Scottish rugby fans could be in for long couple of months

Idon’t think you can have a definitive position on the Finn Russell situation with Scotland unless you know the whole background and all the details of what happened. What you do know, though, is that you hardly ever hear about incidents like this in unified, winning camps.

Can you imagine one of the All Blacks’ best players walking out of the team hotel and going home less than a fortnight before the start of a major tournament?

It just wouldn’t happen.

You would imagine that there is a much bigger backstory.

The odds are against this turning out to be a positive turning point for Scotland.

These things tend to crop up when things are going badly rather than well.

But that doesn’t mean Gregor Townsend was wrong to make a stand.

Discipline and standards are so important at elite level sport. You’d be amazed at how badly things can unravel if you don’t stay on top of them.

I must admit, I still get frustrated if people don’t turn up for meetings or training on time. Little things are important.

Rugby has been professional for long enough now for that not to be acceptable but in curling you can still find a clash of full-time professional attitudes and the old amateur mentality.

For Scotland in this Six Nations, Townsend will definitely be trying to circle the wagons and turn a negative into a positive.

That will only happen if all the players take his side rather than Russell’s. It will soon become clear in Dublin which is the case.

If it goes the other way then Scottish rugby fans are in for a long couple of months.

Hips don’t lie

Last week was a tough one for me mentally because I hate being told to do nothing.

There was good reason this time, though. On the day I came back from Canada I got a cortisone steroid injection into my hip.

It had been planned for a while after my last catch-up with my surgeon.

This was the best time because of a wee break before the Scottish and the big events after that.

I was told that there would be three possible outcomes – it would make no difference, I’d get a few weeks of relief or a few months.

“Gregor Townsend will be trying to circle the wagons and turn a negative into a positive

The first one can be ruled out, thankfully, because the hip felt better pretty quickly and fingers-crossed it will be outcome number three and the injection will see me through to the end of the season.

I was still able to curl but this will give me a bit of relief.

People are much more aware of what I’m talking about since Andy Murray’s hip issues became public and he made his documentary recently.

Like I’ve said before, I just have to view it as part of being at the top of the sport for about a decade and a half.

Jennifer Jones has had all sorts of ops on her knees and hips and Niklas Edin is the same. They’ve had long, successful careers.

You can’t slide as much as I have and expect no consequences.

Picture: PA. Finn Russell will play no part against Ireland.