Edinburgh and Glasgow – Continuing patter version 22 (it used to be a squad size)

First topic message reminder :

With the woes and injuries in the international camp just depressing us, lets look back to the club game.

Possible areas of discussion:
Edinburgh continue to hold the 1872 trophy
Edinburgh are getting a new ground
Edinburgh have a home Euro Champs cup game to look forward to
Edinburgh have a league fixture against the perpetual point givers, Glasgow, to look forward to
BigGee’s proposed Scotland XV for England has 8 Edinburgh players, 4 exiles and 3 Glasgow players so even the International team is starting to look representative of where rugby in Scotland truly exists.
It’s not all bad for Glasgow though as they sit above Munster in the Pro 14 and have Stafford McDowell on their books
Edinburgh have Hamish Watson though

He doesnt even do it in style. He just flops on top of him.

He didn't even buy Tomane inner first!

Jacko signs up for another year with the Warriors with an option of one more to follow, which is likely to take him to the end of his career.

A good signature, he will be a good squad player for us during the WC and the international windows and maybe a bit more than that if we don't get another FB signed up or get Cruden on board!

Hopefully the gin business will be fully up and running by the time he calls it a day.

I remember Jacko’s first season and now we’re talking about his retirement.

Does it all get downhill from here guys?

It gets worse - the young pros making their way into senior rugby were born after the year 2000.

Yeah a solid signing there, he's got the experience and skillset to finish off a good club career at Glasgow and hopefully some silverware. Didn't reach the heights we perhaps had envisaged but still did a pretty decent job and even managed to play for a few big English clubs which is pretty impressive.

RDW wrote:It gets worse - the young pros making their way into senior rugby were born after the year 2000.

I've been to the year 3000

Not much has changed but they live underwater

And Jimbo's great great great grandaughter is doing fine!

Come on tattie if you're going to quote Busted at least get the lyrics right - it's 'pretty fine'!

RDW wrote:Come on tattie if you're going to quote Busted at least get the lyrics right - it's 'pretty fine'!

Don’t encourage it, Flounder.

Well, I didnt want to potentially offend Jimbo by saying his great great great grandaughter was hot.

tigertattie wrote:Well, I didnt want to potentially offend Jimbo by saying his great great great grandaughter was hot.

That particular topic might require a new thread.

In a hidden subforum.

Ok Luvvies, the last three or four posts have been wonderful examples of deflection.

Here's the reality; away wins in pro rugby, at knockout stages, are as rare as hen's teeth. Or salad in Tigertattie's gaff.

All the exfoliators need to do to make the final is: win away to the on form team in the Pro 14. Then go back there and win again. Then win an away semi, most likely in Dublin.


That would only take you to the final. The way Cockers rotates unless the final is played as a seven a side one off, you won't have a team fit to play.


Now I know you will all start to say that next week is a derby and 8/10 must count for something.   No. No. No. You know even if you get a five point win it's highly unlikely that other results will go your way. Also, DR seems to have worked out a way to avoid us being bullied off the park by the bigger lads. Your lot are totally cream crackered and The Once And Future Champions are flying high, but not in a John Hardie way, obviously. There can only be one winner.  

Some one correct me if I'm mistaken but it looks like the QF's will be

Ulster v Craggy Island 3rd XV

Munster v Benetton

With Glasgow hosting the winners of the all-Irish match and the Ladyboys most likely meeting Munster.


Honestly, Benetton, Ulster and Connacht in the play offs ahead of you.

No wonder you want to jibber on about Busted lyrics.

Luvvies Always Luvvies.

Things have been quiet on here lately.  

All good points well made as usual Jimbo.

The chances of the luvvies beating us twice in a row at Scotstoun are so remote that I'll mirror Tattie's bet and promise to get one of those horrible Edinburgh away jerseys that no-one has bought and wear it to the final if they do so. Safest bet in Britain.

