WELL, when you
have served as long in the Tartan Army – both in football and rugby
– as I have, results such as the defeat in Suva no longer cause
wailing and gnashing of teeth. I have seen that DVD before, several
times. Scotland would not be Scotland if we did not follow one of our rare uplifting victories, by immediately thereafter
losing the follow-up skoosh-case game.
And thus, it came to pass in Fiji. But, apart from
again demonstrating you should never bet the farm on a Scotland win,
what did we learn? For a start, we are perhaps not as blessed with
international-class players as we thought we were. Sure, there are
positions where Gregor Townsend is left with an either-of choice in
selection, but, by the same token, there are some guys he would not
wish to be without going into any international.
Finn Russell - one of the players whom
Grego Townsend needs in his side every game
That does not mean we are in the position we have
been in, on many occasions I have seen over my 60-years or so of
watching Scotland, whereby a player who would easily be the sixth or
seventh choice in any composite Six Nations select, is by a mile
first-choice for Scotland, by the simple reason, there is nobody
else.
We, or should I say the SRU, I think, has to come up
with a system whereby we have even-greater depth in an admittedly
shallow talent pool. I know, it is a difficult trick to pull-off,
but, pull it off they must.
The more I see it, the more I am convinced, the BT
Premiership MUST be beefed-up. There has been talk of a
semi-professional set-up for some time, but, it has never been
implemented.Why not?
We hear rumblings that some of the Borders and
Edinburgh clubs, who trundle along in the lower reaches of the top
flight and the upper reaches of National League One, want their
traditional status as powers-in-the-land maintained – when is
plainly obvious they neither have the depth, or organisation to
justify this lofty status, have neough friends to ensure the
semi-professional set-up, which would sideline them, never happens.
Also, I have my doubts that there is sufficient spare
cash within Scotland to fund full-time professional and part-time
semi-professional football AND the same systems in rugby.
For instance - in comparing top-flight Scottish
football with top-flight Scottish rugby, can we agree, Glasgow
Warriors and Edinburgh will equate to Celtic and Rangers.
Below that lofty level: in Edinburgh, Hearts and
Hibs are the two biggest sports franchises. Both are full-time
football clubs, both have long histories, establishes supporters
bases and have had their moments of success over the years.
Which clubs are their equivalent in Edinburgh rugby?
You have to choose between Boroughmuir, Currie, Edinburgh Accies,
Heriot's and Watsonians. Now, all five clubs have their own committed
supporters, who will put money into these clubs. But, given the first
destinations for sports sponsorship cash in the capital will be
Hearts and Hibs, we have five clubs, plus the Murrayfield ice hockey
club, chasing what is left in the pot for funding professional or
semi-professional sport.
In Glasgow, Glasgow Hawks, with it has to be said a
clutch of well-heeled supporters who are prepared to dig into their
wallets to keep the club going, is, in reality competing with Partick
Thistle and Glasgow Rocks basketball club for what is left of the
city's potential sports sponsorship funding, after the Old Firm has
had its fill.
Look at Ayr, they to my mind are beating Ayr United
when it comes to attracting what corporate sports sponsorship income
there is in God's County. But, even though the Millbrae Men are
operating at a much-higher level than the Honest Men, when it comes
to putting bums on seats, United are the winners.
In fact, I would, albeit without having the actual
figures to hand, suggest that, where there is a potential
head-to-head between a football and a rugby club in Scotland, the
only rugby club to be winning that local battle is probably Stirling
County v Stirling Albion.
Yet, over all in the battle for superiority in
professional team sports, I would suggest, Scottish rugby is in a
better place than Scootish football – but still second in terms of
finances, media interest and putting bums on seats.
Let's hope, if we build it up – they will come.
Warriors have, by providing attractive, attacking, swashbuckling
rugby, built-up a solid and growing support base. They will never
have the supporter base enoyed by the Old Firm – but, they will
similarly never have the obnoxious historical attractions which help
drive those clubs' fan base.
Warriors have prospered, I would like to think other
clubs, slightly lower in the food chain, could also flourish and,
with firmer foundations from this, we will see Scottish rugby
overcome the in-built obstacles – lack of numbers and so on –
which handicap us at the top level.
But, until we get there, sadly, we will continue to
have the two steps forward, one step back, journey we have been on
over this end of season tour.
No comments:
Post a Comment