Just Suppose Super-6 Works

THE INTELLIGENTIA of Scotland's Rugby Union writers – aye you Barney - the rest of you stop tittering at the back, occasionally roll their eyes in horror and wonder: “has the old fool flipped again,” at a spark of left-field thinking from Aristotle.

Well guys, prepare to have your gasts flabbered again with this post.

I was reading about the rejected megabucks (£275 million to be exact) bid for a 51% share in the English Premiership from the private equity company CVC. Now, there is no way that kind of cash is ever going to come the way of Scottish Rugby, but, an old man can dream.

What might happen

We don't know exactly what will happen with Super-6 (S6), time will tell whether it is a roaring success, or, as I and a lot of others fear – a horrible, crashing dismal failure. I will nail my colours to the mast here; I believe, if it is left to the six franchise winners: Ayr, Boroughmuir, Heriot's, Melrose, Stirling County and Watsonians – S6 will work. If it fails, that failure will be in direct proportion to how much the six franchises allow BT Murrayfield, (BTM), to interfere.

The Six actually have quite a strong hand to play:

• S6 was instigated by BTM to try to solve a problem BTM couldn't, how to get more young Scottish talent into the two BTM-run professional sides, and keep the “fringe” professionals sharp until needed.
  
  
• BTM obviously felt, they could not trust ALL the Tennent's Premiership sides to fill this role, but, could probably trust a handful of clubs to do this.
  
  
• By taking-up BTM's franchise offer,, the Six have security of tenure – they will not drop-out of the top flight of club rugby.
  
  
• They have BTM's support in under-writing to a set figure, the cost of hiring a Head Coach, a Strength & Conditioning Coach and with the costs of a Club Administrator.
  
  
• They do not have to play rugby politics to the same degree as an ordinary club: attending the requisite forum, getting on the right side of their Council representative and so on. They have a direct conduit to the decision-makers at BTM.
  
  
• There are only six of them involved, easier to get agreement than if they were in a ten or twelve-club league.
  
  
• The possibility exists for the Six to source and agree their own sponsorship or naming deal for the competition they control – The Super-6.
  
  
• The possibility also exists for the Six to secure a television deal.
  
  
• They are doing the SRU a huge favour by taking-up their franchises, BTM owes the Six big time.
  
  
• BTM needs S6 to work, they will be allowed freedoms denied to lesser clubs.

There are, however, downsides:

• Jealousy – the Scots like nothing better than cutting down “tall poppies,” - “Him, Ah kent his faither.” The Six have enemies out there who would like nothing better than to see them fail.
  
  
• Some of these enemies will probably be already at work trying to undermine the concept of S6.
  
  
• The original concept has been amended somewhat since Mark Dodson announced S6.
  
  
• Doubts still exist about the cross-border games part of the project.
  
  
• Doubts, mainly around where the funding will come from, still exist about the 3G/4G pitch provision aspect of the project.
  
  
• Doubts continue over the home bases of the three Edinburgh franchises.
  
  
• Doubts continue over the advisability of actually placing three franchises within the capital.
  
  
• Controversy continues to surround where the franchises' “club” sides will play – this one needs to be tackled.
  
  
• Working-out a viable player contracts system could be a problem.
  
  
• Finally – the biggest question of all: how much and how far can the Six trust BTM?

Let's be honest here – professional sport is a money pit, and when you involve teams in professional sport, that pit gets a lot deeper. We all are aware at the eye-watering levels of debt in the English Premiership. The Welsh Regions have been staggering from financial crisis to financial crisis since Day One, while the SRU are so-shocked at how much Edinburgh and Glasgow cost to run, they dare not tell us – the clubs, who are the main stakeholders in SRU plc.

Never forget, the SRU CANNOT AFFORD to fund the next level down from full, hard-nosed professionalism – that is why they don't have Edinburgh and Glasgow A teams and have come up with the franchise wheeze – to get the six franchisees to take the financial risks.

• The Ideal environment in which to develop younger players and give them the best-possible chance of making the grade is probably the A-team/Under-23 team model, attached to the full professional side. The model being followed in England, France, Ireland and Wales.
  
  
• The SRU cannot afford a centrally-funded and managed model like this – hence S6.
  
  
• The next-best model is probably a “Districts” model – like we used to have in the amateur days, and which still works today in New Zealand, in the Mitre-10 Cup.
  
  
  The SRU cannot afford a centrally-funded and managed model like this – hence S6
  
  
• Below that, I don't exactly know, but, within the financial constraints working on the SRU – S6 is probably as good a model as anyone could come up with.

The SRU has done the S6 clubs no favours in the way they have set it up. This is a PERFORMANCE competition, and should be managed as such. It cannot ever be a DOMESTIC competition. That is the biggest flaw in the whole edifice and it is a flaw of the SRU's making.

But, just suppose:

• S6 starts and is a success.
  
  
• BBC Alba comes on-board and starts to broadcast the games, thus giving it a public identity – as BBC Cymru has with the Welsh Premiership.
  
  
• S6 attracts and keeps an audience - both live at games and on-screen.
  
  
• S6 becomes, by say the third or fourth season, successful.
  
  
• S6 then becomes S8, and, perhaps ten years down the line – S10

Given my great age and lifestyle/ongoing health issues – I might not be around to write it, but, I am sure, if this happens, David Barnes can be trusted to write the: “What was all the fuss about?” article.