Imagine Big Bill's face next week as he lurches unsteadily into another contact to be met with the imperious grin of one Ryan Wilson who smashes him backwards and the Glasgow jerseys swarm over winning yet another turnover. Batman obviously a captain's captain (unlike the poor mug who's been warming Fraser Brown's Scotland jersey for him).

Poor Darcy Graham will be busy while 50-cap former All Black Aaron Cruden's future star pupil Adam Hastings peppers empty grass with touch-finder after touch-finder. I hope you like seeing rolling mauls luvvies, because we're going to score a couple of them.

And when the fourth try goes in (just before halftime obviously) the foolish luvvies that have made the trip over to God's City trudge dejectedly out the door towards Scotstoun train station to get the train back to the capital hoping for a Challenge Cup draw that includes a Romanian side so they can finally watch an Edinburgh game where they can actually score a couple of tries.

Yes another season in the Diddy Cup for those rugby giants from the east.

For Flounder and the other cravat wearing gentry who dare question Furra Linee's defensive attributes, here's a quote from the excellent On Top Of The Moon


No back has completed 20 tackles in a game between 2012 and 2019 but Peter Horne came incredibly close with 19 completed and 3 missed at the RDS. Again it’s worth bearing in mind that Pete didn’t play the full 80 minutes, having come on as a replacement with a quarter of the match already gone.



I'll buy a Luvvies jersey when Matt Scott12 equals that.

Also,

Jonny Gray has now played 5 times at the RDS in Dublin (4 starts; 1 sub appearance; 350 minutes). He has yet to miss a tackle, completing 116 out of 116 and he averages 26.5 tackles per 80 minutes in games away to Leinster.
Jonny’s overall career tackle count for Glasgow is 1,269 made and just 25 missed – a completion rate of 98.1%. Perfect condom use has a 98% ‘success’ rate. So the Warriors’ Jonny is empirically more effective than a rubber jonny…

A perfect example of a genius writing about a genius.

It's amazing how much the weegies are harking on about all these tackle stats - whilst individual numbers are impressive the fact that every single player has huge numbers shows that it was a freak game. Glasgow had 25% possession and 22% territory in the 2nd half - combine that with how Leinster play and of course all the Glasgow players had to make a massive number of tackles. They should take big credit for the shift and of course they got the win, but it's pretty risky tactics to never have the ball and hope you can smash and grab a win.

Horne made 19 tackles? I would expect nothing less of an inside centre if his 2nd row is having to make 43! The criticism of him has never been how many tackles he makes but the key ones he doesn't.

Edinburgh will never have those kind of stats as we tend to be the ones dominating possession, hence don't make as many tackles. Problem lately is we've been doing nothing with said dominance.

Hopefully Cockers is taking note - our limited style of play for the last 6 weeks or so will get us nowhere. Bring back the tactics from the December/January period!

Finally - Mata getting smashed by Ryan Wilson? 

Ah, Flounder. I expected better than you than the selective use of statistics.

After the game my initial reaction was that we must have been lucky not to have been hammered if we had to make that many tackles and on another day we would have been well beaten.

But.... we won with 35% possession. Which is what Wales win Grand Slams on. It's becoming the norm for winning teams to have about 40% possession. Also, the Ladyboys' game plan was to keep possession and smash it up the middle because we can't compete with bigger packs. Saturday's match was exactly how we should have played against Sarries when we had them on the ropes at Scotstoun instead of trying to "front up" in a kebab shop stylee.

Make no mistake, that was a titanic performance. We went away and beat a very good team at their own game. It wasn't a fluke it was an excellent performance from 1-23. If we play like that against the Knitwear Models they won't be able to live with us.

RDW wrote:

Hopefully Cockers is taking note - our limited style of play for the last 6 weeks or so will get us nowhere. Bring back the tactics from the December/January period!

Don't you think that ship has sailed?

jimbopip wrote:Ah, Flounder. I expected better than you than the selective use of statistics.

After the game my initial reaction was that we must have been lucky not to have been hammered if we had to make that many tackles and on another day we would have been well beaten.

