TODAY,
I
am in Doctor Who mode. Step inside my Tardis and we will fast-forward
to April, 2019; the 2018-19 Scottish rugby season is ending, and we
are looking forward to the brave new tomorrow/forthcoming shambles of
Super-6/Stupid-6 (delete according to prejudice).
Forrit
tho' we canna see, we guess and fear for the six franchises, for the
following reasons:
To
get back to basics:
- The franchises were dreamed up by someone in the SRU's Performance Department (the Lesser-Spotted Johnston? Stephen Gemmell?) on the premise – still unproven - that: “The Premiership is not fit for purpose”
- The Performance Department will have input into the appointment of the franchise club coaches, and a presence on the governing boards
- Therefore, the franchises should come under the banner of “Performance Rugby”
- BUT: as was announced at the agm last Saturday, the franchises will be considered part of “Domestic Rugby”
- BUT, BUT: as a “semi-professional” form of rugby, the six franchises will be permitted to PAY their players
- BUT, BUT, BUT: payment of players it is reported will be discouraged/outlawed in “Domestic Rugby”
- BUT, BUT, BUT, BUT: this means the SRU's massive £800,000 per season support for these six clubs will be counted as: “Domestic Game Support”, thereby distorting the figures as to their actual support to genuine clubs
The Lesser-Spotted Johnson: was he the brain behind Stupid-6
Can
someone please square that circle for me – see what we mean about
the SRU and the six franchises making it up as they go along.
And
the current inability of anyone in Scottish rugby to do that bit of
squaring-off leads me to another very real potential point of
conflict.
The
'Compo', 'Clegg', 'Truly' and 'Foggy' of Scottish rugby writers were
discussing the future just recently (I leave you to work out who is
who in that lot, other than, apparently, I am 'Compo').
But might Stevie Gemmell carry the can when it goes tits-up?
We
were somewhat concerned at what is coming down the road regarding the
franchises. However, we were positively wetting ourselves (no cracks
about this not being unusual at our ages) as we perused the runners
and riders for the Tennent's Scottish Rugby Championship 2019-2020.
What
a field: Aberdeen GSFP, Currie Chieftains, Dundee HSFP, Edinburgh
Academicals, Gala, GHA, Glasgow Hawks, Hawick, Jedforest, Kelso,
Marr, and Selkirk. (In naming that dozen clubs, I bear no ill-will
or disrespect to Cartha-Queen's Park, Musselburgh, Hamilton and
Kirkcaldy, the four teams from this season's National League 1 I have
just unilaterally “relegated”).
Glasgow,
Edinburgh and North-East Derbies, and gritty old school battles
between five of the Borders' Big Six, what's not to like about that
potential menu.
And
there's more – these clubs have genuine, long established
identities. Sure, Stirling County has made it clear, their franchise
XV will be 'Stirling County.' On the other hand, we don't know what
Melrose's franchise XV will be called;because Mike Dalgetty has made
it clear – 'Melrose' will continue as our “amateur” club.
Billy
McHarg at Ayr (still waiting for that call re our interview by the
way Billy), is hinting at a different identity: 'Ayr Raiders.'
'Ayrshire Bulls.' whatever, for the Ayr-based franchise, while what
names will come out of Edinburgh's trio of franchises is anyone's
guess.
It
will take a wee while – if they are given time – for these new
entities to build-up name recognition, while, in the Championship as
it looks to be lining-up, everyone knows who they will be going to
watch.
We
– the Last Of The Summer Wine team – were agreed, the
Championship will be the division to watch, with its compelling mix
of genuine competition, with the added spice of local rivalries. This
is where the best club rugby is likely to be played. But, there's the
rub, I can only, for the moment say “likely.”
Because,
between now and September, 2019, you can bet your bottom dollar, like
flies round a cow pat, the Stupid-6 will be doing everything within
their considerable financial powers to prise some star assets away
from those 12 clubs.
Already,
the recruiting has started: “Come to us this season young man, Have
a year under your belt with us before the franchises kick-in. Get
your peg in the dressing room fixed-up, get to know the rest of the
boys before we start.
