Glasgow and Edinburgh 29 - Buckfast & Bollinger

by **George Carlin** Sat 17 Dec 2022, 7:11 am

First topic message reminder :

29 threads. There is officially something wrong with us.

https://www.606v2.com/t70624p1000-glasgow-and-edinburgh-28-and-counting-the-banter-goes-on?ns=7ndk62cdm0w%3D#4069230

by **RiscaGame** Fri 21 Apr 2023, 6:52 am

Yeah, that's quite a nice little drive from Beauly to Drum. Not sure I would fancy riding that or doing the Etape mind, so fair play to you.

by jimbopip Fri 21 Apr 2023, 8:45 am

Beauly is worth a visit, Gee. If you pass through Kiltarlity you could say hello to the brother. Mind he's an anti-social beast so probably wouldn't thank you for it.

On more prosaic matters, here's the A side for tonight:

Jamie Drummond
Gregor Hiddleston
Murphy Walker
Max Williamson
Alex Samuel
Ally Miller
Tom Gordon
Gregor Brown
Finn Burgess
Christian Townsend
Ross McKnight
Andy Stirrat
Ben Salmon
Logan Jarvie
Facundo Cordero

Gus Fraser
Mark Ashdown
Luca Alessandri
Harris McLeod
Archie Smeaton
Euan Ferrie
Sean Kennedy
Aminio Bogidrau

I've highlighted the players who might have featured tomorrow if the General was considering going easy on the Craggies.
So, we may well/probably will see Gray, Cummings, Squaddie and Groot in the 23.
Kebble and Dell may feature. No sign of Sordoni, if he doesn't play this week then he's probably not getting another game this season. The same for Kebble, I think.
I won't even begin to guess what the 23 will be but it'll be a strong selection and should be too good for the Craggies.

Also, Walter Fifita is offski ASAP. As in leaving the country sharpish. The club mention lack of playing time, fitness and....ongoing legal issues.
I do hope he hasn't been borrowing money from the SNP.

by Tramptastic Fri 21 Apr 2023, 10:07 am

BigGee wrote:
RiscaGame wrote:I lived near Inverness for over three years. Beautiful place. Played Highland frequently for three seasons too. I liked their little setup, but had gathered it had changed when I took my wife to Loch Ness, last year.

There are a lot of lovely places just outside Inverness too, like a few of the beaches/towns on the way to Lossiemouth (Nairn, Findhorn and Lossie itself). Also the other way like Beauly etc. I do miss living there.

Brilliant to hear.

I am going to do the Inverness - Beauly - Drumnadrochit loop tomorrow morning to get the car journey out of my legs before the full Etape on sunday.

I have done Drumnadrochit - Beauly the other way round when I did Lands End - JOG a few years back, it envolves a very step hill, which fortunately I'll be coming up on the gentler side this time.

We can't get over how quiet it is up here, other than the squawking seaguls at 4am. They talk about the quality and intensity of the light in the highlands and it is true, sunglasses required at 21.00!

I spent 3 months in Inverness for some work related to the A96 and honestly it's been one of the most chilled out places I've ever spent time (it did help it was May, June and July).

City centre was lively enough on the weekends but aye, the surrounding area was lovely. Fochabers has one of the best chippies in the UK and the pubs in Findhorn are excellent.

by Hazel Sapling Fri 21 Apr 2023, 11:01 am

Saw the Fifita news and it sort of makes sense on why Dobie is currently ahead of him at his preferred position. Bad year losing two wingers to off-field behaviour

I am disappointed that Brown, Walker and one of the locks (Samuel, Ferrie, Williamson) are all ruled out of the Connacht game. Hopefully they are ready to contribute early next year with half the Glasgow squad away at the RWC this year

by Kingshu Fri 21 Apr 2023, 12:37 pm

Glasgow (v Connacht at Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday night @ 7.35pm): H Jones J Dobie, S McDowall

, S Johnson, C Forbes; T Jordan, A Price; A Dell, F Brown, L Sordoni, S Cummings, R Gray, R Darge, S Vailanu, J Dempsey. Substitutes: J Matthews, J Bhatti, Z Fagerson, J du Preez, L Bean, G Horne, D Miotti

by **RDW** Fri 21 Apr 2023, 12:40 pm

I see your trip to the Highlands Biggee and raise you a trip to New Zealand - just landed in Auckland for a long weekend. One of the reasons I moved to Australia was so that I could say a sentence like that.