But.... we won with 35% possession. Which is what Wales win Grand Slams on. It's becoming the norm for winning teams to have about 40% possession.  Also, the Ladyboys' game plan was to keep possession and smash it up the middle because we can't compete with bigger packs. Saturday's match was exactly how we should have played against Sarries when we had them on the ropes at Scotstoun instead of trying to "front up" in a kebab shop stylee.

Make no mistake, that was a titanic performance. We went away and beat a very good team at their own game. It wasn't a fluke it was an excellent performance from 1-23. If we play like that against the Knitwear Models they won't be able to live with us.

Selective use of stats? You've been selective in what I said! At no point did I say Glasgow didn't deserve the win or that it was a fluke - I said the huge tackle stats were due to a freak game were Glasgow had bugger all possession combined with Leinster's style of play meaning there were a lot of collisions.

Your point about successful teams generally having less possession these days is valid but there's a huge difference between 40% and 25%! It is very high risk for Glasgow to play that way and if their accuracy is off - like it has been in the last two 1872 games - they'll struggle.

BigGee wrote:

RDW wrote:

Hopefully Cockers is taking note - our limited style of play for the last 6 weeks or so will get us nowhere. Bring back the tactics from the December/January period!

Don't you think that ship has sailed?

Several weeks ago!

It's good to see someone fighting the Edinburgh corner, the rest of them seem to have chucked in the towel!

Can't really blame them!

We've been in worse form and Glasgow better in several of the last 8 out of 10 games - I'm not writing anything off yet!

I have fond memories of Jimbo's humble pie eating after the last Scotstoun leg whee we absolutely dominated Glasgow - he was similarly cocky in his build up to that game 

RDW wrote:We've been in worse form and Glasgow better in several of the last 8 out of 10 games - I'm not writing anything off yet!

I have fond memories of Jimbo's humble pie eating after the last Scotstoun leg whee we absolutely dominated Glasgow - he was similarly cocky in his build up to that game 

The kind of confidence that comes from following a team that wins championships compared to a team that doesn't.

1-0, soon to be 2-0.

Just on the tackle stats thing, I made this point during the 6 nations (might not have been here) that it’s great Scotland/Glasgow players are making huge tackle numbers as they need to be made, but having huge numbers isn’t sustainable. Whilst it worked (deservedly) for Glasgow against Leinster, if your whole team is making those numbers, it just needs 1 player to make a mistake or miss their tackle and the opposition are in.

This takes nothing away from the players making them, as the tackles need to be made, but I think we spend too much time celebrating tackle stats. I can’t imagine the worlds best teams are celebrating having to tackle as much, certainly not unless teams are playing a very defensive game, which is not something Glasgow or Scotland do.

The only thing these stats should really be used for (other than applauding the sheer work rate of the players making them) is to understand why so many tackles were needed and address that underlying issue.

With regards to the 1872 game, I think it’ll be close. Coming into this game Edinburgh’s form has been interesting, other than the narrow loss to Munster (which could have been very different) and the man shaming by Ulster, Edinburgh have ground out results and generally looked like winning a lot of games. Look at the Scarlets game the other week, Scarlets had won 29 out of 30 home games before Edinburgh played there. Cockers just needs to get the team playing again. Also we have a very good record against Glasgow in recent games.

With that said, Glasgow are undoubtably in form, but they’ve been in form pretty much every time we’ve played them and Edinburgh still win.

I think it’ll be a close game, but I reckon Edinburgh might edge it. However, that’ll be no good for us as we need a BP win against Glasgow to get a champions cup playoff spot. It’ll also not suit Glasgow as I expect Munster to win their game. So a narrow Edinburgh win and both teams to be disappointed.

Spoons has said everything I've been trying to say, just far more eloquently!

Also regarding the last point - if we win I'll be absolutely delighted and utterly shameful in my gloating 

Glasgow were not in form when you beat us twice over Christmas. Our league results were middling having pumped Cardiff in the Champions but laboured to a win against Ospreys and struggled out a win with 14 men against Scarlets. Also managed to lose in the last minute away to Munster in a game we should have had sown up. We look significantly better now and are peaking at the right time of the season.

