Rugby news round-up: O'Sullivan out of the running for Edinburgh

They are dropping like flies in the race to be Edinburgh's new coach, including my own front-runner. According to one pretty reliable source Eddie O'Sullivan got a "Dear John" letter from Murrayfield on Friday morning telling him "thanks, but no thanks", and Connacht's assistant coach, Brian Melrose, has stepped back from the process for one reason or another.

The rejection must have come as quite a shock to former Ireland boss O'Sullivan, as he was the only one with international experience who is thought to have applied for the post.

O'Sullivan has always divided opinion and was never going to win any prizes for popularity but there is a sizeable school of thought that thinks that Edinburgh need someone to take them out of their comfort zone and the Irishman promised to accomplish that much if nothing else.

He has returned Stateside to lick his wounds but, in any event, O'Sullivan was contracted to the Eagles up to and including the World Cup in New Zealand so, even if had he been selected, he would not have been able to join Edinburgh until early October, leaving the SRU with a headache of filling those early months of the season with a temporary appointment.

The announcement is evidently due out in the next day or two so who else is left in the mix? Former Wasps director of rugby Tony Hanks is highly regarded and Michael Bradley's name keeps cropping up but - and you are way ahead of me here - I am only guessing.

The English Champ-ionship play-offs take place this afternoon with London Welsh playing Cornish Pirates and Worcester Warriors facing the Bedford Blues. All four semi-final clubs boast a Scottish player, in the squad if not on the pitch. Former Heriots' stalwart Ian Nimmo joined the Pirates and now sports a beard, so he looks the part. Sean "Son of Toomba" Tomes locks the Bedford pack and Bruce Douglas props up the Worcester one. The Midlands club also has Alex Grove in their midfield and veteran fly-half Gordon Ross continues to do his quietly effective stuff for London Welsh. And you thought they had a factory in the valleys!

Midnight last night was the deadline for applications for anyone wanting to stand for SRU President. Ian McLauchlan has stated his intention to stand for a second year and, unless someone made a late bid, (check out the SRU website in the next day or so) he looks likely to be unopposed for the second time.

The Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston is to undergo a 30 million revamp. It is approximately 25 minutes from the middle of town and 15 minutes from Murrayfield. There is easy access via two motorways (M8 & M9) and oodles of room for parking. The ground also boasts a small stand on one side of a large ring which is large enough to house a rugby pitch. Has anyone from Murrayfield enquired if the Royal Highland Society members, as part of the upgrade, might add the necessary facilities to accommodate professional rugby and then defer some of their costs by charging to host Edinburgh Rugby's matches?

iain morrison