Thoughts On a Weekend Of Televised Rugby

STORM MALIK, or whatever it was called, messed-up my Saturday afternoon, with the Newcastle Falcons v Gloucester match put back until later on Saturday night. However, I noticed that Free Sports were showing the South African United Rugby Championship match between the Sharks and the Stormers, so I thought, why not? Here are a few observations:

• Some Boers still appear to think, “The Laws don't apply to us, we can do as we like on the park.”

• Siya Kolisi is a fantastic role model. How many players, getting over the try line but knowing they had been held-up would, as he did at one point, tell the referee: “Don't bother going upstairs to check, I didn't get the ball down.”

• We perhaps need to import a few South African scrum coaches. In some games today, there are not many scrums, but, when a pack is properly coached at scrum time – it remains a formidable weapon.

• The way the modern composite ball “sweats” in humid conditions, there might be a case for a return to the old leather ball. Some of the handling in the game was awful, in-part due to how the modern ball reacts to humidity.

• Rugby's TMO protocols are far superior to Football's VAR protocols. Watching and listening to how the decision to give the Stormers their match-tying Penalty Try in overtime was highly-educational.

But, with reference to that final point, the biggest thing I took from the game is – who would want to be a referee? Bad enough having players questioning every decision, but, when you then have extended trial by Television as well. It's not worth the bother some times.

Mind you, I have long held, when you see the amount of second-guessing of referees' decisions and the amount of controversy around match officials today – it's not the referees who are at fault, but the Laws of the Game.

We really need a major and in-depth overhaul of the Law Book, backed-up by a World Rugby-led clamp down on dissent and what I prefer to call “unprofessional fouls.”

One of the cheapest tricks I see in the modern game is how, given the requirement that the tackler immediately rolls away at the breakdown, how often that tackler is prevented from doing so by an opponent – who immediately gets a penalty as his reward. Referees, in my view, need to be smarter in sorting-out this sort of cheating. Just restart play with a scrum, possession to the non-infringing team, the holding down would soon stop.

STILL ON the subject of television coverage of Rugby, I honestly think at times, Lawrence Dallaglio is trying to compete with Austin Healey to see who can be the stupidest. If so, he's wasting his time, wee Healey is far-sharper, but has decided to appoint himself Rugby Union's Court Jester.

Early on during Friday night's Bath v Harlequins game, the bold Dallaglio informed us that one of the 'Quins' backs was having: “an excellent game.” The first thing the poor guy had done was butcher a certain try, by knocking-on as he dived. Next time he was called into action, he was skinned on the outside by his immediate Bath opponent, and the third time he featured, he knocked-on. But, the player is English, so, in Dallaglio's eyes, he can do no wrong.

Mind you, on Sunday afternoon we had another example of how poorly the talking heads from the other nations rate Scotland, when Brian O'Driscoll, commenting on London Irish beating Exeter Chiefs, reckoned Irish would only be missing James Hassell-Collins during the Six Nations – completely overlooking oor ain Kyle Rowe.

I suppose the answer is, if Scotland does win the tournament, then they'd have to start paying attention to us. Or, would it be another case of England not playing, to finish fifth – again?

THAT WAS an excellent victory for Glasgow Warriors in Galway on Saturday evening. Not many sides will visit the Showground and score that many tries – and Glasgow did it with several first picks kept back with the Scotland squad – we could do with more such victories.

But, I was disappointed that Edinburgh lost to Ospreys. If the Scottish teams are to offer a genuine challenge to the Irish and South African teams in the URC, going to Wales and winning ought to become normal.

However, what really pisses me off is the way our two full-time professional teams are treated by BBC Shortbread. OK, we all know, at Pacific Quay, “SPORT” means football, and more-exactly two Glasgow-based teams. We really should be demanding better of London's principal propaganda mouthpiece.

It's all very well covering home games from Scotstoun, but, when all you are getting from an away game is online score flashes – it simply isn't good enough. I have said this before and I fear I will be saying it again in the future – it's maybe time for the SRU to start playing hardball with the Scottish media.