Both with have similar stunning scenery!

Enjoy the trip Hug

by **BigGee** Fri 21 Apr 2023, 1:04 pm

RDW wrote:I see your trip to the Highlands Biggee and raise you a trip to New Zealand - just landed in Auckland for a long weekend. One of the reasons I moved to Australia was so that I could say a sentence like that.

Both with have similar stunning scenery!

Enjoy the trip

Doing any cycling?

by **BigGee** Fri 21 Apr 2023, 1:09 pm

RiscaGame wrote:Yeah, that's quite a nice little drive from Beauly to Drum. Not sure I would fancy riding that or doing the Etape mind, so fair play to you.

If was pretty tough, i still had the car journey in my legs, or at least that's my excuse Very Happy

by **RDW** Fri 21 Apr 2023, 1:11 pm

Um, no.

But I am going to Eden Park tomorrow night which is a dream - Blues v Waratahs.

We were here for the RWC in 2011 and I was mad keen to pay £350 for a last minute ticket to see Scotland v England at Eden Park - as poor recent graduates Mrs RDW said no. Luckily so as that game was rubbish.

by Hazel Sapling Fri 21 Apr 2023, 4:32 pm

Byron McGuigan to retire at end of season to join Sale's coaching staff

Decent player, would have been very useful to have at Glasgow about now with the wing crisis. Hopefully he gets a run out with Namibia to finish his career off

by bsando Sun 23 Apr 2023, 12:44 pm

Good win for Glasgow last night despite the scoreline. Undefeated at home is a really good record and one they should be proud of given the sacking of Wilson last season.

How will they fair at the business end of the season now? Scarlets and Munster to come. Two losses would be a pretty flat way to go out but given the character of this team I would expect Glasgow to at least win one of these games. Making the Challenge Cup final and a URC semi final would be a great platform for next season even if they went on to lose both games.

by **George Carlin** Sun 23 Apr 2023, 2:06 pm

Does anyone know how St Shug's injury is? I don't like the sound of that - we need him.

by jimbopip Mon 24 Apr 2023, 7:34 am

Cole Forbes is offski at the end of the season. Homesickness of the highest order apparently.
McLean, Fifita and now Forbes. Quite an attrition rate.
Forbes, Shug, House Elf all limped off on Saturday.
Seba better be fit.

by Hazel Sapling Mon 24 Apr 2023, 9:39 am

jimbopip wrote:Cole Forbes is offski at the end of the season. Homesickness of the highest order apparently.
McLean, Fifita and now Forbes. Quite an attrition rate.
Forbes, Shug, House Elf all limped off on Saturday.
Seba better be fit.

Is that confirmed JP? Forbes was probably not going to compete for international honours, but at 23, was a solid wing/fb option.

I will harp on about it but young guys like Blain who show talent and don't get an opportunity at Edinburgh could be brought into Glasgow like Darge was. We need 3-4 wing signings for next season so it is not like we are taking an opportunity from another young SQ back three player.

by Tramptastic Mon 24 Apr 2023, 9:41 am

Damien Hoyland to Glasgow? or time for some players from the U20s/academy system to step up (who aren't also domestic abusers)?

by jimbopip Mon 24 Apr 2023, 1:44 pm

Well Hazel as far as I know Cole Forbes is a cert.
Walter Fifita is suspended by the club: seemingly was subjected to racial abuse in a nightclub and in true Glasgow style invited the mouthy news to step outside. In true Glasgow Bam Has No Sense Of Self Preservation Shock Horror style they did. Fifita is the subject of a Police Scotland enquiry ( did wee Nicola pay for his drinks?) and now wants to leave the country ASAP.
We could have; Smith, Sebastian, Seaman and McKay available for the Scarlets match. But then again...

