Despite Buddy's Best Efforts - I got Yesterday's Story On Super-6

HOW NOT to do effective Media Relations – by Matt “Buddy” Horler, Chief Elf in the SRU's department of public misinformation:

• Decide that while certain blogs and online platforms which toe the party line are acceptable – banish to outer darkness those blogs and online platforms which dare to criticise the ruling junta at Murrayfield
  
  
• Remove long-established journalists, guys who were covering Scottish rugby before you were born, without prior notice and on your own whim, from your list of accredited outlets, entitled to receive your weekly media listing
  
  
• Continue this regime of “non-personage”, even when the person or outlet you have black-balled is arguably the only media outlet supportive of an initiative of yours
  
  
• Even when you have a “good news” story, which that outlet will support and comment-on favourably – keep him out of the loop.

That's how “Buddy” is operating these days. I am, apparently, unclean and must not be allowed near Murrayfield, in case I encourage others to question some Murrayfield decisions.

Matt Horler - Eric Morecambe had a phrase which covered him

Quite clearly, when it comes to Buddy, we must heed the sage words of the late, great Eric Morecambe: “This boy is a fool.”

Sadly for “Buddy”, his campaign of non-co-operation and his determination to place me in the 21st century  equivalent of the old Soviet era banishment – running a power station in Outer Mongolia, will not stop me commenting on Super-6.

The SRU arranged a “press briefing” yesterday, at which Sean Lineen, updated the acceptable faces of the Scottish Rugby press corps on progress on this most-contentious of issues. Can I suggest to “Buddy,” the elf in-charge of alerting to the press to this meeting, he might have thought to include the one guy in the Scottish Rugby press corps who is supporting Super-6. Just a thought.

Sean Lineen: pic Fotosport/David Gibson

Well, I went onto the website and watched the wee two-minute video presentation from Sean, very slick Mr Lineen, but, then that's what we expect from you. I then read the accompanying bumph, in which Sean used a lot of words to tell us very little, in fact, virtually nothing we did not already know.

Six months out from Super-6 kicking-off, with some more-interesting rugby to be got out of the way first:

• This week's PRO14 semi-final
  
  
• The PRO14 final on May 25
  
  
• The build-up to the World Cup – including the four warm-up games
  
  
• The announcement of the final World Cup squad
  
  
• The World Cup itself
  
  
• The start of the domestic season

Might I suggest having nothing worth-while to say about Super-6, perhaps, to paraphrase the immortal words of Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz: “You say it best, when you say nothing at all.”

I appreciate, many of the hip, young gunslingers in today's media almost have to be bottle-fed information or leads, but, yesterday's briefing was, to someone who wasn't there, largely a waste of time.

Ever since TCD unleashed Super-6 on an unsuspecting world at the 2017 AGM, while my views on the competition has changed, from “What the Fuck is this,” to - “You know, given the circumstances in which the SRU finds itself, this is a good idea,” I have held to a single constant: If Super-6 can be fucked-up, it will be fucked-up by Murrayfield

That view was reinforced by yesterday's briefing. For a start, because of the World Cup, the inaugural season, rather than starting with a bang, will begin with a whimper, not getting under way until November. We have been told, since the original concept was revealed, that Super-6 games would be played at a different time from ordinary club games, but, whether they are to be played on a Friday night, Saturday night, or Sunday – we still don't know.

Sean Lineen did reveal, Season One will, with breaks, be a long one, with things settling down in Season Two, during which the schedule would be:

• Domestic games – August to November
  
  
• A short break
  
  
• Domestic games – February – March, leading to a Grand Final in late March
  
  
• Cross-border games – April to June, before the close season until the following August.

The notion of summer/autumn rugby, when the grounds are firm and we have good weather is exciting. However, in Season One, the demands of the World Cup on the two professional teams will lead to Super-6 players, particularly the Fosroc Academy boys, “playing-up.”

In future years the November to February shut-down will aid the preparations for the Under-20 games etc, fair enough, but, a four-month shut down during a Scottish winter? We could well end-up with a mild, dry winter, then be hit by four feet of snow on the first Saturday of the Spring restart..

Sean also revealed that the SRU is actively trying to repatriate young players who are in their programme via the Scottish-Qualified programme. For instance, this season, Ayr in particular did rather well out of the SQ programme, now, the other teams will also be using such players. Again, this is encouraging.

He also spoke of the ongoing recruitment programme, for off-field staff: assistant coaches, S&C coaches, analysts, team managers and physiotherapists. Again, all good, but, maybe it would have been better if he had held off until the clubs had had some real news to put out – such as whether or not Super-6 will have a TV deal.

For instance, he did reveal joint meetings of the coaches would be taking place this week, after which they will have a better idea of what young player is going where – and of who will be filling more of the off-field jobs.

He also hinted at, and this development does excite me: that the coaches would be meeting with Scotland's top men in the refereeing department, and Super-6 could see some innovative Law tweaks – perhaps like those being trialed in Australia – could be introduced.

Might it not have been better to have held off until this information was available?

.

One place where I do feel, for once in his life, the excellent Mr Lineen has been caught telling porkies is when he said yesterday – Super-6 is not a development league. Come off it Sean, the whole reason for starting Super-6 was because, in the immortal words of Australia's Director of Rugby: “The Premiership is not fit for purpose,” (the unspoken part of the statement being – if that purpose is to ready players for professional rugby.)

Thus, Super-6 was set-up, to better develop players for the two professional teams. Sean Lineen wants to see the league developing a “Scottish style” of playing, and, there will be a requirement that at least three Stage Three Academy players start every game. Therefore – Super-6 is a development league.

Apologies to Sean if I've got anything badly wrong here, but, if your media gatekeeper sees it as his job to keep out supporters of your initiative, who thus have to interpret second-hand information, there is the chance of getting things wrong.

An organisation which is sure of itself and its aims, does not rely on censors keeping the “wrong” messengers out of the loop. More so, when that “wrong” messenger is generally supportive.