Start treating Scottish Rugby as a proper, big, grown-up sport, or, we stop co-operating with you. For instance, ITV showed a live Gallagher Premiership game on the STV platform – when the same game was already in its regular slot on BT Sport.

BBC Wales regularly shows URC games, both on BBC Wales and S4C. Ulster's games are regularly, either “live” or “as live” on BBC Northern ireland; Hell, they even show Ulster A games.

But, Scottish Rugby is almost a no-go area for BBC Shortbread, other than the improving Super6 coverage. It's time we stopped being an after thought to the decision-makers at Pacific Quay. Always assuming the high heid yins there are allowed to make big decisions.

In The Calm Before The Six Nations Storm - It's Hard To Find Points To Discuss

“WHAT HAVE the Romans ever done for us?” was memorably asked by John Cleese in 'The Life of Brian.' Fast forward some 1850 years and the question might have been: “What have the Victorians ever done for us?”

They certainly gave us organised sport, with Association Football, Rugby Union football, and County and International Cricket all coming to the fore at the zenith of the British Empire. At the same time, golf and tennis caught the public's attention and if the Olympic Games came a bit later, and was the brainchild of a Frenchman, it still originated at the height of the Old Queen's reign.

Rugby Union, of all the games to spring from the Victorian era, was the last to bow to professionalism (other than the unfortunate breakaway of those chaps from “Oop North”), taking roughly 125 years before it allowed itself to be tainted by filthy lucre, and in the process falling into 25 years of turmoil and uncertainty.

Those of us still involved in the game, in many ways long for the simpler times when we really played for fun, because, to be honest, the guys running the game have – since the decision to open-up the game in 1995, been stumbling around and have still to get a real grip on things and get the game on an even keel.

When I look at the game's high heid yins and getting things right, I think of Don McLean's great line: “Perhaps they never will.”

I note, this week, with the six extended squads already in-camp, preparing for the 2022 Guinness Six Nations, conjecture growing around the future shape of the tournament, specifically, whether or not under-performing Italy are about to be dumped, in favour of World Champions South Africa.

The possibility of promotion and relegation is occasionally aired, with some system whereby the winner of the Rugby Europe Championship, to be contested this year by: Georgia, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia and Spain, and which is seen as a sort of Six Nations Division Two, might play-off with the side finishing Six in the real Six Nations for the right to compete in the main show next season. Or perhaps, even straight promotion and relegation between the two competitions.

World Rugby, and more-significantly the Six Nations' Chief Executive Ben Morel have been quick to pour cold water on this, the suggestion coming out of Dublin is that any changes to the international calendar will revolve round the July and November International Windows.

We've been here before. Remember, in the simpler days BC (before Covid) there was talk of a set-up whereby the Six Nations carried-on as before, while a similar competition was set-up in the Southern Hemisphere, involving: Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa – with cross-over competition between the two conferences. However, it came to nothing.

We have now learned that World Rugby is looking at a means of levelling-up between the Tier One nations and the rest, but, is giving nothing away on this. Of course, this being World Rugby, The Establishment will close ranks to delay this for as long as possible. So, you can bet, any changes will amount to little more than rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. 'Twas ever thus.

I WILL “celebrate” a 30-year anniversary in June this year – it will be that length of time since I was cast into outer darkness by the Scottish Junior Football Association, for the heinous crime of pointing-out that Joe Black, their then all-powerful Secretary, was an ersehole of the first water. Nothing in the intervening years has caused me to alter that opinion.

My crime: I pointed-out in my “colour piece” for the Cumnock Chronicle that, in the biggest match of the season – the Junior Cup Final, played at Firhill, a match contested by two teams from the Cumnock area, the almost omnipresent Auchinleck Talbot and Glenafton Athletic, the nearest thing to a local in the Directors Box had been then local MP and weel-kent Jambo, (Lord) George Foulkes.