by funnyExiledScot Tue 25 Apr 2023, 10:41 pm

jimbopip wrote:Well Hazel as far as I know Cole Forbes is a cert.
Walter Fifita is suspended by the club: seemingly was subjected to racial abuse in a nightclub and in true Glasgow style invited the mouthy news to step outside. In true Glasgow Bam Has No Sense Of Self Preservation Shock Horror style they did. Fifita is the subject of a Police Scotland enquiry ( did wee Nicola pay for his drinks?) and now wants to leave the country ASAP.
We could have; Smith, Sebastian, Seaman and McKay available for the Scarlets match. But then again...

Now now Jim. You can't link wee Nicola with folk wanting to leave the country ASAP, otherwise you'll have to suffer the indignity of never having to buy a drink in Stockbridge again!

I'm a big fan of Blain. Exactly the sort of player we'd underrate and offload, only to see him tearing it up in the 1872 for the unwashed whilst Graham and Goosen are keeping the physio busy.

by **RDW** Tue 25 Apr 2023, 10:42 pm

Luke Crosbie sweeping up the Edinburgh awards last night, which is all the more remarkable given he's not even a guaranteed starter. I know he's not exactly had much competition for those prizes this season, but they definitely rate him highly!

by funnyExiledScot Tue 25 Apr 2023, 10:50 pm

RDW wrote:Luke Crosbie sweeping up the Edinburgh awards last night, which is all the more remarkable given he's not even a guaranteed starter. I know he's not exactly had much competition for those prizes this season, but they definitely rate him highly!

...and the only games he played in for Scotland were the wins against England and Wales. He was terrific against England in particular. He's a very useful back rower, either at 6 or 7, and equally good as a tackler in the line and as a ball carrier. I'd like to see him work on his line out skills and also at the breakdown, but he's a great asset for Edinburgh and Scotland.

by **RDW** Tue 25 Apr 2023, 11:03 pm

In his Scotland caps he's got through a tonne of work but hasn't been a standout like some of his competition. In particular his rampant carrying isn't as standout at international level, although I don't know if the Scotland gameplan has him frontline carrying quite so much.

by **BigGee** Wed 26 Apr 2023, 7:26 am

Greig Laidlaw finally calls time on his career at 37 years old. Now moving into coaching out in Japan I beleive.

I wonder if will see him coaching back over here before to long?

by TJ Wed 26 Apr 2023, 9:20 am

BigGee wrote:Greig Laidlaw finally calls time on his career at 37 years old. Now moving into coaching out in Japan I beleive.

I wonder if will see him coaching back over here before to long?

A great servant to Scottish rugby who helped carry the team thru dark times. A man who made the most of his talents for sure.
Who can forget this?

by bsando Wed 26 Apr 2023, 10:07 am

And Sheil with a one year extension at Edinburgh. At 25 years old that doesn’t really spark a lot of confidence in his ability if you ask me. If he had been performing at a higher level I’m certain that would have been a longer contract. But it also suggests they think he has more to give. Funny timing to see a contract extension given Blair is off and a new coach has yet to be chosen.

by **BigGee** Wed 26 Apr 2023, 10:47 am

bsando wrote:And Sheil with a one year extension at Edinburgh. At 25 years old that doesn’t really spark a lot of confidence in his ability if you ask me. If he had been performing at a higher level I’m certain that would have been a longer contract. But it also suggests they think he has more to give. Funny timing to see a contract extension given Blair is off and a new coach has yet to be chosen.

I would imagine this is why they are chucking out a few one year extensions, enough to have a squad in place for next year without tying the hands of the incoming coach in the longer term.

At SH, there have been rumours that the SRU would like to move Ben White north and he has a year on his contract left, so they may not want to tie up all the SH slots as well.

