come on shire

Personally I'm delighted with the squad. Strongest available barring Dunbar and Hogg. Jamie Bhatti was a concern for me at scrum time though there is improvement. Just for the type of game it is I'd have Alex Allan starting instead but that apart I'm delighted with the team. As mush as these 2 SA sides struggled in Super Rugby, it'll nevertheless be a very tricky game tonight so we'll need to be firing on all cylinders. However, I'm not as scared of Bloemfontein as other fans seem to be. The only real eye opener was Leinster's defeat out there. Cheetahs were always in with a shout of beating Zebre and the Ospreys are in a right mess. Dave Rennie has experience of playing this side away from home which gives us a great advantage. Also, the team have been based and doing altitude training at the Lions ground in Johannesburg who play at the highest altitude in SA Super Rugby. The players travel to Bloemfontein today. That gives us another wee advantage

That's all true. However I was just moaning that I never got to visit the shopping centre in EK. However it was a cracking trip last Saturday overall I guess

I wanted to go. Hawick's a lovely wee town but so is the Borders in general. No matter how your team gets on the Borders is a great day out. It's got a beautiful culture and heritage. As someone once said, 'when you tire of the Scottish Borders you tire of life'.

Went to the game last night. What really pleased me was we won without playing well. Having said that the wet pitch and the weather wouldn't have helped matters. It's the mark of a good team when you can win when having an off night. The pack worked hard but Horne was deservedly MOTM. Nick Grigg had a rare off night. What pleased me the most was how the guys chased a lost cause to get that winning BP. Could be helpful if it goes to the wire between ourselves and Munster. However the Cheetahs may also be in the mix. I don't know if Treviso's purple patch will last but they've always been the better Italian side and worked hard last night.

Looking forward to heading to Scotstoun tonight. My only concern is our front row aren't used to working together and Treviso's forward pack make up the lion's share of the Italy forward pack. Therefore they will bring a good scrum tonight on the back of 2 wins on the bounce. However, we have Cummings in there who's on his game and we also have Harley and Wilson who'll bring their experience. I'd say that Treviso aren't quite as pacy as Zebre so I'd have preferred Price or Matawalu to start at 9 to bring in more quick ball. Major banana skin so we need to turn up with our A game.

I really hope the SRU break the bank to keep Finn. He's one of the best players to come out of the country in years. However, let's not forget that Ali Price and Jonny Gray come out of contract at the end of this season too and the budget can only stretch so far. It's an argument for the idea that the SRU should be open to outside investment and potentially even selling the pro teams if the right money and the right business plan comes along. Obviously a motion along those lines was passed just a few months ago so hopefully it pays dividends in the near future. As for the short term we host a major banana skin on Friday night as Benneton Treviso have enjoyed 2 wins on the bounce. We need to win and a winning BP would be handy to boot so hopefully a strong team's out. Rumour has it that Fraser Brown will be back which is a boost. Lucky I'm a season ticket holder as the game's not on TV though Edinburgh's trip to Leinster is.

Am I the only one who doesn't see the fuss over Grant Gilchrist? He doesn't seem to do much except give away penalties.

What a win! Set pieces not perfect yet but vast improvement. Well taken tries and Finn was excellent. Deserved red card aswell. I was at the game so never heard Nigel's lecture. Anything interesting lol?

Munster are missing a few big names too so hopefully we've improved through the week at training and the guys step up. Absolutely huge game tonight. I'm heading straight from work

We have Alex Allan and D'arcy Rae on the bench. I would have liked whatever one plays loosehead to have had a shot at starting tomorrow night tbh...

Bhatti's not long out of the academy and has obviously had a rude awakening but hopefully he finds his feet asap (excuse the pun). Rennie will pick the team based on what he sees in training and who he has at his disposal due to injuries too so improvements have hopefully been made through the week. Very tough game as expected but Munster have a few injuries too apparently then you add Donnacha Ryan going off to Racing. Dunbar is an excellent player but good to see Horne getting his chance at the centre. Wouldn't surprise me if Rennie told Dunbar he was dropped after that Cardiff try on Sat night tbh...

Rugby is the 2nd sport in Scotland so a large chunk will only switch on when the internationals are on. However domestic rugby is still big in its own right albeit mostly amongst the supporters. Especially since BT Sport have forked out on major contracts for the Aviva Premiership and Sky Sports decided to buy Guinness Pro12/14 rights. That's my personal take on it. As for this Friday I think Nigel Owens can be very pernickety tbh. This announcement just multiplies the notion that this will be a very, very difficult game of rugby. We'll have to be on the ball big time.

Cheers. Looking forward to going as I've never been to East Kilbride in my life. Looking forward to having a look round your town centre. Should be a good day out whatever happens

What are the prices for getting in on Saturday folks? Ta.

