Before the Autumn Nations series began my full intention was to do a piece on how the Edinburgh men did in the matches they were selected for. And even as the series drew to a close I was still heading in that direction.
But, the whole period was overshadowed by the stories surrounding the exclusion of Finn Russell on ‘form’ and the inclusion of Blair Kinghorn. So, what else could I really focus on?
To preface this let me give you the disclaimer. I am a huge fan of Blair Kinghorn. He is a good rugby player with many accolades and achievements to his name. I was there when he made his Edinburgh debut and in times past his dad was one of my bosses (one I liked). So I feel invested in him and his career.
Is he as good a fly-half as Finn Russell? Patently not. Is he, as I read somewhere recently, ‘barely a journeyman professional’? I think that particular opinion is one of the worst and shows ignorance at BK’s playing record but it was not an isolated take in the wake of the announcement that Finn Russell was initially not in the squad.
Scottish rugby media exacerbated the situation considerably. In some cases bemoaning Russell’s exclusion and then switching 180 when he was brought in saying he shouldn’t start and that it would be a kick in the teeth for Blair. I know it's their job to sell newspapers etc and in terms of that it's always handy to be able to latch on to the tide of opinion but at best inadvertently some in that sphere made BK’s task even more impossible.
Don’t believe me? This is what John Barclay said on the BBC Rugby Daily Podcast in response to Ugo Monye asking if the way the Australia game ended was a nightmare for Gregor Townsend?
‘The media will be delighted with the finish, if not the result, I think the storylines are written for this week’.
If it was a nightmare for Townsend it would have been doubly so for BK who that missed kick aside I thought had a decent game. Made 1, scored 1. He could have made another one if Tuipulotu was thinking clearly. He also made the most tackles of any back on the field and was one of only 4 players to make a clean break. But, this was just a couple of the things I saw on Twitter,
And let's clear up the kicking thing. BK isn’t even first choice kicker for Edinburgh so to put him in a position, where he has the glare of an expectant media hoping he crashes and burns, with no alternate kicker was a glaring example of preparing to fail.
The kick he ‘declined’ at the 24th minute? First remember that he’s not the captain and whilst his opinion on his chances of making a successful kick are relevant it’s still the captains decision and given that our captain is also part of the leadership group at Edinburgh where we kick less penalties than anyone else in the URC is it that strange a call? If I'd been captain? Kick every time but it’s not what Edinburgh and by extension what Ritchie would do instinctively. I wasn’t at the game but I've seen some say they observed a conversation between him and Kinghorn that belies what i’ve said but frankly I'm not buying that. It’s like eavesdropping on bats from one town over.
He’s also not the first Scotsman to miss a winning kick in a match. He’s not even the only player in this series to miss an easy match winning kick. Well done Italy btw.
The week after the ‘out of the window’ cash cow we were allowed to include the expats which must have really confused the rugby tourists. Adam Hastings got the start at 10 but he lasted only 42 minutes before being injured and with the score finely balanced at 14-12 BK took his place. The score in the remainder of the match was 14-0. Blair kicked two conversions. The second of which was very similar to the one he missed against Australia. Again, I thought he played well and on balance was the better 10 for Scotland on this occasion.
Against New Zealand we saw the return of the prodigal Finn and he played a big part in getting us close to the men in black. BK got 3 minutes off the bench in place of Tuipulotu but seemed to head out onto the left wing with Bennett and Van Der Merwe stepping in. He didn’t get a touch on this occasion.
Blair was again on the bench for the Argentina match and witnessed what can only be described as a masterclass from Finn. He got on at 70 minutes in place of Van Der Merwe and in the few minutes he got he placed a well timed pass to Darcy to go over for Scotland's last try of the night.
I have no doubt that dealing with Russell, who sometimes shows all the maturity of a 12 year old who giggles when reading the word Uranus aloud, must be difficult. He doesn't seem keen on following the rules as we have seen on a couple of occasions. However, there is also no doubt that he is Scotland's best player and accommodations, if not allowances, should be in place for that especially in a country where we aren’t exactly blessed with big stars.
As a boss, if you want to be a good one, you have to be flexible. You have to understand that if you want the best out of everyone they all have to be treated according to their needs. Even if that means having to put your own ego to one side because regardless of whether it's sport or business it’s results that count.
Quick example. In a managerial role I was offered a member of staff who was being redeployed and was asked by my manager where I wanted them. I needed someone in a particular area that I knew wasn't going to be their ideal scenario but that’s what I needed so stuck with being authoritarian on the matter. They lasted 3 weeks, went off sick and never returned. It was over a year before that gap was then filled. I should have compromised and everyone would have been better in the long run. Ego cost me.
Townsend should have thought this through better. If he had made it clear that this was always the plan then no one would have quibbled. Only BK was available for Australia. Why not give Hastings a run against Fiji and then you have the star man to come in for the last 2.
Instead, we have a clamour for Townsend to go that is almost universal in Scottish rugby circles and a valuable player in Blair Kinghorn who must feel like he can’t win regardless. Thankfully, he seems very much to be made of the same stuff as Finn Russell in that he has the ability to shake off a mistake and/or criticism and not allow it to affect anything he does thereafter. With luck that extends to ignoring armchair critics and if the position that Townsend has put him in as well as the bile sent in his direction by the ‘unbreakable spirit’ of Scottish Rugby fans hasn’t got him to his own breaking point then I can only applaud his strength of character even more.
He can always speak to Rambo about being thrown under the bus by Townsend if he needs reassurance.
PS - there was an interesting aside after the Argentina game when Mike Blair, on the post match chat spoke about the dilemma he has between giving BK kicking duties to help him (and by extension Scotland) and the success rate that Boff gives in that role. Yet another reminder of the tightrope that he has to traverse as Edinburgh coach.
PPS - congratulations to WP Nel for his richly deserved 50th cap. He plays now with a smile on his face that suggests it's all far too easy. His warm ups are a study in efficiency. Also congratulation to Boff for getting his 50 against Scotland. He scored a try which meant that all of the Edinburgh back 3 were on the board. It’s just a shame that with Sanchez on, Boff didn't get to kick the last conversion.
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