The Fixtures Are Out - Not Long Now Till The New Season

BACK in the day, 40 or so years ago, when the notion of official league rugby was new and still being treated with suspicion by the blazered “Bufties” who ran Scottish rugby, they, unlike today's paid officials - who work via the big stick – used to try to be nice (occasionally) to the press. One way they did this was to invite these untrustworthy tykes along to Murrayfield at the start of each season, for the unveiling of the new fixtures, and, occasionally, a new sponsor.

 

The lovely Lee McKenzie: her Dad, unlike his successors in the msm, used to ask awkward questions of the SRU

One of the traditions of this event was that at some point, during the Question &Answer session, some press man, usually Bob McKenzie of the Express (Lee's Dad) would ask the then SRU President, or Bill Hogg, to put a value on the new sponsorship. Bob, these many years resident in England, is still waiting for a definite answer.

Another tradition, particularly during the days when Scottish Brewers were the league sponsors, was for the Glasgow contingent to arrive in a single taxi, approach the bar and ask for pints of Tennent's Lager, which was never available.

So, I was thinking of the likes of wee Roy McDougall, who usually asked the Tennent's question of the bar staff, when I read this week of the new Tennent's sponsorship of the league. Bob McKenzie would, naturally, still be awaiting an answer to his: “how much?” question, but, he would know the deal is worth over £1 million to the SRU over the however many years of the deal.

And there's another thing we have lost from the current junta's control-freakery, top-secret management style. We know the deal is worth over £1 million to Scottish Rugby, but, we don't know how long it lasts, so the clubs have no way of knowing how much the SRU is getting each year; and even less idea how much is actually heading for the clubs, and how much will be creamed-off for the Performance Rugby side of the business, the national team, the two professional sides and, from the season after next, the Stupid-6.

Clarity and open governance – the Fat Controller and his gang could give the Tory cabinet lessons in how not to do it. Had the SRU given the new deal the proper, big flourish, fireworks and trumpets launch it deserved, maybe, just maybe, either big Barney, Mark Palmer, Alasdair Reid or, if he could escape from Hole-in-the-Wall, East Ayrshire for the day, that old buffer Aristotle, would have asked the Fat Controller. Still, no guarantee of an answer, but, with the mainstream media today, he would be unlikely to be even asked the question.

Any way, what are the Premiership fixtures for season 2018-2019? Well, here they are:

 

