As Yon Erudite Glaswegian Observed - Oh Fuck, There's Twa O' Them

THERE IS a very-interesting story in today's New Zealand Herald, suggesting another private equity firm, the US-based Silver Lake, is talking to the New Zealand Rugby Union about taking a stake in the game.

Nobody is saying anything openly, but, if this NZ Herald exclusive has any substance, then the consequences might be dynamic for the game, with Silver Lake – whose portfolio includes UFC martial arts fighting, New York's iconic Maddison Square Garden and a stake in football's Manchester City.

The Herald story stresses, any talks with the big hitters in Auckland, are still at a very early stage, but, if things do move on, and we have a situation where Silver Lake has a stake in New Zealand Rugby, with rivals CVC Capital Partners having a say in the English Premiership, the PRO14 and possibly the Six Nations – well, we could be getting into boxing territory, with rival companies jostling to be the top dogs in the game.

And what this will mean for professional rugby, I shudder to think. Cleary, the global pandemic and in particular how we come out of it, will have huge ramifications for sport and, for the elite cadre of professional sports administrators around the global game, just how they finance their lavish life styles will be a major concern.

But, on the brighter side, those of us whose interests are more mundane, at the level of our local clubs, just might see our sport recast in a more-sustainable way.

These current “Interesting Times” we are living through, will not become boring for a wee while yet, I fear.

RICHARD COCKERILL has taken a wee bit of flak of late, between signing untried South African teenagers, and journeymen Australians, then allowing local boy and fans' favourite Matt Scott to leave. So, it was good to see him slapping a fresh coat of tartan paint on the Edinburgh squad yesterday, by announcing the signings of Nathan Chamberlain, Ben Muncaster and Dan Gamble.

And, according to the font of all Scottish Rugby news, The Offside Line, more young Scots are headed for BT Murrayfield, with Under-20 caps, Connor Boyle, Rory Darge and Sam Grahamslaw on the verge of picking up professional contracts, and heavy hints of Ayrshire Bulls' prospect Marshall Sykes, Watsonians' Jamie Hodgson and Heriot's Charlie Jupp all being considered for Edinburgh contracts.

Good players though these young men are, and all have shown up well in the somewhat disjointed first season of the FOSROC Super6 tier of the game, I doubt if they would be any more than bench fodder if and when the PRO14 resumes.

Of more interest is Cockers' cryptic hint about a more-experienced Scottish-qualified lock coming in to offer an alternative to Grant Gilchrist and Ben Toolis. I cannot think who he might have in mind, maybe young Alex Craig from Gloucester? I honestly cannot think of any other potential players in the position, and, given how well he has played since going there on-loan, and the financial implications of the London club, I would have thought there was a case for trying to get Calum Hunter-Hill back into the Edinburgh squad.

WILL IT BE a thoroughbred, or a camel (a horse designed by a committee)? That is my first thought when I conasider the new “Open” Conference, designed to sit above the hitherto premier “Shogun” Conference in the SRU's Youth Conferences.

The new competition will feature perennial contenders: Ayr/Wellington, Boroughmuir and Stirling County, who will be joined by: Hawick Youth, Marr College and Melrose Wasps/Earlston HS. These six teams will play each other, home and away, at Under-18, Under-16 and Under-15 level.

All well and good, but, purists might blanche somewhat at the absence from the new league of GHA and Jed Thistle, the two clubs whose chance of Murrayfield glory in this season's Under-18 cup final was denied them by the Coronavirus outbreak.

Jed are perennial contenders at this level, while GHA has access to arguably Glasgow's two top rugby-playing schools, Hutcheson's Grammar School and St Aloysius College, so, for me definitely has the pedigree to be involved at this level.

Mind you, if the SRU was serious about seeing the best of our young talent competing against each other, they'd be telling the “posh” schools to come out of their wee exclusive ivory towers and take on the ruffians from club land.

Some of the worthies at Marr, for instance, while looking forsward to competing in the new competition, and absolutely relishing the prospect of local derbies against Ayr/Wellington, were none too-pleased at being denied games against some of the supposedly “better” schools, on the grounds they didn't have the ability to field two XVs at Under-16 and Under-18 level every week.

It has also been suggested, I understand, that the fact the Marr College team which embarrassed one or two private schools during their brilliant run in the Scottish Schools Cup in the season just ended, contained one or two boys who went to other schools, such as non-rugby-playing Prestwick Academy, wasn't acceptable to schools who think nothing of offering rugby scholarships to boys from state schools to fill talent gaps. But, don't do as we do, do as we instruct the SRU to tell you has long been a fact of life in certain leafy Edinburgh enclaves.

I certainly wish the new league well and look forward to seeing it flourishing.