Billy Supporting Sean Lineen's Appointent Was Hardly News

YESTERDAY'S big rugby news was Ayr president Billy McHarg's support for Sean Lineen's appointment to head-up the player development side of the Stupid-6 franchise system. However, Billy's support for Sean, in an interview with The Hootsmon's Duncan Smith, was hardly what my old mate, former Herald Diary Editor Tam Shields used to describe as a: “haud me back moment.”

 A smiling Billy McHarg - but, the war hasn't properly begun yet

Neither did Duncan's story, nor Billy's intervention, constitute old William Randolph Hearst's definition of “News” - something someone doesn't want you to know; nope, it should definitely be filed under Hearst's alternative definition – advertising.

Nobody, not even that old fart down there in East Ayrshire, who has been the most-consistent and vociferous opponent of Stupid-6, will complain about Sean getting the performance overseeing gig around S6. I can think of no better, or better-qualified man for the job.

The worry for me is the fact Stevie Gemmell has been given the “Operational Director” job – he's the guy who has to make the damned thing work.

[If I can make one of my wee off-topic meanders here, bear with me. Back in my youth, when my auld faither was a high heid yin with the NCB in Ayrshire, he always maintained there were three signs of imminent closure for a pit: they did up the baths, then then painted the manager's office, and Fred Wilson was assigned as manager. Fred was an excellent manager of collieries, who could, allegedly bring back to the surface more still-useable equipment than any other pit manager.]

 Stvie Gemmell - if he gets a new job, then the SRU has problems in that area that he has to fix

In Scottish rugby, when Murrayfield gives Stevie Gemmell a new gig, it is a sure sign, that particular initiative is in trouble. Of course, that S6 is in trouble is, again, not news. It was an unplanned pregnancy, conceived during a “knee-trembler” round the back of the building during an agm. It has come at a time of “welfare cuts”: “sorry lads, there's no money for your 3G/4G pitches.” And with the squeeze on budgets of potential sponsors, due to Brexit uncertainties, and the immediate future looking gloomy, the last thing the “parents” – the core clubs – need, is another expensive mouth to feed.

Take Billy McHarg's Ayr for instance. Billy made a point during his interview of making it clear, Ayr RFC has a history going back to 1897 that he will not jeopardise; good for him. Ayr actually could and should do well out of S6. They will, all being well, move out of the charming but somewhat delapidated Millbrae for a new home at the Dam Park. Millbrae is an absolute prime location for housing, so, if they get the expected several millions for the site for upmarket housing, they will be able to do-up Dam Park and have a terrific new home.

But, Ayr depends heavily for its sponsorship support on the vibrant Ayrshire agricultural sector, over which Brexit is looming. I have spoken to one or two weel-kent farming supporters of the club, and Rabbie's words have been quoted to me more than once: “An furrit tho' Ah canna see, Ah guess and fear.”

A Hard Brexit will be very-hard on the six new comers, trying to make their way and seeking support in sectors liable to be hard hit by its effects.

And that's before we get round to tackling the several anomalies of this “camel” of a new set-up – they simply will not go away any time soon.

The six franchise organisations want to be allowed to run their new super-duper league as the highest level of the domestic game – even though S6 has been driven by the Performance Department from conception, and has a Performance Department insider installed as “Performance Director”, and another Performance Department insider as “Operational Director”.

But, they want their “core” amateur clubs to be allowed to continue to play as National League clubs. In effect they want their second XVs to be immediately promoted to National League status. Or do they? Some – yes you Mr Dalgetty – are insisting, the “core” club will continue, it is the franchise which is “new”.

Mike Dalgetty - Melrose will continue

Well, let me see. The franchises will be considered to be the highest level of the Domestic game – how did they reach this lofty status?

Did these new entities: “Ayr Raiders”, “Boroughmuir Bears”, Heriot's Highlanders”, “Melrose Marauders”, “Stirling Stallions” and Watsonians Warriors” start, as every other new club in Scottish rugby for the last nearly 50 years has – by entering the lowest level of the regional leagues and – as Currie Chieftains have so-emphatically demonstrated it is possible to do, battled through to the top flight; winning promotion after promotion until they got there?

Well no actually. They have got there – to the highest level of the Domestic game - by being the chosen ones in an SRU-arranged beauty competition, over which there have been allegations of judging bias and a lack of transparency, not forgetting a quick wee bit of goal-post moving mid-match.

Add a wee bit of financial “doping” via the SRU's stake in each franchise, and it stinks to high heaven.

I appreciate the circumstances are not the same, but, the last time a couple of Scotland's leading clubs decided it would be a good idea to form a new “super club” at the top end, these two clubs: Glasgow Academicals and Glasgow High-Kelvinside, were forced to go back to the lowest level in the Glasgow District Leagues, leaving the combined club – Glasgow Hawks at the top level.

This “Glasgow Hawks Precedent” cannot be ignored, to suit the whims of Ayr, Boroughmuir, Heriot's, Melrose, Stirling County and Watsonians. And, as was demonstrated at the agm, The Fat Controller cannot simply do his Jean-Luc Picard impression and say “Make it so.” The other clubs have the final say as to where the six “core” clubs will play.

S6 is a “Domestic Rugby” league, therefore, it needs the formal permission of the existing clubs before it can begin. The new league has to meet existing strictures. So, it will be up to the existing clubs as to where the six core clubs play.

The only way I can see that the SRU can get S6 running the way they want it, will be for them to admit the reality of the situation – S6 is part of Performance Rugby, and for them to fund it properly and take it out of “Domestic Rugby.”

 The six franchises' Director of Strategy

If TFC and the Minions continue to insist – it is part of Domestic Rugby, then, they are at the mercy of the other clubs – it's a case of six v a couple of hundred, and I don't think even Spartacus, Leonadis or the guys at Rorke's Drift would have fancied those odds.

So, dear old Billy McHarg might be impressed by how things have gone this far, and by the union of the six franchises. Well he should be, the fighting hasn't started yet, and, this one will not be all over by Christmas.