Makes you wonder about other Scottish players down south who might be worth chasing. Repath and Hastings spring to mind.

There has still been very little from Glasgow on the leaving/recruitment side for next season. We have heard unofficially about who might be going as well as RW officially but we have not heard about any recruitment other than the re-signings. It is hard to imagine that Franco does not want to look at bring some re-enforcements in, especially in areas where we are weak, wing, FH and TH prop in particular. I wonder if we will hear anything before the home quarter final, which is likely to be our last home game of the season.

by **RDW** Wed 26 Apr 2023, 11:21 am

BigGee wrote:Greig Laidlaw finally calls time on his career at 37 years old. Now moving into coaching out in Japan I beleive.

I wonder if will see him coaching back over here before to long?

Definitely one of my favourite players of the pro era - was the heart and soul of the Scotland team for many years. Actually won quite a few trophies in his time too!

Definitely a legend of the game

by Hazel Sapling Wed 26 Apr 2023, 3:05 pm

Agreed BG, Glasgow need to recruit in the back three in particular. I think we are down to Cancelliere and Steyn as our only recognised wingers

I can't see us targeting a TH prop with Zander, Walker, Berghan, Pieretto and Sordoni on the books (and Kebble as cover). If anything, we need a youngster to develop, hopefully Norrie is that player. FH is a similar proposition with Thompson, Miotti, Jordan and Weir on the books. There is depth to survive an injury or two if all are staying.

With McInally retiring and Cherry not far off 33, Edinburgh could do well to recruit Kerr for a year depending on style of play.

by **RDW** Wed 26 Apr 2023, 9:48 pm

Given the death of wingers in Scottish rugby I'm staggered Blain and Hoyland were let go. As mentioned earlier it's almost guaranteed that Blain will go to Glasgow and become a superstar.

I'm not saying either are top class wingers but they're good enough to fill squad places when places very much need filled.

Edinburgh are short on wingers too - during an international window we'll have one winger available - Goosen - and he's always injured.

by **George Carlin** Thu 27 Apr 2023, 10:13 am

There are usually loads of SH wingers sloshing around after the RWC - I'm not too worried.
Most Super Rugby first team reserves are good enough for our league.

by Hazel Sapling Thu 27 Apr 2023, 11:12 am

George Carlin wrote:There are usually loads of SH wingers sloshing around after the RWC - I'm not too worried.
Most Super Rugby first team reserves are good enough for our league.

May work for Glasgow, not a great sign for Scotland

Outside of Caven, are there any Super Six or 7s wingers that could get a look in?

by jimbopip Thu 27 Apr 2023, 1:15 pm

Henco Ventner Sharks back row is apparently joining the People's Republic of Scotstoun XV.

With Big Shona, Dempsey, Darge, Fagerson, Mullet, Big Man Jessie not to mention Ferrie and Miller....do we need another back row? A 31 year old NSQ back row. Mind, Dempsey Fagerson and Darge will be Scotland's back row for the World Cup and Big Shona will be ripping it up for Tonga.

by **BigGee** Thu 27 Apr 2023, 5:42 pm

jimbopip wrote:Henco Ventner Sharks back row is apparently joining the People's Republic of Scotstoun XV.

With Big Shona, Dempsey, Darge, Fagerson, Mullet, Big Man Jessie not to mention Ferrie and Miller....do we need another back row? A 31 year old NSQ back row. Mind, Dempsey Fagerson and Darge will be Scotland's back row for the World Cup and Big Shona will be ripping it up for Tonga.

This sounds like a bit of a squad filling selection bearing in mind most of our back rows will be missing the first part of the season.

We probably are going to need a few like this or the start of next season may not look to pretty.

by Hazel Sapling Fri 28 Apr 2023, 9:55 am

As long as it is not a replacement for Brown, Ferrie or any of the other younger guys, then it makes sense as a one year hold. M Fagerson, Darge and Dempsey are in the World Cup squad, Mullet in the training squad and big Shona will probably be with Tonga. The cupboard starts to look a bit bare with an injury or two.

