Digging-In For Victory In Five Star Luxury

I AM TELT our glorious leader, TCD and his Board are today establishing base camp at one of their favourite watering holes, St Andrew's Old Course Hotel. They will discuss serious issues there, and be joined tomorrow, for further intense talks, by our elected representatives – the SRU Council.

Who'd be a board member,having to slum it here for the next two days

They have much to discuss, after all, even the misogynist English rugby media has suddenly discovered, we play the game up here. Just this week we have seen Fleet Street's Finest assuring us that Matt Sheratt is poised to become Scotland's Attack Coach, while the Australian media rumour mill has it that, having already prised Dave Rennie from Murrayfield's employment, Scott Johnson now wants to repatriate Matt Taylor.

So, on coaches alone, much for TCD and The Junta to discuss. Except, let's look a bit closer:

• Sheratt as Attack Coach? To replace who? The current Scotland Attack Coach is Gregor Townsend, and we don't think he's going anywhere any time soon.
• And, even if he did, it wouldn't be an Attack Coach, but a Head Coach we would be trying to recruit, and Sheratt isn't in that league.
• Sheratt's “best mate” is apparently Danny Wilson, the incoming Glasgow coach
• So Sheratt, who will seemingly be quitting his contract at Ospreys at the end of this season might be a better fit for Glasgow than Scotland.
• Taylor to Australia? Well, our defence came-in for some criticism at the World Cup, so, maybe the players need to hear a different voice.
• Would Taylor leaving be a body blow?

No, to me it all reads like a long-established football thing coming into rugby – an agent flying a kite for his client via a friendly journalist. Sheratt is out of a job in about six months, so, get in early letting people know he will be available.

HOWEVER, I doubt if changes to the various coaching staffs will be paramount in the discussions. The sensible thing would surely be to wait until new Performance Director Jim Mallinder is in-situ and able to freely voice his ideas to the great and good.

I understand Mallinder starts in January, this gives time to make any backroom changes before the 6 Nations squad is announced. Mind you, more-worrying are the continuing rumours about relationships inside the dressing room from Japan.

The belief is afoot that: “Toony had 'lost the dressing room' in Japan.” Some, who would like to have us think they are in the know, insist Finn Russell has stopped listening to the Coach. I hae ma doots about this. I kind of accept when you have two such individualists as Russell and Townsend, you will always get some disagreements, and, you live with this.

Russell does things which I doubt if even Townsend at his peak could do, so, you live with the odd brainfart and disagreement.

[A tale, of the often fraught relationship between star player and star manager – told by another star. Alex Ferguson has a great story about his time with Ayr United. The United team bus – en route to places such as Dundee and Aberdeen - would collect the Glasgow-based players outside the old Daily Record building in Hope Street. One Saturday, they were all there on-time, except star striker George McLean. The bus sat for 20 minutes, with manager Ally MacLeod growing ever more agitated at McLean's non-arrival and loudly proclaiming: “If the bastard's not here in five minutes, we are going without him.” Four minutes and 59 seconds later, a white open-topped Sunbeam Alpine screeches to a halt in front of the bus; McLean is the driver. He gets out, as does the beautiful blonde passenger. They then exchange a long goodbye kiss on the pavement, McLean ushers the blonde into the driver's seat and boards the coach with a cheery: “Hi Boss” as he passes MacLeod, who by this time has steam coming out of his ears. United win the match easily, with McLean scoring a hat-trick.]

More concerning is the news about another of the established players, no names here, but, the quote I have heard, second-hand, from the player, about the National Coach is: “I am never going into another camp with that bastard.”

We may, given the SRU's love of smoke and mirrors, sleight of hand and general pauchling of things, never gain sight of the 2019 World Cup debrief, but I feel it would make interesting reading – I await the fall-out.

However, I feel the main item on the agenda on the two-day jolly at St Andrew's might well be how the Board gets their way over the Bill Gammell/Norman Murray report. I understand Sir Bill may be joining them in North-East Fife.

I am telt by one who has had a read at the proposals that; “Around 80% of what Gammell/Murray are suggesting is good – but.” Aye, there is always a but and that is the worry.

I hear, among the representations are:

• A return to District representation, replacing the current Council.
• The setting-up of TWO companies to run Scottish Rugby
• The membership of the main board of the main company to be APPOINTED, rather than ELECTED. Who by?
• The changes to be driven through via two SGMs, held in very-short order after only a limited consultation period.

I understand Council members have been “Leant-on” by some of the heavy hitters: LL-B and J Cheever Loophole addressed a recent Council meeting, to make it clear – dissent among the elected will not be tolerated, a unified front must be presented when the shit hits the fan.

The SRU has, apparently, retained Shepherd and Wedderburn, one of the biggest Edinburgh legal firms, to oversee these changes – and they don't work for peanuts.

Apparently Gavin MacColl's Standing Committee on Governance was split over the Gammell/Murray report, but, as it was explained to me: “The only opinion Bill Gammell worries about is his own – he does not take any criticism or notes of caution well. Very much the old factory boss mentality - 'the: you're lucky to have a job and me' approach."

One thing, covering Scottish Rugby is never dull. This one will run and run.