JASON WHITE'S inability to break into the Sale Sharks starting XV may cost him dear because the jungle drums emanating from Murrayfield suggest that Frank Hadden wants the big breakaway to get more game time before selecting him for the Scotland squad ahead of the autumn internationals. Hadden reputedly thinks that he was badly served in the Six Nations by players who were short of match practice and he has decided only to pick his autumn squad from those who have had regular games over the
Ben Cairns is another who may be deemed to be short of games as the classy centre made his first appearance in two months for Edinburgh in yesterday's match against Castres.
Better news for Rory Lamont who started at fullback for Sale, giving Had
den the option of selecting an attacking 15 come November. Scrum-half-cum-full-back Richard Wigglesworth proves his versatility by retaining the fly-half's jersey and keeping England's Charlie Hodgson bench-bound.
Incidentally Sale will be without their influential lock Kristian Ormsby for this afternoon's game after falling foul of the disciplinary procedure. Ormsby was found guilty of a "dangerous charge" (whatever that is) on his opposite number in the opening Heineken Cup match last weekend and banned for one week. For lovers of conspiracy theories the chair of the disciplinary panel was Mark McParland who just happens to be Irish.
SALE MAY have won the award for creating the biggest upset of the opening round with an away bonus-point won over Clermont Auvergne, losing French finalists in the last two years, but they had some competition for the title.
Plucky Italian side Overmach Parma beat the mighty Brive in the first round of the European Challenge Cup. The free-spending French club boasts the likes of English World Cup winners Steve Thompson and Ben Cohen on their books, they are sitting in eighth place in their domestic league and their coach later admitted that they had under- estimated Overmach Parma.
The man of the match award went to former Scotland A fly-half Barry Irving, left, who slotted two conversions and two penalties to give his side a famous victory.
Irving was recently courted by Glasgow Rugby, and understandably so given their problems at pivot, but Irvine is enjoying la dolce vita in Italy and he proved resistant to the charms of a wet Friday night at Firhill.
Incidentally it was reported that, upon their return home last weekend, the Brive players found that their cars had been vandalised by outraged supporters. It's just daft enough to be true. Overmach Parma play El Salvador in Madrid this afternoon; the Spanish club briefly enjoyed the services of Meggetland speedster Charlie Keenan.
FOLLOWING a diary story last week about Mike and David Blair watching Accies gratis by peering over the wall at Raeburn Place the Scotland captain makes the following points. He was walking his mother-in-law's dogs that are not allowed into the rugby ground. He was supporting his team-mate Simon Cross who coaches Murrayfield Wanderers who were playing on the other side of the park. He regularly donates memorabilia to Accies, so he is not careful with the cash, and he is affiliated to Accies which means he wouldn't have had to pay to enter the ground in any event. Happy to set the record straight.
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