Well Done Girls - The Dole Queue Is That Way As The Old Farts Strike Again

I AM surprised, but not astonished, that the Old Farts at the Rugby Football Union should tear-up the contracts of most of their contracted women players. Some 50-plus English girls, on full-time and part-time RFU contracts will, in the new season, see their numbers reduced drastically.

 England's Women World Champions - mostly heading for the dole queue

It appears, the RFU is going to place more emphasis on Sevens, and, I cannot say I am surprised.

I remember, sitting in the Edgewater Inn, in Seattle, back in June, 1985, a member of a group of Scots and Americans, discussing how the game could move forward in the USA. One of the Americans, the Pacific North-West Region's man on the overall USA RU was adamant, the game in the USA would never attract the finance it needed to make a real impact, until the game got into the Olympics.

“Get into the Olympics, we can attract the big money sponsors we need”, was his opinion.

A year later, back home in Scotland, one of the officials with a touring side from the “Colonials”, the New England RU, said the same thing.

Well, 30-year on Rugby is in the Olympics, and the game in the USA on the back of some great results for the USA Eagles on the World Rugby/HSBC Sevens Circuit, money is starting to accrue to USA Rugby.

Sevens would appear to be the future, perhaps the best means of promoting and growing the game away from its old British Empire roots. The Sevens tournament was one of the big successes of the Rio Olympics, interest in the HSBC Series is growing – so, it makes sense to concentrate on the shortened form of the game.

Sevens May Be The Future

There is evidence that the interest in T20 cricket has helped win new converts to that game, converts who will, in time, gravitate towards the traditional forms of cricket – even five-day Test Match cricket. Perhaps the same thing will happen in rugby.

Certainly, on the Rugby Europe Sevens circuit, some nations you would probably never associate with Rugby Union, are starting to make waves and Olympic Games qualification can no longer be taken as a given by the traditional big teams.

Which brings me to the second point of this post. This is the on-going saga of the Team GB Olympic Games Sevens squads. For Rio the first occasion on which Seven featured, Team GB in typical British fashion, muddled through. The squads were mainly English-based, but, on the men's side, Mark Bennett and Mark Robertson more than paid their way, as did young James Davies, of Scarlets and Wales.

Some of the other nations, however, are, with some justification, objecting to the continuation of a system which allows three nations – England, Scotland and Wales to compete on the world Sevens stage, then, in Olympic years, a composite team from these three will go to the Games with the seeding which the best of the three has earned.

This issue is still to be settled, but, it may be Team GB will be forced to compete regularly on the World Rugby circuit, if it wants to compete at the Olympics.

If that happens, what becomes of the England, Scotland and Wales sides. Well, I do not see the RFU being able, as the FA has done with the United Kingdom interest in soccer, to say: “Well, it's our ball and you Celts will have to do what we tell you”.

 Mark Bennett playing for Team GB in Rio - Some Scots might be joining Team GB full-time on the international Sevens circuit next season

There probably will be a Team GB squad running, but, this need not be the end for individual national squads. The Rugby Europe Sevens series is well-established, and, having England, Scotland and Wales competing in this full-time would, I am sure, be good for the series, and also as a proving ground for promotion to the full Team GB World Series and Olympics squad.

Change is coming, but, we should not fear it, but, embrace it and see it as another door opening.

GLASGOW Warriors yesterday released a video interview with big Greg Peterson, their Australian-born USA international second row. Greg is hoping to have a better season than he did last term, which was pretty well written-off by injury and recovery.

Greg Peterson, Glasgow's American Eagle is hoping to soar this season

 

It was interesting to hear what he had to say, not least when he revealed incoming coach Dave Rennie has been keeping in touch with events at Scotstoun via Skype calls. Isn't technology wonderful. The new coach, 12,000 miles away, can receive film from the assistant coaches back here, review what he sees, then speak directly to his players by Skype.

With that amount of thoroughness and preparation, you know, Glasgow just might have another very good season when it gets under way.

An interesting wee aside as to how Rennie wants his teams to play. The top two runners in Super Rugby this season have both been Chiefs, full back Damian McKenzie and winger James Lowe. Think Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour and, it's kind of exciting what might happen at Scotstoun. Also, what chance Chiefs' Scottish-born back-up scrum-half Finlay Christie finding his way to Scotstoun?

SIXWAYS, Worcester is an attractive ground, and, situated as it is, just off the M5, it is easy to get to. Nice, welcoming club too, but, their yo-yo reputation, and frequent changes of coaching staff, means the English Warriors have never made the impact in the English Premiership that the Glasgow Warriors have in the PRO12, or even their fellow unfashionable English club, Exeter Chiefs, have.

From a Scottish perspective, Sixways seems to be where fringe Scotland caps go to be forgotten about – several Scots have gone there and vanished, now Dave Denton has moved there from Bath in the hope of getting regular games and back into the national squad.

Dave Denton - hoping to buck a trend and prosper at Sixways

So, well played Denton's agent, for getting him the interview with Gary Heatly which The Scotsman ran this morning. I still, however, reckon, Denton is now a Yesterday's Man as far as Scotland is concerned – well down the Number Eight pecking order.