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Selkirk 32 - 28 Watsonians: Selkirk fight back again

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Published Date: 29 September 2008
By Atholl Innes
AT philiphaugh
EIGHT tries, another remarkable Selkirk fightback, close on ten minutes of added time and a late Watsonians surge that almost brought victory were the key ingredients in what was a first-class advert for club rugby.
Watsonians had already secured the bonus point at the interval and there appeared no way back for Selkirk. However, for the third time in five matches, Selkirk turned the game around.

Tries from Jamie Blackwood, Torrie Callander, Richard Minto and
Jeff Nicholson, all converted by Mike Ker, to scores by Sean Crombie and Scott Hendrie saw Watsonians in the driving seat. But they failed to add any more after the break and Scott Tomlinson and Gavin Craig secured the win with Ross Armstrong and Michael McVie sharing the kicks.

Scorers: Selkirk. Tries: Crombie, Hendrie, Tomlinson, Craig. Cons: Armstrong (2), McVie. Pens: Armstrong, McVie. Watsonians: Tries: Blackwood, Callander, Minto, Nicholson. Cons: Ker (4).

Selkirk: G Blair; S Hendrie, R Nixon, R Armstrong, L Jones; G Craig, M McVie; G Patterson, S Crombie, M Murray, S Willett, E Gauche, N Darling, S Tomlinson, C Johnston. Subs used: A Lyall, R Taylor, I Walling, R Aglen.

Watsonians: A Nash; A Rowe, B Di Rollo, J Blackwood, R Minto; M Ker, E Howe; A Fisher, G Wood, K Traynor, T Callander, J Nicholson, A Tweed, J Pelter, G Hills. Subs used: N Tunnah, K Coertze, S Paulo, T Saena.

Attendance: 1,500.

Referee: A McMenemy.





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  • Last Updated: 28 September 2008 11:26 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Manic Maroon,

29/09/2008 09:11:49
Well done again to the Japs.

Noticed that the articles today are giving attendances again, with this game getting as many as all other P1 games put together, so well doen on that front as well. Next 2 highest attendances were from those games involving the other Borders clubs, albeit away from home.
2

John south of Soutra,

29/09/2008 09:25:59
Well down Selkirk, it just shows that you don't have to spend £250k-£300k a season to be successful, eat you heart out Watsonians a big wage bill but no league success
3

Tobias Smyth,

Edinburgh 29/09/2008 11:13:48
#2

£250K - £300K

Are you mental?
4

John south of Soutra,

29/09/2008 13:09:04
No - what do you think the Watsonians wage bill is, do you think all these Kiwis and South Africans are here for free and others like Jamie Blackwood are there for nothing
5

Tobias Smyth,

Edinburgh 29/09/2008 14:43:46
No - to think that would of course be naive, but £300k, where are you getting your facts from?

I wouldn't imagine that many of them would be on over £20k, so by that arguement it would mean the whole 1st choice 1st XV would be on around that figure.

In my experience Jonny Foreigner gets paid but also gets sorted out with a job.
6

Tobias Smyth,

Edinburgh 29/09/2008 14:44:19
I think the wage bill would be £100k at it's absolute max.
7

John south of Soutra,

29/09/2008 16:21:34
think that you will find that it's bit more than that
8

Kinger Stinger,

mmm, you would like to know 29/09/2008 18:29:02
John South of Soutra - no idea where that is, obviously you are all good swimmers there.

Anyway 300k a year - yeah me thinks that the operating budget for the entire year mate.

Sure thing - a few of the lads will be getting a good wedge, but um not 300k in total. Then again better than a few spuds and some dried fish eh.

Holla
9

wee leeves,

29/09/2008 22:14:55
It makes me laugh how people take completely uneducated guesses at what the wage bills are for clubs!! It sounds very much like - John South of Soutra - you are plucking figures out of thin air!! Please feel free to explain how you came to the figure of between 250&300k??
I think you are candy coating the Selkirk win by trying to make it sound like it was amatuers against professionals!! Profesionalism is defined by a combination of different things. 1 of those things certainly is being paid for what you do but more importantly it is attitude and approach that are the key elements of profesionalism. It gets a bit tiring to hear people pumping there gums about players getting paid at club level - it happens and to be honest so what!! Thats not gonna make the teams that do not pay players try any less or go into games believing they cannot win because they dont pay players. Prem 1 looks like being a fairly close run thing if early season results are anything to go by and that can only be good for the club game in this country.
10

J.A.,

Gala 30/09/2008 09:21:56
The problem with paying club players is that it is pointless. If these players were good enough they would be contracted by the pro teams and not plying their trade at club level. Clubs who pay out sums in excess of 100k are off their heads. There are no returns, apart from the Selkirk game the average crown appears to be below 500.
In addition, the clubs with the biggest wage bill are perceived by some to be the power base of Scottish rugby. In actual fact, the clubs who invest in the development of the game is where the power base is.
Well done to Selkirk, you are proof that a sound and sustainable development system is far more satisfying and is a sure way of getting support through the gates.
11

John south of Soutra,

30/09/2008 09:55:44
#9 - each week there are 20 players stripped to play, if we say they play 25 games per season at £100 per game each, that equals £50,000, the players that have been signed will be on a lot more than £100 per game, there are players in P2 being paid £300-£400 per game and in a couple of cases more than that.
If you have 5 players on £20,000 which is conservative as it is only last year they were playing £30,000 to 2 or 3 players and the rest of the squad on an average of £200 that is £175,000 add in to that fees to coaches, which I expect will be at least £10k-£15k each then you are over £200k.
#8 You are right that is the budget for the whole year and you don't seem to find that out of the ordinary, see maybe #9 should come into the real world.
My point is the same as JA's teams like Selkirk who properly invest in youth development are the mainstays of scottish rugby not clubs who bring large numbers of mercenaries who stifle the development of young scottish players
12

J.A.,

30/09/2008 10:12:49
#11 I have no idea what some premiership teams are paying. On the basis that St Boswells have poached some ordinary Gala players for £100 per game, I would not be surprised if the figures were not well in excess of £100k
13

wee leeves,

30/09/2008 16:08:12
#11 - Having done a little research today - there are only 3 "foreigners" in the Watsonians squad at present 1 of which has been at the club for 7/8 years along with 8/9 former Watsons pupils, a number of ex Merchiston pupils, a couple of former Stew Mel boys who i would guess want to play in Prem 1 rather than 2 and 2 or 3 Border lads who now live in Edinburgh.
There are also a number of young players who are in the 1st team squad or on the fringes of the 1st team squad who either attended Watsons or Merchiston as recently as last year. How are any of these guys mercenaries and more importantly who or what is stifling the development of youth at the club?? I am not a former Watson or in any way involved with Watsons i just dont see what the big problem is with what clubs like Watsonians, Heriots, Hawks etc do. They all activley promote the development of youth/Schools rugby just like their counterparts in the likes of Selkirk.......Well done Selkirk. They have a very small population and have managed to claw their way into Prem 1 which is great for them. My point is - different clubs are run differently it doesnt mean to say any of them are run badly/wrongly!!

 

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