Traditionally, at least the Presidents and Secretaries of the two competing clubs got to sit in the posh seats, but, for this final, the guys who did the hard-work in keeping these two great clubs going were in the body of the Kirk, in fact, up beside the beasts of the press.

Joe had otherwise stacked the posh seats with his cronies and, because I pointed this out, I was immediately cast into outer darkness. Thirty years later, I am still reporting on the Junior Cup Final, (it's now my once-a-year foray into real fitba reporting). But, since that fateful day, I have never once been invited to the big pre-match lunch. Indeed, this got to be a running joke between me and Tom Johnston, the excellent administrator who succeeded Black in the top job, on Junior Cup Final Day.

“Did my lunch invitation get lost again?” I would ask Tom post-game. “You had better ask Joe, he sends them out,” would be Tom's answer.

It's now the same with Scottish Rugby. Buddy the Elf, the quarter-wit who runs the SRU's failing media circus, decided some years ago, my then forty-plus years of covering rugby counted for nothing – I was: “just a blogger and not a real journalist,” so, I was cut from the roll of accredited media.

To be fair, I will turn 75 at the end of next month, so Buddy will perhaps out-last me, unless we get more elected guys into Murrayfield, who realise – he's a waste of space and, in one of the SRU's favourite expressions: “not fit for purpose.”

So, being on the banned list, I didn't get to attend TCD's annual address to the hacks this week – so I am, in commenting here, relying on Big Barney's account in the excellent The Offside Line.

Barney managed to get the CEO's thoughts distilled into ten points:

1. It is time for Scotland to challenge for the Six Nations title. Nice easy starter, so say all of us; it could happen this year, but, as we all know – when we sign-up for the Tartan Army, it's the hope that is more likely to kill us.

2. The two pro teams are 12 to 18 months away from being at the level he wants. Like TCD, we all want to see Edinburgh and Glasgow being more than bit-part players in Europe; that goes without saying. But, he gives us no clue as to his thinking on how we achieve this. I would have liked him to have said, we were going to become less-dependant on NSQ imports – he said: “We need to be regularly demonstrating, LIKE THE IRISH SIDES, that we can reach the second round in Europe.” Well, be like the Irish, encourage our own home-grown players more.

3. The £20 million in grants and loans we got from the Scottish Government to support the game through Covid has been properly handled. That response comes down to being A Mandy Rice-Davies comment. He would say that, wouldn't he.

4. Grassroots player numbers is a major concern. You don't say; fucking Hell, even Homer Simpson could see that. Yes, it's a problem and, like a good few commentators, I don't see the talent inside the Rugby Development Department to sort it out. However, I will say this, with the new “Game On” protocols – provided you can get ten players out, you can play. If some clubs cannot or will not do this - the problem is within that club, not within Murrayfield.

5. Next month's World Cup qualifying match could be pivotal for the women's game in this country. That's gross understatement. I would say, if we cannot win this one, we should maybe think of giving-up on women's rugby. I have never wanted a Scottish team to win more than I do the lassies in this one. It's a golden chance for us to properly establish the women's game up here. Good to see they are thinking of getting a women's team into the English Allianz Premier 15s. I actually think, if we are to be serious about elite women's rugby, we should be looking at Edinburgh and Glasgow women's squads.

6. He quite fancies carrying-on in the job after his current contract, which is due to end after World Cup 2023. I would maybe go along with this, with the proviso, he is sent on a course to improve his inter-personal skills, which definitely need an awful lot of work. Also, Ian Barr and John Jeffrey should tie him to a chair, in a room illuminated only by a single spotlight, trained on said chair, and beat into him the fact - “You are a civil servant to the game of rugby – you are free to advise, but, we, the elected officials, we have the final say in the big decisions.”

7. Murrayfield is going to need some cash spent on it, sooner rather than later. Another statement of the obvious, I think we all realise, if we are to make it a stadium which people wish to visit, we have to keep it up to speed. I don't think you will find too-many people disagreeing with that statement.

