A Third Pro-team - Now

IN the past year, no less than 52 different players have represented Scotland in capped rugby internationals. Of these players, Euan Murray and Jim Hamilton have since announced their retirement from international rugby, leaving us with 50 current internationalists.

There are also a further 16 players, capped by Scotland in the past three seasons, or still getting a regular game for either of our two professional teams, Edinburgh and Glasgow, playing top-flight rugby. Of these 66 players, 15 play outwith Scotland, which, regardless of the fact, as things currently stand, Glasgow has the greater proportion of the home-based players, we should have enough guys playing in Scotland to not need Exiles.

 

That, of course, overlooks the fact that, quality will always attract big money, and we have to accept, we will always have special players who will be attracted away by big-money offers from the cash-rich French and English clubs, able to offer them wages which the SRU and the two home-based teams cannot.

 

However, surely, with Scottish Rugby riding high in the wake of our good Rugby World Cup showing, Glasgow being reigning Pro12 Champions and Edinburgh at the sharp end of that competition, now is the time for the SRU to consider restoring a third professional side.

 

The cheap option might well be for Murrayfield to strike a deal to make London Scottish the de facto third professional side, however, given the Aviva Premiership, to which Scottish aspire to play in, requires that something like 75 per-cent of any competing side's squad must be "England-qualified", this would be well-nigh unworkable.

 

Unless, of course, the guys who run Scottish could be persuaded to switch to an extended Pro 12.

 

I maintain, if the three Celtic Unions got together and got London Irish, London Scottish and London Welsh to switch to a larger Pro15, it would be to the benefit of the three nations.

 

I reckon, between the current internationalists, plus the former Under-20 caps in their ranks, plus one or two exiles who might fancy coming back home, if the SRU could put together the right player welfare and development processes, we have enough players to put three competitive teams into the Celtic/Italian League set-up; or even, do what the Irish did with Connacht and, until the club finds it feet, make the new team a Development side - a "spine" of experienced capped players as on-field coaches to our best young talent.

 

Every player wants to play, every week. Of course they have to be protected from this, and player-rotation is an inexact science; but, the day cannot be too far-off when we see players we would prefer to keep inside Scotland, inside a system, managed by the SRU with the aim of putting the best-possible Scotland team on the park is put in jeopardy. We could see players who feel they are not getting enough game time, going out of Scotland. Perhaps to clubs whose attitude is: "we are paying you well, so you will play when we tell you" - and to hell with player welfare.

 

These are interesting times and I hope, once the SRU's post Rugby World Cup de-brief is concluded, they seriously consider a third pro team for next season. The talent is there.