The
UK government might not have the warehouse space to cope with the
expected food and raw materials shortages following Brexit, but, in
Scottish rugby, “warehousing” is already underway in the lead-up
to Stupid-6.
Their future might be doubtful, but, the "Hawks Protocol" will loom large in the future
And,
if the clubs as a body, manage to prevent the suits from negating the
established “Glasgow Hawks Protocol,” - when a new entity is
formed, the club or clubs from which it sprang have to go back to the
bottom regional league and start again, then you can rest assured, at
least six new warehouses will need to be built to house all the new
players the franchise clubs will seek to recruit.
Warehousing
is THE big threat to the potential for an exciting, entertaining and
competitive Championship. Particularly if the SRU succeeds in
imposing strict amateurism on an open sport, the six franchises will
enjoy a huge advantage in persuading ambitious players to move clubs.
Why move to a Championship club, for, at best generous expenses, when
you can join a franchise and be paid?
If
enough players buy that one, if the cream is skimmed off, for the
uncertainty of being a fringe player, it may impact on the
entertainment value of the Championship – and, that does not help
the SRU's core remit of growing the game. In addition, to fill gaps,
the Championship clubs will have to recruit from other clubs. It will
be like dominoes falling right across the club game.
And
the threat of “Warehousing” underlining again the sheer stupidity
and lack of thought which has gone into setting-up these franchises.
Will nobody save the SRU and the six clubs from their own greed and
stupidity?
Stupid-6
is an extension of the professional and performance arm of Scottish
rugby. As such it should be funded by the SRU, not six clubs. In
fact, I would go as far as to say this is such a nonsense it cannot
be allowed to happen.
Ireland
and Wales are going down the road, in seeking to improve performance
and professional rugby, of running Under-23 teams attached to their
professional PRO14 teams. This is the road the SRU should also be
going down.
In
seeking to get six clubs involved, they are saying: “We
cannot fund the professional and performance side of the game.”
Well, that may be true, but, they can at least, by proper housekeeping and better use of
resources, put in place a system whch will not endanger the futures of
our top clubs, the six in the franchise scheme, and the 12 in the
Championship, and, through fall-out, the clubs further down the food
chain.
Who,
to whom they will listen, is going to make this clear to the numb
skulls inside Murrayfield?
Once again AA, you have not quite grasped it. The "Hawks Protocol" you like to champion was a situation where a "new" club took a place in the upper echelons of the leagues, GHK's if I remember correctly, Hence an additional team in the league structure at a high level which would have impacted on all clubs below them had GHK and Accies not dropped to the bottom league. The Super Six (please give up the childish Stupid Six chat) teams are playing in a completely separate and new league and are not diplacing anyone or altering the structure of the existing leagues. Therefore, teams in the existing league carry on as normal. The "Hawks Protocol" is NOT applicable in this scenario.
ReplyDeleteWell, well, well - desperately clinging to barely relevant detail - of course the Hawks emergence was a one-off, but the underlying principle remains clear for all to see! Probably more correct to believe that you are not grasping the much of this, ORF - then again, perhaps your interest is vested....?
DeleteWhile on the bowling green, Admiral Nelson once peeked at the oncoming Spanish fleet, down a trusty telescope with his blind eye instead of his good one, and stated "I see no ships"..... There is a moral in all of that!
Rather uninformed, ORF, to suggest there will no re-structuring surrounding the shape of competitive league rugby and within those six participating clubs with the introduction of S6. Time to wake up and smell the coffee. Go figure, the tide is turning.
And yes, the spectre of "player warehousing" by S6 participant clubs should strike fear into the hearts of all genuine grassroots clubs. Just one more reason to insist these clubs go back to the foot of the leagues and start all over again, lest they gain further advantage from this potentially disastrous (for Scottish club rugby more generally) "initiative".
Numerous unintended consequences cropping up all over the place, and "they" are clearly making it up from hour to hour.....
ORF - I can accept the formation of Hawks as a "one-off", but, as Ron Sutherland has already pointed-out, there is a principle at stake here.
DeleteAt the moment the second teams of the six franchise clubs play in a reserve league. If these six clubs are to have a new "first team" or be the core club for a franchise, then they must choose - either their current first team becomes their second XV, or, if they wish it to continue as a "first XV", then it has to start at the bottom tier.
