CLUBSCENE West looking to the future

Sports Journalist

Wednesday 26 September 2012

They used to be one of the powerhouses of Scottish rugby, but West of Scotland have suffered an Usher-style collapse in recent seasons.

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Neil Drysdale

The Burnbrae outfit, who boast a string of former internationalists, currently languish in eighth place in the RBS Championship League A table – effectively the country's third tier – and it seems a long time ago that the redoubtable John Beattie was coaching the Milngavie-based club against the likes of Melrose, Ayr and Glasgow Hawks, in the top flight.

The grassroots circuit is in a state of flux at present, with no Glasgow teams in the RBS Premiership, while such as Cartha Queen's Park and Whitecraigs are blazing a trail ahead of West. No-one is sure whether the club circuit is on the verge of a windfall or a catastrophe, but we can ascertain past glories count for nothing in the current climate.Even so, Calum Morrison, the West captain, remains insistent that his charges can make progress in the months ahead. "We have a young team, many of whom were playing under-18 games until recently, and they are having to learn all about adult rugby very quickly," said Morrison, sole survivor of the West squad which beat Ellon in the BT Shield final at Murrayfield in 2006."This is a tough league, and we know that our results haven't been great. In terms of performance, though, I don't think that we are a long way behind the leaders. Overall, I think we will be all right, but there is no denying this is a big step up for many of our boys."Morrison and his coach, Ewan Smith, have the tricky task of keeping their players motivated and enthusiastic without harping on about mistakes. It's a fine balancing act, yet there has been evidence recently that they are succeeding. They may find out more about the resilience of the group when they host league leaders, Cartha, this weekend."It's a bit of a Catch 22 situation; we have to get the message across to our players that they need to learn quickly, but we can't achieve that without moving them into a position where they have the confidence to think for themselves," said Morrison. "It is a rebuilding process but the positive thing is that we have a big youth set-up with lots of talent."We have to look to the future and it may be a few of the boys are going to gain opportunities faster than they may have imagined."Performance of the weekNobody travels to The Greenyards and wins without putting in a massive effort. Yet Ayr managed to not only beat the BT Premiership holders, Melrose, on their own patch on Saturday but maintain their 100% record and deny the Borderers anything from the game in the process. It is far too early to write off Craig Chalmers' men, but his disappointment at the loss demonstrated he is under pressure to turn things round fast.Talking pointCurrie began slowly last season and built up a significant head of steam. They are doing the same this year – though they have found form more quickly – and will probably only improve as pitches get heavier. Watch out for them to mount a serious challenge in the months ahead.

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CLUBSCENE West looking to the future

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