Argentina.

Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby-union/challenge-cup/cockerill-demands-answers-following-captain-bradbury-s-night-on-the-town-1-4589577

RDW_Scotland wrote:Cockerill speaks out about Bradbury - he's been told not to turn up at Murrayfield until they do their investigation, which won't happen until they return home from Russia. Even if he is proven not guilty I can't imagine he'll be picked for the Treviso game next week given all the disruption, which I think effectively ends his chances of being involved in the AIs.

I also can't see how he can carry on as captain - your captain isn't meant to be suspended from the club for 3 weeks!

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby-union/challenge-cup/cockerill-demands-answers-following-captain-bradbury-s-night-on-the-town-1-4589577 wrote:Edinburgh head coach 
Richard Cockerill is “disappointed” with the situation regarding his club captain Magnus Bradbury, who was involved in an incident last Saturday night which has seen him excluded from the squad, but won’t deal with it fully until next week after the team have returned from their European game in Moscow.

Bradbury hurt his head while on a night out and was unable to play in the weekend’s win at London Irish and will not play again until an 
internal inquiry into the 
incident has been concluded. The 22-year-old has two Scotland caps and is the son of SRU vice-president Dee Bradbury, who will become the first female president of a leading national governing body next season. He injured himself during a night out with friends in Edinburgh city centre. “I think it’s important that we find out all the facts around the situation, see what exactly went on, and then we’ll deal with it appropriately,” said Cockerill yesterday.

The coach spoke at length about the matter, which has overshadowed Edinburgh’s trip to the Russian capital to face Siberian side Krasny Yar in Pool 4 of the Challenge Cup. “I’m disappointed,” he added. “You need to find out the facts behind what happened. It may be innocent and maybe it was an accident – or we might find out that it’s not. Until I find out all the facts I’ll reserve judgment. But I’m disappointed that a player would put 
himself in that position. “It was a Saturday night, the players are adults and they choose what they do. That’s their own responsibility. I’m not going to set curfews or tell them what they can and can’t do – they know 
what’s acceptable.

“They have to manage themselves. It’s as simple as that. I don’t see any problem with anybody going out on a Saturday night and enjoying their social life. That’s just normal. Then clearly if they come into harm’s way they have a responsibility to their team. They’re professional sportsmen.” Cockerill said that there was no police involvement and that he spoke to a “very contrite” Bradbury last Sunday and, since then, the player has been told to stay away from the squad’s BT Murrayfield base.

“We’re off to Russia on Thursday, so it’s a short training
week for us,” continued the coach. “I need to make sure that we’re ready to play rugby. At this moment Magnus isn’t available to play, so he’s down the pecking order of importance. Next week when I have a bit more time, we’ll make sure that all those processes are done correctly and I’ll have that discussion with 
the player. “That’s a decision in which employment law is involved, but also there’s some team standards that will be involved. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a major say in what happens.”

Cockerill added: “He took a bang to his head and unfortunately for him he had another bang on the head against Scarlets. We need to manage that for his wellbeing. It’s unhelpful, to say the least. I would like my players to be available to play. Regardless of what went on, there is some responsibility there for the player.”

When Cockerill named his team for the game at London Irish on Friday, six days after the incident, he was questioned about Bradbury’s absence and said then that the player had a “shoulder niggle”. “I didn’t really want to play this out in the public arena,” was the coach’s explanation for that. “I would prefer to keep it behind closed doors but the world is not like that.” Former England hooker and Leicester coach Cockerill decided to go with youth in his captaincy decision as he looks to inspire a fresh start for the capital side after taking on the job this season.

Bradbury is a product of Oban Lorne RFC and moved to Merchiston Castle school on a rugby scholarship as a 16-year-old. He signed full terms with Edinburgh two years ago and made his Scotland debut in last year’s autumn Test against Argentina.

Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby-union/challenge-cup/cockerill-demands-answers-following-captain-bradbury-s-night-on-the-town-1-4589577

Offside Line wrote:RICHARD Cockerill is in no rush to conclude the inquiry into the incident which left Edinburgh captain Magnus Bradbury with a head injury and led to his suspension. While conceding that the forward might be deemed innocent once all the details become known, the head coach would not rule out the possibility of stripping him of the captaincy, and insisted that he had “other things to do” than concern himself with a player who he sees as of less immediate importance than the team’s impending Challenge Cup trip to Moscow.

