Bullish Billy Backs Super-6 To Succeed

REGULAR readers of this blog will be aware, Ayr President Billy McHarg and I have had a difference of opinion over Super-6. Billy believes I am being unnecessarily negative about the new franchise scheme and am criticising from a position of ignorance.

 

Ayr President Billy McHarg

Therefore, it was great to have a chance to chat to him about the project, in midfield at Millbrae on Saturday, following Ayr's 30-17 win over Currie. This match did much for the Ayr President – he had spent the build-up in hospital having tests and I have to admit – he wasn't at his best on Saturday, requiring that a chair be brought out and placed in his usual spot behind the dead ball line at the second pitch end of Millbrae.

Any way, having spoken to Billy, I am now more-confident of S6's chances of success – with a single caveat: it will only, I feel, succeed, if the six clubs keep BT Murrayfield at arm's length from its organisation.

“The unity between the six clubs is brilliant,” said Billy. “We are all focussed in taking S6 forward together and so far there have been no issues on which we are not in agreement. We have made a lot of progress in our meetings to date and I am hugely optimistic about how things will turn out.”

Billy sees S6 as filling the position in Scottish Rugby that the Mitre 10 Cup does in New Zealand. In this case, I am with him. As he explained: “New Zealand Rugby is a pyramid – the All Blacks at the top; below that the Super Rugby teams – Hurricanes, Crusaders, Chiefs etc; below that the Mitre 10 teams, and below that, the clubs.

“We can have that in Scotland – the National team, below that the two PRO14 sides, below that the Super-6 will do the Mitre 10 teams' job in New Zealand, and below that the clubs.

“In New Zealand the Mitre 10 is where the best club players get to lock horns with the younger players from the Super clubs, and where they either sink or swim – I can see that happening with S6 and I think it is a very good system.”

The Super-6 clubs want this competition to be their template

“Everyone has been assuming the S6 season will mirror the club season – that might not necessarily be the case,” said Billy. “That is one of the things we are looking at.”

Certainly, in New Zealand, the Mitre 10 Cup is played as a short, sharp, end of season affair, might we see S6 going ahead, either as the final act of a longer overall rugby season, or perhaps split – with the initial games at the start, before resuming again at the end?

Billy is giving nothing away, however, the fact many potential S6 players will be required for the Under-20 Six Nations is an issue which will have to be tackled. He is also confident the issue of the cross-border competition with the Welsh Premiership clubs will be resolved, in spite of apparently lukewarm interest in the Valleys.

As originally conceived, there was an element of “Districts” about S6. When Mark Dodson announced the project at the 2017 agm, the notion was that there would be one S6 franchise in each of the four Regions, plus two “floaters”. In the end, Edinburgh got three franchises – perhaps the major area in which S6 has been criticised.

However, as another Ayr official said – echoing comments I have heard from other successful franchise bidders, said: “Any problems around S6 have stemmed from Murrayfield, rather than the clubs involved.”

Billy is keen to tackle accusations of “hoovering-up” players from surrounding clubs; he said: “We are keen to have dialogue and to set-out mutually accepatable protocols for player recruitment with local clubs. We have arranged a meeting with the other Ayrshire clubs and also a separate meeting with the clubs in Dumfries and Galloway.

“But, thus far, instead of Ayr approaching players from lower league clubs around us, it has been a case of individual players approaching us. We want to work with the clubs, it is in our interests – and theirs – to have a workable system in place, since it doesn't help either party for us to strip them of their best players, to play for our Ayr team and be available to the franchise team.”

I suggested the old: “Anyone But Ayr” feeling was still abroad in God's County, a proposal to which Billy could not agree.

“There are probably still those of your and my generation who think like that,” he said. “But, I have found, among the young players, there is a greater preparedness to come and try to make it here, an younger club officials are more-willing to say to players: 'go to Ayr and give it a go,' than happened in the past.”

That is another controversial part of the whole S6 project – where the Ayr team, the amateur one attached to the franchise team – will play. Billy is adamant on this one: “We need to see Ayr playing in the Championship, so that, any players we may need to draft into the S6 team are taking less of a step up.”

You can take it, he is not happy at suggestions, the “Glasgow Hawks Protocol” should come into play and the “amateur” sides should go back to the Regional Leagues and battle their way up. “That simply does not make sense and address reality,” he said.

Dam Park, looks like being the home of the Ayr Super-6 franchise

One thing which has enthused Billy is the move from Millbrae to Dam Park, right in the centre of Ayr. “South Ayrshire Council is on-board; we have the University of West of Scotland, whose campus is right next door to Dam Park, on-board; Dam Park is a terrific venue and I am confident it will be a terrific move for us and for the town of Ayr,” he said.

He also accepts, Billy McHarg will not be around for ever. He is looking to get the Ayr S6 franchise up and running, then hand over to someone maybe 15 to 20 years younger.

“I know the guy I would like to see taking over from me, he will be good for the franchise in the longer term. But, I also need to recruit someone on the sponsorship and finance side, and here too, I have someone in mind. If I can get them on-board, I am confident, this thing will work very successfully, for Ayr and for Scottish Rugby.

“Super-6 is happening, and, from what I have seen with ourselves and the other five clubs, it will be very successful,” Billy concluded.

I have long felt, if S6 happens, Ayr, relocated to Dam Park, will be leading lights. They can make it work. I still have reservations over the three franchises in Edinburgh, but, my biggest on-going concern is the malign, dead hand of Murrayfield.

If the six franchises can keep the Murrayfield minions at arm's length – this thing could work, and work well, for the game in Scotland. It's worth a try, with that repeated caveat.