At the same time, unless Wilson wanted to leave or priced himself out, I am not sure the value of dropping Wilson (club legend) for an aged Saffa journeyman

by jimbopip Fri 28 Apr 2023, 10:06 am

Hazel Sapling wrote:As long as it is not a replacement for Brown, Ferrie or any of the other younger guys, then it makes sense as a one year hold. M Fagerson, Darge and Dempsey are in the World Cup squad, Mullet in the training squad and big Shona will probably be with Tonga. The cupboard starts to look a bit bare with an injury or two.

At the same time, unless Wilson wanted to leave or priced himself out, I am not sure the value of dropping Wilson (club legend) for ~~an aged Saffa journeyman~~anyone other than the offspring of Ritchie McCaw and Venus Williams.

by **RDW** Fri 28 Apr 2023, 10:34 am

Tuipolotu the younger is.on the bench for the Waratahs tonight - I'll keep an eye on him

by **BigGee** Fri 28 Apr 2023, 11:09 am

Hazel Sapling wrote:As long as it is not a replacement for Brown, Ferrie or any of the other younger guys, then it makes sense as a one year hold. M Fagerson, Darge and Dempsey are in the World Cup squad, Mullet in the training squad and big Shona will probably be with Tonga. The cupboard starts to look a bit bare with an injury or two.

At the same time, unless Wilson wanted to leave or priced himself out, I am not sure the value of dropping Wilson (club legend) for an aged Saffa journeyman

I doubt it will be for one year.

Despite the fact that we have got some promising youngsters coming through, none of them are exactly battle hardened yet. They will get their oppirtunities if they are good enough, especially next season, with the amount of time the internationals are away.

The season not starting till october next year, which I am assuming means we won't be getting the luxury of down time in international weekends this time around. The squad will be tested hard next year.

This guy is 31,Wilson is 34, which is quite a difference at that age. Franco seems to know and rate him as well, which is a decent recommendation to be honest. This is the first of his own picks as coach, somethjng he is entitled to do. I am hoping there will be a few more to follow.

by **RDW** Fri 28 Apr 2023, 12:19 pm

https://edinburghrugby.org/the-clubhouse/former-scotland-u20-flanker-dodd-signs/

The random signings continue. Did we not let Scotland under 20 top player Rudi Brown go?

by **BigGee** Fri 28 Apr 2023, 12:23 pm

RDW wrote:https://edinburghrugby.org/the-clubhouse/former-scotland-u20-flanker-dodd-signs/

The random signings continue. Did we not let Scotland under 20 top player Rudi Brown go?

This one may have Steve Diamond's fingerprints on it. To be fair he was breaking through quite nicely at Worcester before fate intervened and was certainly a good player in what was our best ever U20s team.

The Rudi Brown thing does need a bit of head scratching though as he looked one of the few players from this years bunch who might step up and was surely worth another year in the academy.

by takethelongroad Sat 29 Apr 2023, 10:52 am

Great to see all the love for the Highlands, I spent a fair bit of childhood on the Black-Isle and played for Highland U18s as a nipper. Loved it and now their upgraded facilities are incredible! Feeling positive about the weegies abilities to fight on two fronts but am also quite used to late spring rugby disappointments. Munster will be more bothered to see Glasgow than the other way around i think.

by **George Carlin** Sat 29 Apr 2023, 7:34 pm

Scarlets 17-35 Glasgow Warriors

Well done to the shower gel evaders.

A European final is nothing to be sniffed at.

by **RDW** Sat 29 Apr 2023, 10:19 pm

Great win Glasgow!

by **BigGee** Mon 01 May 2023, 1:01 pm

Good article by Mark Palmer in the Times gently reminding Glasgow fans and others, that Franco Smith's appointment back in last summer was not greeted with overwhelming joy. Boy has he proved his doubters wrong and perhaps changed the way that other coaches will now approach squad management.