I'm nervous about this Munster game on Friday night. If you want to finish 1st and therefore not have to navigate a 1/4 final (if you finish in the play-offs) you must win your home games vs your biggest rivals. Munster beat us 4 times last season which really wasn't acceptable so we must get back to winning ways against these guys. However, so much has to improve. Personally I still like Finn at 10 though he's a typical genius of his craft. He'll try kicks and chips etc in the hope that they come off. They don't always which is obviously very frustrating. However, it's delightful when they do come off so I won't criticise too much. However, the big fixes are the set pieces. Our line out was ok in the 1st 2 games but generally howling down in Cardiff. So far our scrums have really struggled too and that's the biggest concern. If you don't have a good scrum then don't expect to win games of rugby. So far we've got away with it as the will to win has galvanised the team and our defence has been outstanding (though Cardiff's try was a horror show between Grigg and Dunbar granted). I think most penalties have come at loosehead so perhaps it's time to give Jamie Bhatti some bench time...

I should be back for Saturday's game. EK are at home and will be targeting winning the league again whilst we're obviously off form in the league atm. The 2 squad budgets are quite different so it's a massive task if I'm being honest. However, on the other hand if EK may have an off day we'll defo be in with more than a shout. Didn't make EK last season so looking forward to a day out at a new ground

I was in Cardiff for the game. Far from pretty for the 2nd away game in a row but still 3 wins on the bounce. However, they say the mark of a good team is a side who win when not playing well. Even though we're at home on Friday night the bar will need to be pushed higher if we want to get a win. However, after routine BP home wins vs Treviso and the Cheetahs, Munster's first real test was a hard fought away win at Ospreys who's only win was at home vs Zebre without managing the winning BP. Basically, it's a massive game on Friday night and we need to win and we can win if we play far better.

All booked for Cardiff this weekend. Tempted to do Cardiff City v Sheffield Wednesday beforehand but the Cardiff City stadium is on the outskirts heading towards the M4 if I remember correctly so a bit of a trek so I reckon I'll just save some cash. Massive game for the Warriors to stay on a winning track especially with Munster paying a visit next Friday.

6N fixtures never are cheap. However, I went in 2012 and got tickets from the WRU's website. It was during the Andy Robinson-era so I shouldn't have bothered lol. Might fancy it again next year though. As for the weekend Edinburgh have done well so far. However, keep in mind that Cardiff haven't been good so far and the Dragons are still relatively weak. However, they've dispatched what's in front of them but when they play one of the big boys that'll be a test for Cockerill. As for my team I was at Scotstoun on Saturday. Ospreys came to make themselves tough to beat and to have a go shere possible so it was a hard game of rugby. I would have been happy with a win considering the absentees still to return but to get a winning bonus point whilst still not firing on all cylinders was very pleasing. I thought their yellow which led to our BP try was harsh but at the same time it's the letter of the law that you can't make contact in the air so fair do's. What pleased me was that Rennie is still looking for improvements which is defo a good thing. E.g. a couple of missed line-outs, victims of turnovers and losing 3 penalties at the scrum in the 1st half alone show this. However, I'm sure this will be looked at this week then more players return for Sat night. I'm thinking of doing the Cardiff trip actually

A bit midfield orientated on Friday night but 4 good goals. The aspect that will be disappointing for us I'd think was the time and space Uni had to score their goals. I confess I was looking at my phone when the 2nd was scored so will need to watch it back but heard it was something of beauty. However, you must argue that there was most likely acres of space afforded to him. Sludden and Mooney are doing this management gig for the love of the game for limited money and on a limited budget (I'd think). The players are also playing for their love of the game for limited money too. However, as far as I'm concerned everyone involved is trying their best so that's all I'll ask. I like the job the gaffer's doing.

Off to the Shire's Lowland League footy game away vs Stirling Uni tonight where Danny Ashe will no doubt be playing for the opposition. However tomorrow I'll be cheering on his brother in the Warriors back row lol.

Correct Holme. However, just for the record segregation is stupid anyway lol.

Ah that makes sense. I'm going to the Warriors game on the Sat so I can go tomorrow night so I'm not complaining lol. I was just curious. See you tomorrow night folks

Correction lol. Dan Biggar is already at Ospreys but next season he's going to Northampton. Just what I read in Rugby World magazine. It was in the issue which was out up to the end of September.

Not really Scottish rugby related but a big piece of transfer news nevertheless. As of next season Dan Biggar is at Ospreys. However, in other news, Finn Russell was interviewed in a very recent issue of Rugby World and he's a bit stumped about all the runours of his link with Montpellier. On the other hand, he does say that he's under contract this season and Rennie needs to get a chance with the squad this season. He's quoted as saying that the Top 14 will just have to wait. Interesting...