The best part of a fortnight has elapsed since the incident on a night out in the capital, and if Edinburgh had been keen to conclude an inquiry speedily they would surely have been able to do so now. But, having decreed that Bradbury should stay at home while recovering from the head knock, Cockerill appears to have decided that a slow process is the best way of demonstrating his displeasure at what he is inclined to see as a breach of trust, with the outcome likely to be announced next week.

“I’m disappointed,” the coach said yesterday, the first time anyone from Edinburgh had addressed the issue publicly. “Then you need to find out the facts behind what happened. It may be innocent and maybe it was an accident – or we might find out that it’s not. Until I find out all the facts I’ll reserved judgement. But I’m disappointed that a player would put himself in that position.

“It was a Saturday night, the players are adults and they choose what they do. That’s their own responsibility. I’m not going to set curfews or tell them what they can and can’t do – they know what’s acceptable. They have to manage themselves. It’s as simple as that.

“I don’t see any problem with anybody going out on a Saturday night and enjoying their social life. That’s just normal. Then clearly if they come into harm’s way they have a responsibility to their team. They’re professional sportsmen.

“I’ve spoken to the player. We need to find out what the details are. But I have got other things to do than chase around a 22-year-old lad that’s not got better things to do, which is coach a team and get them ready to play.

“The player’s not fit to play. Once I’m in control of all the facts, then myself and my bosses will speak to the player officially around what we see right to do with the situation.

“We’re off to Russia on Thursday, so it’s a short training week for us. I need to make sure that we’re ready to play rugby. At this moment Magnus isn’t available to play, so he’s down the pecking order of importance. Next week when I have a bit more time, we’ll make sure that all those processes are done correctly and I’ll have that discussion with the player.”

Bradbury has spoken to Cockerill at least once since the incident occurred, apologising for what happened. “He’s pretty contrite around the situation, because he’s let himself and his team down because he’s not fit to play,” the coach continued. “That’s just unfortunate for him, but young people sometimes make poor decisions. I’d rather players not be out in the middle of the night in positions where things happen, but I’m sure we’re all sensible enough to understand that we were all young once and we all go out and sometimes things happen. Now I need to find out exactly what that is and it may be completely innocent, it may not be. I just need to get to the crux of that. It’s very important that we get that process right and it’s important that we deal with it correctly.

“At this point he can do very little training-wise, so he’s spending time away from us and making sure he’s getting his physical state right. Then we’ll deal with the situation.

“Everybody is innocent until proven guilty. I just need to make sure we get the facts to make a proper decision about what is the right thing to do. I’m not a big fan of lynch mobs. I need to make a proper, informed decision about what to do. It certainly won’t be nothing.”

Lock forward Fraser McKenzie captained Edinburgh to their victory over London Irish last Saturday, and Cockerill will decide on the skipper for this weekend’s game against Krasny Yar once he has chosen his starting line-up. In the longer term, it is uncertain who will lead the team.

Asked if Bradbury would still be captain whatever the outcome of the inquiry, Cockerill continued: “I’ll have to decide that. Fraser McKenzie did it at the weekend and I will make sure that I pick whoever I think is the right captain for this weekend, it’s as simple as that.”

Another reason not to rush the inquiry is that Edinburgh are spoiled for choice in the back row, even allowing for the fact that Hamish Watson is also unavailable for the Moscow match, in his case because of a shoulder niggle. But, while willing to let Bradbury learn that he is far from indispensable, Cockerill also accepted that it was frustrating to be without one of his key men.

“It’s unhelpful, to say the least. I would like my players to be available to play. Regardless of what went on, there is some responsibility there for the player. We played on the Friday night and now my captain is unavailable because he was out late at night and something happened.

“I need to find out what happened. It’s all right getting animated, but I’ll do something about it when I know exactly what has gone on and I can make a proper informed decision.

“I’d like them all available so you can pick from a full complement. Vili Mata’s now back, so he’s training now and that’s helpful and I’d like everybody available because when players don’t play that puts the burden on someone else and somebody has to do all their playing and all their training reps and eventually that becomes a problem regarding autumn internationals, all those sorts of things. We’re going to start to lose players in the next few weeks and we would like everybody available, but that’s not life, is it?”