In these heady days of European finals and record-breaking runs, it is easy to forget just how lukewarm the general reaction was to Franco Smith being appointed head coach of Glasgow Warriors last summer.

Part of it was symptomatic of a wider malaise at Scotstoun, a disconnect between a passionate fanbase and a club which had worked incredibly hard to become something substantial on and off the pitch over the previous decade, but which seemed to be drifting both culturally and in terms of rugby performance.

Few, very few, hailed Smith as the man to change all that when he was brought in from his desk job in the high performance department of the Italian federation (and no, that is not an oxymoron). The 50-year-old South African was nobody’s idea of the big, or even mid-sized, name whom fans had been hankering after to replace Danny Wilson.

Yet if you cared to look beyond these gut reactions, the former Springbok midfielder’s profile matched the job that needed to be done. He has restored Glasgow’s attacking joie de vivre while blooding youngsters and building depth in the way he has done consistently throughout his career at Benetton, Cheetahs and with Italy.

Smith has created, then nurtured, all sorts of selection options for himself by trusting players beyond the core first-choice XV in a way that Wilson never did or could. Not many would have laid bets on the likes of Johnny Matthews, Stafford McDowall and Tom Jordan being key figures in a campaign which could yet deliver a United Rugby Championship, Challenge Cup or both.

That broadening and deepening of resources in just about every department of his squad is probably Smith’s greatest achievement in Scotland to date, not least because it has flown in the face of accepted orthodoxy for him to chop, change and change again even when the team has been going well.

Paradoxical as it may sound, however, Smith’s best work may now present him with his biggest challenge since arriving on these shores as he ponders how to attack the defining weeks of the campaign.

On the face of it, Huw Jones must come straight back into the team for Saturday’s URC quarter-final at home to Munster if he is fit and firing again following that head injury he suffered in the win over Connacht on the final weekend of the regular season. Yet who is Smith shifting to make way for the Six Nations star?

Not for the first time this season — far from it — McDowall was outstanding in the European Challenge Cup semi-final against Scarlets on Saturday, tries in either half being the signature moments of an all-round display laced with confidence and nous. This time last year, the centre was seemingly on his way out of not only Glasgow but professional rugby altogether, his progress having stalled to nothing in two years under Wilson.

The 25-year-old was again one of the most influential players on the field when the Warriors bumped off Munster at Thomond Park last month, and it is almost inconceivable for him not to feature come the weekend. Or at least it would be had Smith not made exactly those sort of ballsy calls time and time again over the last eight months.

Could Jones go to full back? He could, but that would mean going without Ollie Smith, who grew into the game in Wales after a jittery start. There are similar big decisions to make in the second row, where JP du Preez delivered what Smith (the coach) described as the best performance of his career against Scarlets, having been called up late to the starting team after Richie Gray was struck down by sickness. Maybe it will be Scott Cummings who drops to the bench, but what then of Lewis Bean who has been impressively consistent all year?

In the back row, meanwhile, Matt Fagerson has gone from nailed-on Scotland starter to struggling to win a club spot in a matter of weeks. In any event, that’s how it has appeared when Smith left him on the bench for the Connacht and Scarlets games, but perhaps, as the coach never tires of saying, it is all part of a predetermined plan.

Yet who on earth drops out between Rory Darge, Sione Vailanu and Jack Dempsey, each of whom had strong claims to the man of the match award the other night?

Decisions, decisions. But also solutions, solutions — everywhere Smith looks. Let us also not forget that Glasgow have played virtually the whole of this season without their first-choice fly half, Jordan and Domingo Miotti having had, between them, to deputise for the injured Ross Thompson.

So far, so very good for Glasgow and their leader. Their season’s bottom line is still to be determined, but however the next few weeks play out, the whole club has turned the page and then some.

by **BigGee** Mon 01 May 2023, 1:26 pm

Darcy Rae released by Bath.