By wishing to have their second teams placed in the National Leagues, either at Nat 1,2, or 3, or in the Championship, they are wanting to have their cake and eat it.
They cannot have it both ways.
Had the SRU stuck to the original concept of the six franchises being, in effect club-based "District" sides, they could have got away with it. But, they managed to fuck-up that concept, so hell mend them and their stooges (albeit some might be well-meaning) in the six clubs who have bought into a system which is doomed to fail. Hence, I will continue to call it Stupid-6, because, as set-up, it's a bloody dumb idea.
FWIW the Boroughmuir franchise will be the Boroughmuir Bears - a name nicked from the 3rd XV
ReplyDeleteI hope the original Boroughmuir Bears extracted a very good deal on free/cut-price beer, out of the main Boroughmuir committee when they agreed to that one.
DeleteIf no agreement, sue them. That way the mainstream papers might take an interest in S6 and al the insanity around it.
Excellent idea - sue the fuck out of the beggars, anyway! Give Barnes something to follow as a scoop... We don't have nearly enough litigation to spice things up in Scottish rugby.
DeleteMeanwhile, just awaiting the forthcoming outcome(s) of the various reviews....
For a change there is a lot of rubbish in this article and the comments on the article. If you are a Boroughmuir member comment with your name if not then mind your own business.
DeleteThe Stupid 6 name has run its course. I was not in favour of it but I can see some significant benefits in a more focussed higher standard group of teams. We will see how these teams structure themselves, where the players come from and who will watch the matches in due course.
Super 6 franchises are not all clubs. The Super 6 timescale is 5 years so after that period it may or may not exist so any club who makes their 1st XV a franchise is taking a significant gamble. My club will not be following that course and the Super 6 franchise will be a new entity with the same number of club teams existing.
As for warehousing players and greed and stupidity name names or move on and do something positive for the sport. Players will always look to play ay the highest level they can and clubs whose players step up should be compensated for and congratulated on their player development system.
Thnaks for the contirbution Alistair
ReplyDeleteThe "benefits" what ever these may be havent really been articulated. Higher level of rugby - playing the same teams five times! really?? Possibly some cup with the Welsh premiership
And only £800K of SRU cash going to fund this. That would be the Scottish clubs cash that could be finding a raft of other things in Scottish rugby.
Im confused on your comment about "not all franchises are clubs". What is a club Alistair?
To my knowledge at these "clubs" are actually incorporated or or working towards that status. Not only that they are setting up separate legal entities to house the franchise. One thing they certainly aren't is a "club" (that would be an incorporated association where members are joint and severally liable and has no legal personality so cant undertake any contracts)
I wholeheartedly support players seeking to play at higher levels of rugby - we dont need S6 as that happens already. However S6 is a Trojan horse that will also support their amateur side in the off chance that the player might get a sniff of an S6 contract.
I give S6 two seasons at best
As a separate entity playing in a competition under the auspices of the Board of Scottish Rugby (i.e. Performance Rugby Department), then there it would be sensible to place the "Club" 1st xv in whatever league is most appropriate for the level they will be competing at.
DeleteHowever, to try to stave off complaints about the drastic cut this would mean to funding of domestic rugby, the Board have decided to classify Super 6 not as part of the Performance Rugby Department, but as part of Domestic rugby. This opens up a completely different can of worms:
- is the franchise to be a Member of the Union, if not, are they eligible to play in a domestic competition.
- if the franchise team plays in a domestic competition, do they fall within the remit of the Championship Committee?
- if domestic rugby is to be strictly amateur, then how can a team playing within it be part-time professionals?
The initial documents published suggested Super6 would be part of the Performance Rugby Department, move back to that, and I think we simplify the debate about where Club 1st xvs play.
Those are very good points PegJ and one I was also thinking about - the status of the S6 side is key to the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that the SRU are trying to have it all ways but not really satisfying anyone.
I dont really understand the insistence that its the pinnacle of the domestic game - so thats where it sits and conveniently the cash given to S6 gives a false impression of support to the wider domestic club game.
It is undeniably a performance aspiration