You can comfort yourself with lies all you like, but next week you might very well be on the unpleasant end of a record drubbing.

Eejit wrote:Glasgow were not in form when you beat us twice over Christmas. Our league results were middling having pumped Cardiff in the Champions but laboured to a win against Ospreys and struggled out a win with 14 men against Scarlets. Also managed to lose in the last minute away to Munster in a game we should have had sown up. We look significantly better now and are peaking at the right time of the season.

You can comfort yourself with lies all you like, but next week you might very well be on the unpleasant end of a record drubbing.

We might have different definitions of 'in form', but in the 10 league games leading up to the xmas game Glasgow had won all but 2. They were also on a 3 game winning run in the league just prior to the game and no team had left Scotstoun with as much as a point at that stage in the season.

I’d say that was in form. Granted the 2nd leg not so much, after Edinburgh convincingly won the 1st leg.

Also don’t really appreciate being called a liar. You might, and clearly do, think I am wrong in my suggestion Glasgow were the form team prior to the Edinburgh game, but I’d maybe calm down a bit.

EWT Spoons wrote:

Eejit wrote:Glasgow were not in form when you beat us twice over Christmas. Our league results were middling having pumped Cardiff in the Champions but laboured to a win against Ospreys and struggled out a win with 14 men against Scarlets. Also managed to lose in the last minute away to Munster in a game we should have had sown up. We look significantly better now and are peaking at the right time of the season.

You can comfort yourself with lies all you like, but next week you might very well be on the unpleasant end of a record drubbing.

We might have different definitions of 'in form', but in the 10 league games leading up to the xmas game Glasgow had won all but 2.  They were also on a 3 game winning run in the league just prior to the game and no team had left Scotstoun with as much as a point at that stage in the season.

I’d say that was in form.  Granted the 2nd leg not so much, after Edinburgh convincingly won the 1st leg.

Also don’t really appreciate being called a liar.  You might, and clearly do, think I am wrong in my suggestion Glasgow were the form team prior to the Edinburgh game, but I’d maybe calm down a bit.

Oh stop being so irritatingly reasonable Spoons, I’m just winding you up. All intended in good fun.

Eejit wrote:

EWT Spoons wrote:

Eejit wrote:Glasgow were not in form when you beat us twice over Christmas. Our league results were middling having pumped Cardiff in the Champions but laboured to a win against Ospreys and struggled out a win with 14 men against Scarlets. Also managed to lose in the last minute away to Munster in a game we should have had sown up. We look significantly better now and are peaking at the right time of the season.

You can comfort yourself with lies all you like, but next week you might very well be on the unpleasant end of a record drubbing.

We might have different definitions of 'in form', but in the 10 league games leading up to the xmas game Glasgow had won all but 2.  They were also on a 3 game winning run in the league just prior to the game and no team had left Scotstoun with as much as a point at that stage in the season.

I’d say that was in form.  Granted the 2nd leg not so much, after Edinburgh convincingly won the 1st leg.

Also don’t really appreciate being called a liar.  You might, and clearly do, think I am wrong in my suggestion Glasgow were the form team prior to the Edinburgh game, but I’d maybe calm down a bit.

Oh stop being so irritatingly reasonable Spoons, I’m just winding you up. All intended in good fun.

Sorry mate, was having a sh*t morning and probably over reacted. I know the manner it was intended and had I not been having a bad day at that point i wouldn't have replied in the way i did.

SHCs move loan move to Quins seems to have gone well for him, he is starting for them in their Euro cup semi final against Clermont. I wonder if he will be making it a permanent move at the end of the season? He has put himself back on the map in any case.

Laidlaw is also on the bench for Clermont, as is Lang for Quins and Richie Gray, showing he is getting right back to his best form, starts for Toulouse against Leinster in the proper cup. Maitland also starts for Sarries.

Good to see we will have a bit of Scottish interest to watch these games over the weekend.

