Matters Arising

Plenty happening off the field this week, after "Super Saturday" fed our appetites for action. There is argument over the culpability of Scott Macleod in his pharmacological crisis; for my money, we're getting too precious. A clearly honest mistake has been made - and any sport that proscribes asthma medication needs to be thinking again anyway. It is to my chagrin, but your advantage, that all the jokes conflating "Scotland" and "performance enhancement" have already been done.

Then there is the matter of disciplinary fallout from the Wales v Italy match; two Italian players cited for foul play. Mauro Bergamasco has earned a great deal of respect in these quarters over recent years, but has seriously undermined all that with his behaviour on Saturday. Carlo Del Fava's transparently cynical assault on Stephen Jones, however, has been deemed acceptable by the citing commission. This is incomprehensible in light of the publically available evidence (above), and the player's previous record. It's challenging to imagine how reasonable doubt about Del Fava's intentions could arise from a disinterested position.

Meanwhile, talk is surfacing again of the old idea of annually playing off the Six Nations and Tri-Nations champions. Notionally attractive, perhaps; but surely a logistical nightmare in a world of crowded fixture lists and imcompatible playing seasons? Such problems notwitstanding, resistance should be expected from those with material or emotional investements in the Rugby World Cup, whose stifling presence already so distorts the calendar. Any percieved erosion of the Web-Ellis Trophy's value as the "gold standard", will ruffle plenty of feathers - good enough reason in itself to raise the issue, perhaps.