Calm Doon - They May Be Making Mistakes, But, They Are Doing Their Best In Difficult Times

THIS POST will not be popular among certain friends of this blog, but, maybe, just maybe, at a time when the world is still trying to come to terms with and find a means of overcoming Covid-19, those critics of the Scottish Rugby Union who want to pull the whole bloody BT Murrayfield edifice down around The Junta, and start again, should shut the fuck up and think.

I do not think the current high heid yins at EH12 are getting everything correct; indeed, they are making mistakes along the way, but, they are, to my mind, doing their best in really-taxing times, so, let's cut them some slack.

We will not be out of the woods over Covid before we have an effective vaccine, and that just might take at least 18 months to appear. Until then, and given our political leaders are largely thrashing around in the dark, I feel the best thing the SRU can hope to accomplish is to put in place systems which will mean we have a viable rugby community in Scotland to come back to when this is all over.

The rugby landscape will be much-changed by the time that happens, and I can indeed see the Scottish rugby community which comes out the other end, being a lot different from what we see today. The best we can perhaps hope for in the interim is that any decisions made between now and the return to “normal” is that, 5, 10 or 25 years even down the line – it can be said: The guys back during the Covid pandemic made the right choices.”

For a start, I am convinced, Covid will hasten the arrival of “Fewer but stronger” rugby clubs in Scotland. Although, I have my reservations about “stronger.” We will lose teams from some clubs, as the less-committed players find other things to do of a Saturday. We will, I feel certain, lose whole clubs – those smaller, Regional League clubs fielding one XV a week, perhaps playing on a local authority park and using a nearby pub as a club-house.

I am utterly convinced, we will see a reduction in the number of National Leagues, already, in NL2 and NL3, some of the clubs are making it clear, they don't fancy traipsing around Scotland while there are local restrictions. I can see the regional leagues in the remainder of Scotland coming into line with those in Caledonia Region, where you have second and lower XVs from bigger clubs playing in the saem league as first teams from smaller clubs.

Indeed, I would like to see less central control, with decisions taken more at a regional level. I would also like to see, as a means of keeping players involved once they leave school or become too-old for Youth rugby, different Laws in use for “Community Rugby” than those in “Performance Rugby.”

As I have written before, in Recreational Ice Hockey you don't see the sheer physical ferocity which you see in the professional game, but the guys still get to enjoy themselves – with the right tinkering with the Law Book, that could happen in recreational rugby.

Maybe it is time we implemented something I know some of the FOSROC Super6 clubs have been advocating – those clubs who play for fun be given a capped subsidy from the central SRU finds and told to get on with it.

Ideally, Performance Rugby – which I see as a three tier level:

• Tier One – the full and age group national teams, including the Sevens squads

• Tier Two – The two (hopefully in time three) full-time professional teams

• Tier Three – the Super6 (hopefully very quickly Super10) semi-professional teams.

would attract a bit more money. It would be great if the full-time teams were owned by someone other than the governing body, however, that isn't working in England, while in France there is a great deal of local authority subsidy in place.

I believe we will see massive change in England by the time we are out the other end of Covid. As things stand, if they cannot persuade the UK government to open their doors to the paying public soon, a few, indeed probably the majority of the big English clubs will close – even millionaires' pockets have limits to their depth.

The notion of the two Scottish PRO14 teams becoming independent of the SRU, I do not see happening. There simply is not the mass market for rugby in Scotland. Yes, the SRU will always be able to sell tickets for an entertaining and competitive national side, but, I would reckon there are not many additional bodies to be attracted to Edinburgh and Glasgow beyond the numbers they already attract.

The fact is, the national side is the only one in Scotland potentially able to attract a decent TV audience and consistent corporate income into the game. There will also be a limited market for the top flight of the club game. For me, the sensible plan for Scottish rugby would be:

• A limited number of centrally-contracted full-time professional players.

• They would be the national squad, and would be split equally among the PRO14 teams.

• The remainder of the PRO14 squads would be semi-professional players.

• When not required by the PRO14 sides, these players would play for Super6 (hopefully by then Super10) clubs.

These level of play would be managed by the SRU's Performance Rugby Department. There is also a case for having, below Super6 or whatever level, an additional single division of club teams. The clubs would be able to pay these players, but, they would have to have a club infrastructure which supports that level of play and provides decent spectator facilities.

Below that, managed by the current Rugby Development department, perhaps rebranded as the Community Rugby Department, we would have the bulk of the clubs, playing in regionalised competitions, with NO PAYMENTS BEYOND SET LEVELS OF EXPENSES for the players.

I could see a National Cup for this level, with, to save on costs, the early rounds regionalised, and I would certainly like to see Inter-Regional squads and games, similar to the old Inter-District Championship, to help identify the better players, the late-developers who were missed at youth level, who could move up to the Performance game.

We cannot, post-Covid, simply go back to the old ways. The game in Scotland needs to evolve to meet current and future challenges.

Thankfully, change is afoot. The governance issues are being addressed, I am certain, the SRU which emerges will be a lot different from what we have now.

But, let's allow them to get on with things, then, when we have seen what is suggested, we can rip into them if it doesn't suit. One thing is clear to me, however, whatever happens – I will be dealing with unhappy campers here on Aristotle – Some Scots are simply never happy.