A Well-Timed Windfall

THE STEREOTYPE used to be the “Canny Scot,” the ultra-cautious accountant or book-keeper, counting every last penny and forecasting doom and gloom if that money was ill-advisedly squandered.

Lately, however, with the rise of such cliched characters as “Scotty” in Star Trek, Private Fraser in Dad's Army and my favourite Pictish philosopher, Groundskeeper Willie in The Simpsons, your “Canny Scot,” has evolved into a Cannae Scot - “Ye cannae rewrite the Laws of Physics Man,” (Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, USS Enterprise); “We're awe doomed, doomed Ah tell ye,” (Private Fraser, Warmington-on-Sea Home Guard).

It is another old cliché that the best Scots of each generation always emigrate – either via the High Road to England, or venturing off to the old colonies of the former British Empire, but, I refuse to believe only the naturally subservient are happy to remain back here and be ordered about by our colonial masters from south of the Solway and Tweed.

Given the above, I was not at all surprised at initial below the line reactions to yesterday's announcement of – finally – a deal between Celtic Rugby, who run the Guinness PRO14 and the Luxembourg-based CVC Capital Partners. The deal is believed to be worth some £120 million to the four Unions: FIR, IRFU, SRU and WRU who together own Celtic Rugby.

One or two early commenters were wondering why we Scots appear to be getting a smaller share of this new money than the Irish and Welsh Unions – in the process totally ignoring the obvious, each of our Celtic cusins has four teams in the league, to th two teams of us and the Italians.

Still, at this time of huge financial uncertainty, a £20 million-plus contribution to the SRU finances is not to be sneezed at. Like many, I would love to see us having at least three, and better still four teams in the PRO14. But, the reality is, irrespective of suggestions of the SRU Junta wanting a degree of control over how any third or fourth team would be managed which would make outside investors wary of getting involved, I doubt if, in colonial Scotland, with the big decisions made in London, there are companies big enough to take-on, and more-importantly willing to become involved, in running a professional rugby team in Scotland.

So, let's not wish for what we are unlikely to have, this side of five to ten years after Independence – and assuming better governance than we currently enjoy at national level – a soaraway Scottish economy, and just be thankful for small mercies.

We're in trouble Dom, Aristotle is praising us, I think.

Given how hard things are likely to be for the next two or three years, as we slowly emerge from this pandemic, that money is going to be very useful, and, while we might have our doubts about how they run the playing side of the game in Scotland, in their commercial and financial control of matters it is difficult to be too-hard on that hard to love duo, TCD and LL-B, or Dodson and Dom as they are known.

I will be watching developments with interest.

A FRIEND of this blog, (no tittering at the back there), this week sent me a copy of the FFR's return to play protocols for the grass-roots French clubs.

This is a six step process, designed to gradually take their ordinary clubs to the verge of resuming playing. Of course, when this comes into play is a matter for the French government, and how quickly they release their own lockdown contingencies.

It is, on the face of it, easy to imagine each stage lasting a different length of time. It may be possible to move from one stag to the next a week apart. In other stages, the clubs might have to remain at the lower level of fredom for anything up to four weeks, before restrictions are eased and they can move on.

Of course, a sudden spike in the number of Covid-19 cases could lead to a second shut-down and a return to stage one, with a consequently longer build-up period. Also, how they are handling things on a natonal scale might be different from the approach of the five national governments within the British Isles, so, the French road map back to normality might not be suitable for transfer to the British Isles.

But, let's be optimistic and say, within three months of being cleared to resume rugby activities at the most-basic level one, the French are ready to play full contact rugby (although that I think is being very optimistic). Will we in Scotland be at that level? Or will we be some weeks behind?

The Scottish Government is planning on starting its phased return to normality route map next week. There are a lot of caveats around it, but, my reading of it is that, all being well, we will still not be at a stage where we are anywhere close to playing a contact sport such as rugby come the date for the start of next season in September.

We will then, assuming all is going well, still be required to observe social distancing by then – so, realistically, I don't see us being back playing rugby this side of the Bells. I may be wrong, but, that's my reading of the route map.

Even then, there is no mention of allowing the sort of crowds we would expect at top club games, far less a full-house Murrayfield, or even for an 1872 Cup game. The lockdown for rugby looks like being a long one – and I fear the damage that might do.

Still, let's look on the bright side, we might be forced to look at restructuring our season and, who knows, summer rugby might catch-on. Let's not be too pessimistic.

FINALLY, I wish Tim Swinson well in the next stage of his career. It might seem a bit off to refer to the big man as a “journeyman” player, given he has over 30 Scotland caps. But, as he would admit himself, Tim was never a star, but, if you could get the better of him in a game, well you had a chance of being a star yourself.

Tim Swinson - the best may yet be to come

He has given great service to Glasgow over the years, but, I feel his best contribution to Scottish rugby may still be to come. He was the guy who had the idea of a Scottish players union and, if his next step is to see him continue the work he started and take the union forward, Scotland rugby players as yet unborn might well have cause to raise a glass to big Tim.

He has had a good career, and may well have his best years ahead: Gaun yersel Big Yin.