Tennent’s Premiership

1^st September 2018

Currie Chieftains v Boroughmuir

Edinburgh Academicals v Ayr

Glasgow Hawks v Heriot’s

Hawick v Melrose

Watsonians v Stirling County

8^th September 2018

Ayr v Currie Chieftains

Boroughmuir v Hawick

Heriot’s v Watsonians

Melrose v Glasgow Hawks

Stirling County v Edinburgh Academicals

15^th September 2018

Ayr v Stirling County

Currie Chieftains v Hawick

Edinburgh Academicals v Heriot’s

Glasgow Hawks v Boroughmuir

Watsonians v Melrose

22^nd September 2018

Boroughmuir v Watsonians

Hawick v Glasgow Hawks

Heriot’s v Ayr

Melrose v Edinburgh Academicals

Stirling County v Currie Chieftains

29^th September 2018

Ayr v Melrose

Currie Chieftains v Glasgow Hawks

Edinburgh Academicals v Boroughmuir

Stirling County v Heriot’s

Watsonians v Hawick

6^th October 2018

Boroughmuir v Ayr

Glasgow Hawks v Watsonians

Hawick v Edinburgh Academicals

Heriot’s v Currie Chieftains

Melrose v Stirling County

13^th October 2018

Ayr v Hawick

Currie Chieftains v Watsonians

Edinburgh Academicals v Glasgow Hawks

Heriot’s v Melrose

Stirling County v Boroughmuir

20^th October 2018

Boroughmuir v Heriot’s

Currie Chieftains v Melrose

Glasgow Hawks v Ayr

Hawick v Stirling County

Watsonians v Edinburgh Academicals

27^th October 2018

Ayr v Watsonians

Edinburgh Academicals v Currie Chieftains

Hawick v Glasgow Hawks

Heriot’s v Stirling County

Melrose v Boroughmuir

3^rd November 2018

Ayr v Edinburgh Academicals

Boroughmuir v Currie Chieftains

Heriot’s v Glasgow Hawks

Melrose v Hawick

Stirling County v Watsonians

17^th November 2018

Currie Chieftains v Ayr

Edinburgh Academicals v Stirling County

Glasgow Hawks v Melrose

Hawick v Boroughmuir

Watsonians v Heriot’s

1^st December 2018

Boroughmuir v Glasgow Hawks

Hawick v Currie Chieftains

Heriot’s v Edinburgh Academicals

Melrose v Watsonians

Stirling County v Ayr

8^th December 2018

Ayr v Heriot’s

Currie Chieftains v Stirling County

Edinburgh Academicals v Melrose

Glasgow Hawks v Hawick

Watsonians v Boroughmuir

15^th December 2018

Boroughmuir v Edinburgh Academicals

Hawick v Watsonians

Heriot’s v Stirling County

Glasgow Hawks v Currie Chieftains

Melrose v Ayr

12^th January 2019

Ayr v Boroughmuir

Currie Chieftains v Heriot’s

Edinburgh Academicals v Hawick

Stirling County v Melrose

Watsonians v Glasgow Hawks

19^th January 2019

Boroughmuir v Stirling County

Glasgow Hawks v Edinburgh Academicals

Hawick v Ayr

Melrose v Heriot’s

Watsonians v Currie Chieftains

26^th January 2019

Ayr v Glasgow Hawks

Edinburgh Academicals v Watsonians

Melrose v Currie Chieftains

Heriot’s v Boroughmuir

Stirling County v Hawick

2^nd March 2019

Boroughmuir v Melrose

Currie Chieftains v Edinburgh Academicals

Glasgow Hawks v Stirling County

Hawick v Heriot’s

Watsonians v Ayr

23 March 2019

(used as League stand-by if no Play-Off match)

Premiership Play-Off Semi-Finals

P1 v P4 & P2 v P3

6 April 2019

(used as League stand-by if no Play-Off match)

Premiership Final

Stand by dates

10 November 2018

5 January 2019

23 February 2019

20 & 27 April 2019

4, 11 & 18 May 2019

Scottish Cup Dates: (League stand-by if no Cup match)

24 November 2018 – Round 1

16 February 2019 – Quarter Final

30 March 2019 – Semi-Finals

27 April 2019 – Final

No matches will be scheduled on Scotland’s home Six Nations Match dates unless both teams agree and request to play.

When League/Cup matches fall on the same weekend as a home International match, clubs are encouraged to support the National Team by not playing in direct conflict with the International game. As a result, Clubs can agree to play their match on any day of the weekend with the usual approval from the relevant Competition Secretary.

Should clubs wish to play their match on the actual day of the International match a 2-hour default time for kick-off before the international match will apply.

Should clubs have logistical difficulty in achieving this they should seek approval for different arrangements from the relevant Competitions Committee

via the Competition Secretary.

Where clubs require to apply for dispensation for traditional tour matches on any league or stand-by date, the request should be made to the appropriate Championship or Regional Competitions Committee as soon as possible.

Should any club have any issues regarding ground availability etc. for any match they should contact their opponents in the first instance and make alternative arrangements (such as reversing the fixture) then seek approval for the different arrangements from the relevant Competitions Committee via the Competition Secretary.

The League title race is, of course: “A marathon, not a sprint”, but, in Round One, if, in a repeat of the final game of the season just ending, Hawick can overturn Melrose at what is sure to be a busy Mansfield Park, well, it could get interesting.

Certainly, the Greens, Currie Chieftains, Edinburgh Accies and Glasgow Hawks – the four Premiership sides which did not get approval to take-on a Stupid-6 franchise, (the lucky ones I call them), will be keen to lower the colours of the six successful franchise bidders.

I am confident this final Premiership season (as far as we know), will be another cracker – notwithstanding the “fact” that: “The Premiership is not fit for purpose.”