Brexit Is Not The Only Failure Of Governance

AT BALGRAY on Saturday, I was chatting to a bunch of gentlemen who know their way round Scottish Rugby's corridors of power. We were discussing the current governance travails of the SRU, and seeking potential solutions.

The consensus was – in plain English: “Sack the fucking lot.” And why not.

• TCD – the Ayatollah of EH12 seems untouchable. But, he totally ignored employment law, and we understand, the advice of his HR department, in his determination to be rid of the excellent Keith Russell. In the process, he cost the SRU, (with legal fees etc.) we understand something in the region of £250,000
  
  
• General counsel Robert Howat. He is supposed to ensure the SRU observes the law of the land in how it does things. In the case of Keith Russell – he did not do this
  
  
• Chairman Grassie – with the Russell employment tribunal verdict looming over the union, decides to give TCD a new, big-money contract
  
  
• Then, when the excrement hits the air agitator, he and the Board come up with a disgraceful fudge, whereby, a member of the self-same board which backed TCD in his decision to dispense with Russell's services, a senior member of the legal profession no less, should conduct an “independent” review of the issue
  
  
• In an interview with BBC Scotland, carried-out in Houston during the Summer Tour, Grassie promised: “There will be no hiding, we must have openness”
  
  
• Then, when this allegedly “independent” reviewer finally reports back, Grassie and his board come up the notion to keep the findings secret
  
  
• Lesley Thomson QC is the senior lawyer – why did she go along with the secrecy idea? Surely justice must not only be done, but, be seen to be done
  
  
• The Council; they are supposed to oversee decisions of the paid executives and the Board. They are supposed to be the gatekeepers for the clubs. Yet they allowed a popular and efficient administrator to be sacked unfairly
  
  
• They do not appear to have in any way questioned the actions of TCD in sacking Russell
  
  
• They did not support the clubs in making Lesley Thomson's review findings public
  
  
• Still on the subject of the Council – there is anecdotal evidence of several members of the Council failing in their duty to liaise with the clubs they represent, to hold forums to interact with the clubs they represent
  
  
• There is anecdotal evidence of forums being called at inconvenient times and venues, and consequently being poorly-attended

That's quite a charge sheet, however, at the end of the day, we get the administrators, paid and unpaid, we deserve. The clubs have to take their share of blame for the current situation. Time and again we hear that too-many clubs have shrugged their shoulders and said: “No, that does not concern us,” when issues arise.

I know this from personal experience. Mention Super-6 to officials with Regional League clubs and you hear: “Nope doesn't concern us, not interested.” Aye, but, they'll be interested when an S6 club comes sniffing around their very-good scrum half, for instance.

Agenda-3; too-often it's a case of: “How does it affect us?” Rather than: “What's the bigger picture?”

But, perhaps this type of thinking is an unforeseen consequence of how the Dunlop Report has been implemented. One veteran club official said to me:

“In the old days of Districts and District meetings, you turned up and met people from every type of club. You sat down with them and you found-out what was concerning them, you spoke to each other.

“Today, you only ever see your peers in your division, you only ever speak of issues which concern your bunch of ten or twelve clubs – you never get to discuss the bigger picture.”

That, of course, only applies if divisional or regional councillors either get round their clubs, or set-up forums for their constituents to attend. Some are seen as “invisible men” by the pbi in the clubs.

“If I want to contact my Council member, I virtually have to get myself into the main stand at Scotstoun, he's there, in the hospitality section, more-often than he visits the clubs he is supposed to represent,” is a comment one club official made to me.

The impression is abroad, some of the current Council are more interested in troughing than working for the good of Scottish Rugby. OK, I can accept, they put themselves forward for these jobs, but, the price of a wee picture with the Princess Royal and one of the best seats in the house at Murrayfield is – you put in the hours going round the clubs.

On which point, and I am reluctant to criticise a lady who is still very new to the job, but, already there are murmurings within the club game, that “Doctor Who” should maybe divest herself of the advice of her predecessor, who still appears to have over-much influence for someone whose term of office is widely viewed as having been a disaster.

These are turbulent times, and the boat will not stop rocking any time soon. We wait to see how things will pan out regarding the governance issue. What will happen with the club survey, particularly on the vexing issue of where the S6 “amateur” sides will play next season.

We need an early resolution to the current turmoil. The clubs need to know what is happening. We perhaps need to get Agenda-3 back on the agenda.

In politics, Brexit has been badly handled, with the country lurching from crisis to crisis. This unsatisfactory situation is mirrored in rugby. We need to get things sorted out, or, just as Brexit looks increasingly likely to lead to Scottish independence, then the SRU's failings in governance of the club game, may yet lead to the grass roots seeking a bit more independence from the dead hand of Murrayfield control freakery. The game is not in a good place at the moment.