LET'S take the high road. After years of wondering why that whisky-drinking, caber-tossing clan of hard men otherwise known as Scots had turned into such limp-wristed wimps there are signs that they were merely slumbering.

Even Scottish football has been more interesting this season, although there is disturbing news this week that the megolamaniac whose money has roused Hearts has started picking the team again.

Normally this would promote the question of Graham Rix's survival to the forefront of Scottish headlines, but this week they have reason to celebrate. Not only can they toast their rugby players with a dram or three, but they can blow their bagpipes in anticipation of curling medals at the Winter Olympics.

Rhona Martin is in Turin to defend her title with one other surviving member of the team, Debbie Knox. Being a gold medal heroine four years ago, however, has not brought wealth and happiness for Rhona, who appeared to have no chance of making the team when the breakdown of her marriage because of financial problems was accompanied by a loss of form.

She had to move into rented accommodation with her two children, but out of adversity she has summoned the same strength which rewarded six million British TV viewers who stayed up beyond midnight to watch her "stone of destiny" four years ago.

The Scottish men are hotly tipped for a medal as well, led by a 27-year-old beef farmer from Lockerbie named David Murdoch, who twice won the junior world title.

I AM delighted to eat humble haggis after tipping the Scottish rugby team to be soundly thrashed by France, and not just because it gives England a better chance of winning the Six Nations title.

As with Newcastle Falcons, Scotland have had to wrestle for several years with the impossible task of replacing Gary Armstrong.

While one good display doesn't put him in Armstrong's class, Mike Blair's performance at scrum half provided a spark which spread through the team and has ignited massive enthusiasm among disillusioned fans.

There have been empty seats at recent Murrayfield internationals, but pre-dawn queues formed this week as the remaining 8,000 tickets for the February 25 visit of England were quickly snapped up.

The Six Nations needs a good Scotland team and it will be hugely interesting to see if they can maintain the standard they have set in Cardiff this weekend.

THE Scots have produced some outstanding football managers - Shankly, Stein, Busby, Ferguson - but on Tyneside Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness will not be numbered among them.

Hadrian's Wall obviously has a lot to answer for in alienating Jocks and Geordies and it's a safe bet that neither Alex McLeish, David Moyes nor George Burley will be the next occupant of the St James' Park hot seat.

Freddy Shepherd appears to have timed the sacking of Souness so that the 12 weeks permitted to Roeder and Shearer just about gets the Magpies through to the end of the season.

He can afford to wait and see who gets the England job, although the notion that whoever is narrowly pipped for the national post will see Newcastle as the next best thing seems a little fanciful.

The fact that they were a trophy-winning club 50 years ago and still enjoy a large and passionate following does not necessarily outweigh the burden of ridiculous expectation, coupled with the doubtful privilege of working under Shepherd. He may well end up turning again to Steve Bruce, who would have had the job last time had he not just signed a new five-year contract at Birmingham, making the compensation prohibitive.

THE difficulties facing rugby referees were highlighted by their mistakes in the opening Six Nations matches.

England were flattered by the margin against Wales because one try resulted from a forward pass and one from a knock-on when Matt Dawson knocked the ball out of his opposite number's hands. When the French scrum half did something similar on Sunday a penalty was awarded to Scotland.

The narrow line between success and failure was underlined when Italy's brave challenge was dealt a serious blow by the award of an Irish try when the ball wasn't grounded. And Wales were very much in the match at Twickenham until Martyn Williams was sin-binned for blocking at a restart.

It was blatant and possibly dangerous, so I have no argument with the yellow card, as long as referees are consistent in punishing this common offence.

The same applies to rucking, with Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll escaping censure for stamping on an Italian lying on the wrong side of the ball, while teammate Denis Leamy was cited for something similar.

It's a fine line between rucking someone out of the way and dangerous play, and perhaps Leamy made contact with an opponent's head. But the guidelines need to be absolutely clear.

LEFT-ARM bowler Monty Panesar flies to India on Sunday as the best spin bowling prospect in England.

Yet when Northamptonshire visited Durham last September they left him out to include a South African left-arm seamer, Charl Pietersen, who bowled utter rubbish. The ECB must find a way to stamp out such lunacy.

Published: 10/02/2006