THE SCOTSMAN PREDICTS
David Ferguson: Coaches labour to move Blair to No 10



Published Date: 15 October 2009
IT WAS a year ago that we spoke with excitement of how the next generation of talented young stand-offs would resign to history regular despondent headlines over who might wear the No 10 jersey for Scotland in the lead-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The emergence of youngsters Ruaridh Jackson, Rory Hutton and Alex Blair, one felt, would put an end to the wailing over our paucity of tens. Only it hasn't quite materialised and there remain question-marks over how Scottish rugby is developing talent after it emerges from the youth ranks.

Jackson was progressing well at Glasgow until a one-minute appearance against Munster in the opening league match of the season, albeit enough time for the fly-half to start and finish a try-scoring move, brought a dislocated shoulder that swiftly ended his early season promise.

Rory Hutton, similarly, has been absent from the Heriot's 1st XV, to whom he moved from relegated Hawick to keep himself in the spotlight, due to a knee ligament injury that will keep him out of the game for another month. Hutton impressed in a pre-season match for Edinburgh against Newcastle and should have been pushing David Blair at Murrayfield now. Those are bad luck tales.

More concerning, however, is the path of the youngest Blair, Alex. He has been returning to fitness, but Edinburgh Accies have been playing him almost anywhere but stand-off. Blair is a precocious talent, one who some coaches struggle with. They say his head needs to shrink a few sizes before he can dictate where he plays; he is too cocky. Craig Chalmers would tell you that that, in fact, is a prerequisite for an international stand-off. Blair has terrific raw talent, similar to that witnessed in Gregor Townsend and Chris Paterson as teenagers. And the latter, sadly, we return to for the ultimate lesson in how not to develop Test stand-offs.

Just as coaches felt they knew what was best for Paterson in letting him 'learn' and improve his skills while wearing 11, 14 and 15 jerseys, only to then discover they had left it too late to give him the time and experience to become the Scotland stand-off he might have been, so playing Blair on the wing is heading down the same path.

Because professional opportunities in Scottish rugby are so ridiculously few when a stand-off comes along with Blair's promise, he has to be fast-tracked. Blair has shown enough so far to suggest he is better than most of his peers at stand-off. We will not find out whether he does have what it takes to with him waiting for ball further out the back line.

What makes it worse is that a month away from Scotland facing Fiji at Murrayfield in Andy Robinson's first game in charge, Accies coach Ian Barnes nearly started Fijian international Jack Prasad last week instead of Blair, until Prasad's non-appearance at training. Blair, who is working away in the SRU academy improving his strength, fitness and conditioning, and all-round skills, only became available late in the week but was still put on the wing.

Blair, soon to turn 19, the age that Townsend made his Test debut, needs to be working daily with professionals and learning from the likes of Phil Godman at Edinburgh and Scotland coach Townsend, but that is a struggle in the two-team Scottish game. The next best is playing at the top of the club game week-in, week-out.

Barnes has Accies to think of and clearly rates Prasad and Ruaridh Bonner, but in the bigger picture some coach has to stick his neck out and persevere with a young stand-off if a player is to make it to international level in a position now more demanding than it has ever been.

There are more stand-offs emerging, such as Duncan Weir (Glasgow Hawks), Gregor Hunter at Gala and Howe of Fife's Ross Aitken. They are for the future, however. Phil Godman and Dan Parks are the present and one injury in the next few weeks and the old 'Mossy' debate will start again. Thanks coaches.

This article was originally posted on 15-Oct-2009, 07:25 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 15-Oct-2009, 07:25.