My picks are Sarries and Toulouse.

Toulouse just seem to be playing some amazing stuff at the moment and don't seem to be phased playing away from home, they have won twice at Racing recently. Leinster still seem to be stuttering and will have to play better than they have recently to win this one.

EWT Spoons wrote:

Eejit wrote:

EWT Spoons wrote:

Eejit wrote:Glasgow were not in form when you beat us twice over Christmas. Our league results were middling having pumped Cardiff in the Champions but laboured to a win against Ospreys and struggled out a win with 14 men against Scarlets. Also managed to lose in the last minute away to Munster in a game we should have had sown up. We look significantly better now and are peaking at the right time of the season.

You can comfort yourself with lies all you like, but next week you might very well be on the unpleasant end of a record drubbing.

We might have different definitions of 'in form', but in the 10 league games leading up to the xmas game Glasgow had won all but 2.  They were also on a 3 game winning run in the league just prior to the game and no team had left Scotstoun with as much as a point at that stage in the season.

I’d say that was in form.  Granted the 2nd leg not so much, after Edinburgh convincingly won the 1st leg.

Also don’t really appreciate being called a liar.  You might, and clearly do, think I am wrong in my suggestion Glasgow were the form team prior to the Edinburgh game, but I’d maybe calm down a bit.

Oh stop being so irritatingly reasonable Spoons, I’m just winding you up. All intended in good fun.

Sorry mate, was having a sh*t morning and probably over reacted.  I know the manner it was intended and had I not been having a bad day at that point i wouldn't have replied in the way i did.

  Spoons

EWT Spoons wrote:Just on the tackle stats thing, I made this point during the 6 nations (might not have been here) that it’s great Scotland/Glasgow players are making huge tackle numbers as they need to be made, but having huge numbers isn’t sustainable.  Whilst it worked (deservedly) for Glasgow against Leinster, if your whole team is making those numbers, it just needs 1 player to make a mistake or miss their tackle and the opposition are in.

This takes nothing away from the players making them, as the tackles need to be made, but I think we spend too much time celebrating tackle stats.  I can’t imagine the worlds best teams are celebrating having to tackle as much, certainly not unless teams are playing a very defensive game, which is not something Glasgow or Scotland do.

The only thing these stats should really be used for (other than applauding the sheer work rate of the players making them) is to understand why so many tackles were needed and address that underlying issue.

With regards to the 1872 game, I think it’ll be close.  Coming into this game Edinburgh’s form has been interesting, other than the narrow loss to Munster (which could have been very different) and the man shaming by Ulster, Edinburgh have ground out results and generally looked like winning a lot of games.  Look at the Scarlets game the other week, Scarlets had won 29 out of 30 home games before Edinburgh played there. Cockers just needs to get the team playing again.  Also we have a very good record against Glasgow in recent games.

With that said, Glasgow are undoubtably in form, but they’ve been in form pretty much every time we’ve played them and Edinburgh still win.

I think it’ll be a close game, but I reckon Edinburgh might edge it.  However, that’ll be no good for us as we need a BP win against Glasgow to get a champions cup playoff spot.  It’ll also not suit Glasgow as I expect Munster to win their game.  So a narrow Edinburgh win and both teams to be disappointed.

Spoons, first thing

Second thing: I feel you're missing the evil genius that is Gatlandball.  More often than not the team with the minority of possession ends up winning. In it's simplest form; receive kick off, set up maul, drive up field, kick deep into opposition territory, come up quick, pin them back, tackle, tackle , tackle, win penalty, kick three points, receive kick off REPEAT AND REPEAT.

As we have seen with both Scotland and Glasgow, well drilled sides will give up lots of possession in areas of the field where you are unlikely to score from, they will then trust their defence to frustrate you until you give up penalties or turnovers. Once a team playing this strategy gets its nose in front the other side can become increasingly desperate in their attempts to break out and give away easy points. Scotland at Cardiff last year was the prime example of this.