8. He still wants to expand Super6, but not straight away. That's hardly news. Expanding S6 before there has at least been one round of cross-border fixtures would be stupid. To me that reads as if the seventh franchise is going to be the long-awaited Glasgow City one. That would, in the short-term, be easier to put together than the Aberdeen or Dundee ones – where a lot of small-minded club men still need to have some sense about the greater good kicked into them, in my view.

9. The challenges facing rugby in the North East of Scotland need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Yet another statement of the obvious. But, quite how you sort-out a bunch of bickering Scotsmen is a challenge which has been beyond greater minds than TCD's since the days when we all wore woad. Good luck with that one.

10. No third pro team any time soon. That's sad, because, unless we get a third pro side up and running, we will become a Pacific Islands nation – without the sunshine. Our better players will leave for more money outwith Scotland. This is a vision we really should be working harder on.

That's my view on a press conference to which I wasn't invited. I am sure the readers of this blog will have their own views. Over to you.

GORDY REID this week announced on Facebook, he has retired from professional rugby. He will, we presume, continue to play for Marr, as and when required. But, there will be no more final bows for some pro team which desperately needs an experienced loose-head.

 Gordy has had a good career. He made much of his abilities and perhaps got further than some people thought he might. He has always been good copy for we hacks, has never taken himself too seriously and always played with a smile on his face.

He has undoubtedly been a character, and, while Joe Marler definitely tries too-hard to appear to be a character. I feel Gordy played the role better, with less effort. Speaking of Marler, I recall, some years back, when he was just starting to make waves, Harlequins played Glasgow Warriors at The Stoop. In the first minute, Marler tried his hard man act on Gordy. Reid's response so shocked the supposed Harlequins hard man, he spent the remainder of his hour or so on the park, stayijng as far away from Gordy as he could get.

A clear case of a wannabee hard case meeting the real thing. Thanks for the memories Gordy, and awrabest for the future.

FINALLY – I can make only one thing of all these reports of injured players and selection doubts around England's Six Nations squad, particularly the wailing and gnashing of teeth around “de Milo” Farrell.

Methinks they are getting their excuses in early.

There's Something The Matter Wi Glasgow

SCOTSTOUN – AND MURRAYFIELD: you have a major problem. Once again, on Saturday night, for the second European game in a row, Glasgow Warriors collapsed from a leading position, to lose badly. Their hopes of advancement to the last-16 then depended on Exeter thumping Montpellier, denying them even a losing bonus point, and Ospreys beating Sale – then Glasgow would have advanced, to face Leicester in the first knock-out round. But, as we now know, it wasn't to be.

I am not a natural fan of either Edinburgh or Glasgow; these are not rugby clubs in the traditional sense. Both are SRU-owned entities, whose raison d'etre is to prepare international class players for the international arena. Both teams are loss-making units within the governing body. Their job is not to win the United Rugby Championship, or The Heineken Cup – although any such success would be most-welcome. Their job is to keep our home-based international players up to speed for international duty, and get the successors to these players ready to take over.

I don't think they do this as well as they could. I doubt that the SRU has got the correct levers in-place and in the correct slots. That is regrettable and I feel we should do better.

The English and French clubs, such as La Rochelle and Leicester have different priorities – to win leagues and cups and bugger doing anything to assist the FRF and the RFU.

Sure, it would be great if either or both our teams were contending in the knock-out rounds of the two major European competitions. Such an outcome would be great for Scottish Rugby's self-esteem, and be confidence-boosting for our players.

But, if the Glasgow players learn from the last to results and lift their game to the necessary level, which sees us – beginning with retaining the Calcutta Cup – have a glorious Six Nations campaign, then I will feel a bit better about the results against Exeter and La Rochelle.

If next season, we could go into Europe with an all-Scottish squad (and I have nothing against Glasgow and Edinburgh's NSQ players when I write this), and with a bit better strategy in place for developing out younger Scottish players – then I will be even happier.

