All This Delay Is Causing Confusion - Which Might Suit The Junta

STATEMENT of the obvious – these are not normal times. We are still in the grip of Covid-19 and, while best-case scenario MIGHT see us back enjoying Rugby by the end of January, I fear these hopes might be misplaced and, wearing my dour Scotsman bunnet, I really fear too, we might not see any rugby below full-time professional level before what we would presume to be the normal end of the season, at the end of April. I also fear, we might not see the summer Lions' Tour to South Africa.

Normally, at this time, we would be nearly half way into the league campaign. At international level, we would be reflecting on how we did in the Autumn Internationals. We would be discussing which clubs had made a good start and which were struggling. We would be reflecting on how maybe one or two new boys had adapted to the international game, and assessing what Gregor Townsend needed to do before the Guinness 6 Nations kicked off in the New Year.

OK, we got the 2019 6 Nations completed at the weekend, we now have a short break and we are into the new Nations Cup. That will fill the media void, but, for the normal club man, without normal league games to enthuse them, they are forced to find alternatives to discuss. And, on this point, with the rugby clubs shut down due to the Covid restrictions, much of whatever debate there is, is being carried on via social media, on platforms such as this one, and in the excellent The Offside Line.

The mainstream media has given up on all rugby below the international level and the Guinness PRO14, which does not help the club game – so, what debate there is tends to be at the hysterical level of the spectrum.

Yesterday, on Facebook, there were posted one or two stories which came under the heading: “Old news.” One was from 2018, the other from June this year. A case, to me, of any stick with which to beat The Junta running the SRU.

Now, as I see it, for a number of years, instead of the Secretariat of the SRU serving the clubs, they have pretty-much done as they wished. This has happened because a lame Council has failed in its duty to challenge and guide the game's “Civil Service,” instead, rubber stamping whatever the paid executives wanted.

There are signs that the new Council, which was voted-in in Part one of the 2020 AGM, back in August, is turning things around. Certainly the debate will be hard-fought and intense when the Governance Review Group finally reports, before the 2021 AGM. Things are due to change, hopefully for the better.

But, as I have been saying for a wee while now. It does not help to simply dash-off posts to the btl (below the line) comments section of this and other social media sites. If you have concerns, suggestions or views, go through your club, or contact your Council member. Let them know you are unhappy. Get involved, healthy debate is to be encouraged.

Of course, the SRU Junta seemingly cannot help but make a difficult situation if not worse, then at least continually uncertain. For years, they have acted as if they were above censure or even constraint. These days are past and keeping doing as they have done these past few years simply will not cut it.

For instance, the SRU accounts for season 2019-2020 are long past the time when they should have been published. OK, I accept, Finance Director Andrew Healy was off ill earlier in the year, which would have delayed things; but, every other northern hemisphere union has reported. Part two of the 2020 AGM is a mere three weeks away. To give the clubs time to digest and prepare questions on the Annual Report and the Accounts, they really MUST be published by the end of this week.

Every additional day's delay, increases the pressure on The Junta, with more and more rugby people asking: “Exactly what do they have to hide? Why the delay?”

The SRU accounts, of late, have not been the easiest to read. OK, they may not wish to change how they do things, but, I fear, for their sakes, they will have to.

For my part, I said last year, the figures were not great, and the trends were not encouraging. That was before Covid, and, while the pandemic will not have too-much of an impact on the unpublished accounts, prepare yourself for bad news, with worse to come in 2021.

I am not going to join the calls of “Dodson Must Go,” OK, he comes across as a very-unlikable person, who does his public image no favours. He may well be TCD, but, overall, it might be argued, his performance as CEO has been good. If we get shot, we might not replace him with someone as good.

However, he could help himself by at least trying to communicate better with the media, and, far-more-importantly, the body of the kirk of Scottish Rugby. Publishing the accounts would be a good starting point.

DURING the initial stages of the pandemic and the sporting lockdown, BT Sport emptied the vault by showing their entire back catalogue of ESPN sports films about North America's big sports – American Football, Baseball and Basketball.

For me, the interesting films were not those concerning the professional game – MLB, NBA and NFL games. I found the ones on college sport far-more interesting. In particular, I was intrigued by the tales of the coaches, and how they went about recruitment and building sporting dynasties.

One of the things which the PRO14 has in common with North American sport is – once you are in the league, you are in for keeps (well, unless your governing body decides to retrench and cut or change its teams).

Even if Edinburgh or Glasgow finish bottom of their PRO14 conferences every year – they cannot be relegated, their place is safe. Now, in the professional sports in North America, there is no relegation. But, the team which finishes bottom of the rankings gets first pick in the annual draft of new players, and, with judicious horse trading, has the opportunity to build a better, stronger squad, and rise through the rankings.

In college sports, the same situation applies, even if you finish bottom of your conference, you cannot be removed. In college sport, getting up the rankings is down to how well you recruit, then how well you coach.

I would say, these are the areas where the SRU and the two professional teams should be seeking to improve. By better recruiting and coaching. The recent recruiting processes of the two pro teams has come in for a lot of btl criticism of late. Nobody objects to either team going out on a limb and signing a “marquee” superstar, who will make a difference.

However, I see increased unrest in the body of the kirk over the recruitment of “cheap” South Africans and Pacific Islanders, over young Scottish players. I have said since this blog started and I will never deviate from this belief – for our professional teams, we should be pro-actively encouraging and recruiting young Scots first.

OK, as a well-known Scottish pundit in another sport observed: “You win nothing with kids.” But, disappointing though it might be to see a string of losses, if they are handled properly, sticking with a predominantly Scottish team, while they will initially lose more games than they win; with the right coaching and time, they will prosper.

If you don't believe me, I give you a one-word response: Connacht. The Irish RFU put them in as a development side, but, they kept going and, in 2016 they won the PRO14.

I have seen no evidence to force me to change my stance on what we should be doing re the elite teams in Scotland. I can see no evidence why any sensible businessman would sink money into a full-time Scottish team – I can see no way how this could be a money-making venture.

Therefore, we are stuck with the governing body running our full-time, professional clubs. I have said before, we ought to have a perhaps 40-strong centrally-contracted core international squad, split equally between the two PRO14 sides. (I have no objections to using players such as Finn Russell and the Exeter contingent who are playing elsewhere for Scotland).

The other places in the two professional side should come from players with the FOSROC Super6 franchises – which should, as quickly as possible, be expanded to a Super10.

The Super10 squads should be primarily “Scottish-qualified.” I have no objections to bringing in “project players,' provided these players are under-23 when first recruited.

With no relegation, we can take our time inside the PRO14, develop our players and, hopefully, in the long term, see Scottish rugby in a better place.

We do not need to keep recruiting cheap Pacific Islanders and South Africans. But, as I have been saying for years, we need to be smarter and better at bringing through the best Scottish talent.