This is why Glasgow's win over the Ladyboys was such a big deal: Ladyboys like to keep it tight and force you to defend for long periods and Glasgow had the system to do just that. Too many players made large numbers of tackles but that was because our defensive shape was right...not because two or three individuals were playing out of their skins. DR's idea of rugby is streets ahead of Gatlandball: we look to play from anywhere and will embrace unstructured attacks because the players have faith in their skillset (rather like the great France teams of the 70's and 80's) but they also now have faith in their defensive systems and the patience to allow opponents to run themselves to a standstill, a rugby version of Ali's rope-a-dope if you will.

No pro rugby for us this weekend so watching the local team play with both they and their opponents looking to get back into the “top fight” for next season

I’ll tell you what. Watching this really does prove that we need the super six. I’m not saying the way it’s been organised is right, but we need a semi pro league to allow us to bridge the gap to the pro 14.

Both sets of players and the officiating is utterly amateur. Now when I say amateur, it is amateur rugby I’m watching, but the standard of play hasn’t increased in the slightest Since I played 10 years ago. Amateur rugby has been left behind and we desperately need to get a semi league stepping stone in place.

Woeful woeful stuff from two teams looking to get back to “top flight” as they call it.

Up to the point where he just gave away a penalty, SHC is having a pretty good game for Quins against Clermont.

Doing the basics well, quickly getting the ball away with a good pass. When he plays like that you can see why we were all getting excited about him a few years ago.

I really do hope that Leinster get gubbed today.

The press articles in the Irish Times and Independent about the defeat by Glasgow were collectively the most condescending drivel I have been subjected to in quite some time. To paraphrase, the general tenet was either 'who cares, we're in the European Cup', 'we weren't even trying', 'Glasgow were lucky', 'we put out a ladies fourth XV' or 'the tries Leinster scored were all amazing'. Fork them.

Mark Palmer tweeting the Damien McKenzie injury may have thrown a spanner in the works for the Cruden to Glasgow move, with him now being offered the chance to come back to NZ and be in the mix with the ABs.

Don't know how much is in it - he's a long way from ABs selection just now. But then again the chances of him coming to Glasgow are a bit mad so you never know!

RugbyPass has a thing on that during the week but then said it didn’t seem likely he would go back.

Mark Palmer Interview with Kyle Steyn in Sunday Times











April 21 2019, 12:01am, The Sunday Times

Kyle Steyn: ‘Mum says she couldn’t buy me toys when I was young - all she could get me was a ball’

Mark Palmer

Sport-obsessed centre was a late bloomer but is making up for lost time with storming displays




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The first time Kyle Steyn went for lunch at Nelson Mandela’s private residence, he had only just started to walk. There is a lovely picture of the little fella hand-in-hand with Madiba, who seems to be amused at what he has on his head: a pocket-sized All Blacks cap, sat at a jaunty angle. A decade or so later, Steyn paid another visit. What sticks in his mind from that day is not the food or surroundings, but how his host made him feel.

“I just remember the unbelievably gentle, warm sense you got from being in his presence. The incredible humility,” says Steyn over coffee in the Glasgow Warriors offices, some 9,000 miles to the north. “I was fortunate enough to meet Mr Mandela three or four times, and that last one I remember best. I was 11, my brother Iain was there and our youngest brother, Craig was only three. Our dad had organised that he would get to meet Mr Mandela and we got to tag along. What an absolute privilege.”


Rory Steyn was in charge of Mandela’s personal security detail, a white policeman from apartheid era Johannesburg whom the new president embraced and put to work with his existing team. Kyle, a first child for Rory and Gillian, arrived in January 1994, three months before South Africa’s first all-race elections where Mandela swept to power. For the five years of his presidency, the first five years of Kyle’s life, Rory was at his side.



