Interesting that Charlie Savala has moved to Northampton Saints from Edinburgh. Wonder if
@Highlander35 can shed any light on this. Don't think he got capped for Scotland despite being in their squad. Would he still be in conversation for Scotland at Edinburgh or is his move closing the book (for now) on that possibility?
tl;dr Ben Healy + BK = No opportunity for gametime at Edinburgh for Charlie: at 23 with little injury history and 30-odd caps it's make or break time, particularly when he's that far back in the international pecking order. It's not over, but he needs to show more by the end of the season if he wants to be a test player.
Full rambles:
He looked on his way out early last season when the BK @ 10 experiment was in full flight, but injuries to the back three forced Kinghorn there and Savala stepped up: not anything to suggest he was ready for the international game, but something you could build towards.
I think the loan is an acknowledgement if that at 23 with 30-odd "First Class" games under his belt it's quite close to make or break as a international quality professional for him, and that he's not going to get that opportunity at Edinburgh: as having Healy and Kinghorn in the XV means that there's more value in having two outside backs on the bench than committing to an out and out second stand off.
He's not really in the conversation for Scotland beyond a break glass scenario. At an absolute minimum, Russell, Healy, Hastings and BK are ahead of him for the Scotland 10 Jersey. I think in an ideal world Townsend and the SRU would love to pinch Fin Smith from England too. Ross Thompson has gotten heavy SRU backing, despite being on the outer at Glasgow, and Tom Jordon (similar story to Charlie Gamble) will be eligible by the middle of the Autumn Internationals next year, if I've got my timings right.
Lots of work to do, but the type of player Glasgow and Edinburgh need in squads: capable at the URC level, particularly when not coming up against Full Strength Leinster/Munster/Stormers etc. Scottish Qualified, bit of point of difference in some aspect of game that makes higher representation a possibility.
I don't know if and where he'd fit over here. Maybe he'd be a better option than Strachan at the Rebels, doing a little bit of what the Brumbies did with Debreczeni and Lolesio? But I don't think he's someone that you're missing out on having around here. Having said that, what do I know? I didn't and kind of still don't really, rate Lambert all that much and the fact Glasgow prioritised playing Nathan McBeth over him, who isn't a particularly great player either suggests the SRU was on the same wavelength, but has somehow catapulted himself into Wobbly conversation.