He seems to be to good a TH prop for a Scottish side not to take on, bearing in mind how few SQ ones that we actually have. I would be very happy if he was to come back to Glasgow.

by jimbopip Mon 01 May 2023, 2:01 pm

Sorry to hear he's been released. I know it'll probably never happen again but at the Bath match a great prop (British Lion, most appearances for Bath) actually agreed with my assessment of a prop. I asked Gareth Chilcot how D'Arcy was doing and he thought for a moment and said, (I paraphrase) , he has a lot of ability, has had some good performances, has been unlucky with injuries and not been able to have a settled run in the side, you know. In other words exactly what we saw at Glasgow. We kept waiting for him to be the prop we all suspected he would be but he never really managed it consistently.

If it's a choice between him and Nathan McBeth I think I'd plump for McBeth.

by **BigGee** Mon 01 May 2023, 2:44 pm

jimbopip wrote:Sorry to hear he's been released. I know it'll probably never happen again but at the Bath match a great prop (British Lion, most appearances for Bath) actually agreed with my assessment of a prop. I asked Gareth Chilcot how D'Arcy was doing and he thought for a moment and said, (I paraphrase) , he has a lot of ability, has had some good performances, has been unlucky with injuries and not been able to have a settled run in the side, you know. In other words exactly what we saw at Glasgow. We kept waiting for him to be the prop we all suspected he would be but he never really managed it consistently.

If it's a choice between him and Nathan McBeth I think I'd plump for McBeth.

I'd pump for McBeth as well, if I was looking for a LH. Both sides seem to be fairly well stocked with LHs though, it is the lesser spotted THs that are proving to be more problematic. I am not expecting Rae to be racking up Scotland caps (though with our scarcity in that dept, it is not out of the question) but he seems to be able to hold up a scrum against decent opposition and we can't just play Zander all the time.

TH was and remains our problem position.

by jimbopip Mon 01 May 2023, 2:48 pm

Ah Gee, is that you in you inimitable, gentle way breaking the bad news to me; that I don't know the difference between loose and tight? They're all fat boys who lean on each other and push. And borrow shower gel every bloody week. That's them.

by Hazel Sapling Mon 01 May 2023, 2:56 pm

I don't think Rae will return to Glasgow with Zander, Berghan and Walker all in-situ. Berghan is the one who is meant to be able to eat up minutes not given to the star or the young up-and-comer. He really has fallen backwards

Edinburgh have Nel, De Bruin and Sebastian in rotation for next season. They only have Williams behind them so maybe there is a spot with Nel (and perhaps Sebastian) likely to miss a chunk of the season, but Rae is overqualified for the role.

Hopefully a Newcastle or a Bristol will be keen to take him on.

by **BigGee** Mon 01 May 2023, 3:03 pm

With Zander, Nel and maybe one of Berghan/Sebastian/Walker all likely to be away with the Scotland squad and then resting at the beginning of the season, we are going to be really tight on servicable props at the begining of next season.

Walker has yet to live up to his potential. Yes he has been injured but has not come out of the Glasgow A team since he has been fit again. I hope he comes good but I am yet to be convinced.

I still imagine both teams may need some reinforcement on the TH front.

by **BigGee** Tue 02 May 2023, 12:25 pm

Lee Blackett confirmed as assistant cozch at Bath, so not going to Edinburgh as some had predicted

That only leaves Steve Diamond of the talked about names.

Steve Lawrie definitely staying on as forward coach though, at least for another year.

by jimbopip Wed 03 May 2023, 6:03 pm

Sebastian signs on for two more years. clap

by **BigGee** Sat 06 May 2023, 10:05 pm

Well I don't think a week off will do us any harm. In all honesty we would have got murdered by Leinster next week had we won that game. We are not at that level yet, nor are we really equipped to play knockout rugby in two tournaments simultaneously.

Whatever happens though, it has been some fantastic kind of season that none of us Glasgow fans really saw coming, nor is it over yet.

I am looking forward to Dublin already. Plane, hotel and match tickets already booked!

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