Key man: Steyn won the McCrea Financial Services Warrior of the Month award for March

Key man: Steyn won the McCrea Financial Services Warrior of the Month award for March
CRAIG WATSON

“At that age, it’s obviously quite difficult to comprehend what it all means,” says junior, who recently turned 25. “But as I’ve grown up and listened to more stories, taken it in and learned about the history of the country, I’ve grown in appreciation for the fortunate position he was in, the things he was seeing and learning from. The new South Africa, our want to be inclusive, was certainly pushed down hard through us, which is something I’m really thankful for.”

Steyn’s father was seconded to head up security for the All Blacks at the 1995 World Cup. It’s where he got his boy that cap and also where his charges ran into difficulty before the final against the Springboks. Suzie the waitress has never been found, but Steyn senior remains convinced the food poisoning that floored the team 48 hours from the match was brought about maliciously. “It happened, and sadly it happened on my watch,” he told a South African talk show years later, reiterating his belief that the All Blacks had been deliberately poisoned.




Steyn himself hasn’t ever asked to discuss it. “I’ve been at family events when someone has, and he just says the facts before him were a room of guys lying violently ill on the ground. Read into it what you will. For the final itself, he was on the All Blacks bench so he had to sit there quietly, trying not to smile too much.”

If their dad’s job was unusual, the Steyn boys’ childhood was otherwise familiar. Educated at Trinityhouse in Randpark Ridge, a Johannesburg suburb, the rest was sport, sport and more sport.



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“My mum says she couldn’t buy me toys; the only thing she could buy me was a ball. I tried to play as much as I could, and rugby always edged it. There was no real excitement that compared to the start of the rugby season. But I was a big fan of cricket, I did some athletics, played some tennis, some squash and I’m still a massive golf fan. I’ve been up to St Andrews and as the weather improves, I’m sure I’ll get out on the course some more.”



Exalted company: Warriors player of the month Kyle Steyn wore an All Blacks cap to meet Nelson Mandela

Exalted company: Warriors player of the month Kyle Steyn wore an All Blacks cap to meet Nelson Mandela

Steyn went to university at Stellenbosch, turning out for its Maties rugby team on the wing or at centre, having played much of his school stuff at full-back. For derbies against the Tuks of Pretoria, there were crowds of up to 20,000, double the capacity to which Scotstoun has been extended for the visit of Edinburgh.

Steyn’s degree was in physiology, and he then did a teaching post-grad before winning a Currie Cup contract with the Griquas. Two Kimberley-based campaigns came and went — the second of them as captain — and though there was talk of a Super Rugby contract, Steyn seemed to have hit a glass ceiling until a chance encounter at the Cheetahs v Warriors game in October 2017.

Gregor Townsend, in Bloemfontein to run the rule over his Scotland contingent before the autumn Tests, got chatting to the match delegate from sponsors Guinness, who happened to know Rory. Kyle’s name — and Scottish heritage — came up, he was invited over to trial with Scotland Sevens and by last summer had become a core squad member.

All the while, Glasgow were keeping tabs and offered a 15s contract for next season. A future opportunity morphed into a present reality as Steyn got a couple of run-outs during the Six Nations, impressed, and basically refused to budge. His form has seen him start the last six league games and, alongside Stafford McDowall, win the McCrea Financial Services Warrior of the Month award for March.

“Did I think the chance [of senior professional rugby] had passed me by? It was a thing I tried to avoid,” he admits. “When people asked that question, I would try to palm it off. I always had the hope deep down that it was still going to come, but I knew that my path was going to be different.



Late bloomer: Kyle Steyn makes a bursting run against the Toyota Cheetahs

Late bloomer: Kyle Steyn makes a bursting run against the Toyota Cheetahs
ROSS PARKER

“Guys like Handre Pollard and Jesse Kriel, who are my age, broke through early. I knew I was always going to be a late bloomer if it did happen, but it was certainly something I never gave up on. Thankfully things have worked out the way they have.”

Steyn’s Scottish qualification comes through Gillian, who was born in Glasgow to a Glaswegian father and a mother from Perth. Douglas, an engineer, is no longer alive, but Evelyn was among the family group who took in Steyn’s recent Scotstoun try against Cheetahs. That game coincided with a Trintyhouse tour where Craig played against the likes of Merchiston and Robert Gordon’s College.

“We’ve always been well aware of our heritage,” says Steyn. “My grandad had been living in South Africa for 40 years and still had an extremely broad Glaswegian accent — none of my friends could understand him. My gran still has a thick accent too.”

Steyn has already had a glimpse of the Scotland set-up, being called in to train in the week of the Calcutta Cup match. The centre candidates for Townsend’s World Cup squad are many and varied, but if Steyn and Glasgow extend both their form and their season, this latest of runs may yet end up being perfectly timed.

“A little taste wasn’t enough, for sure. It definitely made you hungry for more. But there’s a lot of competition, a lot of real good centres. I’m not getting too far ahead of myself.”

This weekend, a home semi-final is the bigger prize, but Glasgow feel they owe Edinburgh. “That’s definitely something we want to put right,” says Steyn of a recent derby record showing eight Warrior losses in ten.

The game takes place on April 27, Freedom Day in South Africa. Whatever else Steyn goes on to achieve, he has been touched by the hand of history.

A good interview with KS, who has the most fascinating back story. You can't see it in the cut and paste, but in the article itself, you see him as a toddler shaking Mandela's hand.

He is definitely a bolter for the WC squad, he has hardly put a foot wrong since arriving in Glasgow.

George Carlin wrote:I really do hope that Leinster get gubbed today.

The press articles in the Irish Times and Independent about the defeat by Glasgow were collectively the most condescending drivel I have been subjected to in quite some time. To paraphrase, the general tenet was either 'who cares, we're in the European Cup', 'we weren't even trying', 'Glasgow were lucky', 'we put out a ladies fourth XV' or 'the tries Leinster scored were all amazing'. Fork them.

To be fair, our lot can be just as one eyed.

It would be good to see how Leinster go against sarries though. Leinster are meant to be the best all round club in europe.

Jamie Heaslip commentating

I was going for Toulouse with Ritchie playing but now I’m doubly going with the Frenchmen

tigertattie wrote:

George Carlin wrote:I really do hope that Leinster get gubbed today.

The press articles in the Irish Times and Independent about the defeat by Glasgow were collectively the most condescending drivel I have been subjected to in quite some time. To paraphrase, the general tenet was either 'who cares, we're in the European Cup', 'we weren't even trying', 'Glasgow were lucky', 'we put out a ladies fourth XV' or 'the tries Leinster scored were all amazing'. Fork them.

To be fair, our lot can be just as one eyed.

It would be good to see how Leinster go against sarries though. Leinster are meant to be the best all round club in europe.

You would have said that at the beginning of the season, but they seem to have caught the Irish disease recently. They are a bit of an unknown quantity at the moment, with so many players coming back in, what sort of form are they going to be in?

I guess we will know more after the game.

What are the nice pubs on rose street? Meeting up for drinky poos before super Saturday

Have you been hacked, TT?

One, there are no nice pubs on Rose Street. They are all dives.
Two, "drinky poos"???? How terribly Luvvie of you.
Three "SuperSaturday"

You must have been hacked by a Girl Guide.

TT - go to Badger & Co on Castle Street. Excellent for drinky poos, fine selections of gins and pricey enough to keep Weegies out...what what...

FES old chap where have you been all this time??

RDW wrote:FES old chap where have you been all this time??

In badger & co drinking gin

I've been directing my online anger towards Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn. Don't worry, I'll be back to lambasting and ridiculing weegies before long.

The Ulster game was a shocker, but we are moving forward as a side. Keep the faith..

I have just found this site. Can anyone tell me the TV company who has the rights for the Edinburgh / Glasgow games next year?

Welcome bico!

Premier Sports still have the rights to the games for the for the next two seasons. I don't know if you've come across them but the coverage is comprehensive and generally decent quality, with good Scottish input in pundits and commentators.

It can cost a tenner a month but I'm sure they'll be doing deals at the start of next season like they did at the start of this one.