I honestly feel Coach Danny Wilson needs to be more-willing to give his fringe players a chance, some of the squad appear to think their places are assured, regardless of how they play – while I am equally sure, there are players at Scotstoun who might be thinking: “Why do I bother, he isn't going to give me a chance, regardless of what I do in training.”. Also, I think they need to find and employ a good sports psychologist as a matter of urgency.

It also might help if Gregor Townsend or even Jim Mallinder could discover their inner Jim Telfer and give an updated 'Everest Speech' to Scotland's home-based professional players; reminding them how lucky they are to be well-paid to play a game they love, and how much they owe the thousands of club members across Scotland who look up to them and support them, in a financial and spiritual sense. The Glasgow players at the moment are not delivering what their fans and Scottish Rugby as a whole, expects of them.

DOWN IN the depths of West Region Division Two, something is stirring. On Saturday, Cumnock Rugby Club travelled to Strathaven and won 15-6. This put Cumnock onto 59 points, from 13 games, at the top of the table. That's 14 points clear of Wigtownshire, who have a game in hand, and 25 points clear of Strathaven, who have four games in hand.

With Cumnock having just five games left, the chasers will need some assistance if they are to catch them, but, speaking as someone who first pulled on a Cumnock strip in 1963, I can tell you, if there is one club capable of not winning a league from this position – that team is Cumnock.

That said, I have every faith in the 2022 Cumnock crop getting the job done.

AFTER the weekend games, I will be gobsmacked if the current top four – Currie Chieftains, Marr Edinburgh Academicals and Hawick are not the quartet who contest the end-of-season play-offs.

Fourth-placed Glasgow Hawks are precisely 15 points behind fourth-placed Hawick, with only a maximum of 15 points available to them – so, sorry Hawks, the play-offs aint gonna happen.

An interesting quartet, I would not, as yet, be prepared to hazard a guess as to which two teams the Grand Final will come down to.

THE TOP of the Premiership may be pretty-well sorted-out, but, as is the case in most team sports, the league below – National One – is once again a complete dog fight.

Heriot's Blues – after snatching victory deep in the red at Millbrae on Saturday, are three points clear of Biggar, who do, however, have a game in hand. Gala are three points adrift of Biggar, but, have one game in hand over the Hartree Mill outfit and two in hand over the Nails. In theory, Gala are in the strongest position, but, at the end of the day, might points already gained trump points which still have to be acquired? It's an interesting table.

Biggar and Gala still have to meet twice, while Gala and Heriot's have also still to meet. The run-in is going to be very-interesting.

A Biography Worth Reading

IN OUR FAMILY we have a system – Secret Santa for the grown-ups, presents for the younger grandweans. This year, Number One Grandson drew his Papa, who listed some books he would like – NOG duly obliged.

One of the chosen tomes was Gregor Paul's book: 'Steve Hansen – The Legacy.' Gregor is one of oor ain, who once worked for The Scotsman Group, before marrying a Kiwi and decamping to Auckland, where he now writes for The New Zealand Herald On Sunday. It's a good effort at a biography, just staying short of hagiography.

 Gregor Paul

I'd have liked a wee bit more about what made him the successful coach he became, but, overall, it's a good effort. One of the things which perhaps set Hansen apart from other coaches, and partly explained the success he enjoyed while leading the All Blacks, was his readiness to give the players a say in how the team operated.

At the end of the day, the buck stopped with him, so he had the final word, but, he certainly was far from being the coaching martinet, insisting - “My way or the highway.” He treated his boys like men and got the desired result – his All Blacks were the most-successful sports team – ever, winning 89% of the matches in which he coached them.

His legacy is those markers he has left for his successors to try to emulate or surpass, but, as the book points out, this will be a tough ask, given how rugby is evolving.

Of all the forms of football played on earth: American Football, Association Football, Australian Rules, Futsal, Five-a-side, Gaelic, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Seven-a-side Rugby League, Seven-a-side Rugby Union, or Ten-a-side Rugby Union the only two which make real money at a professional level are Australian Rules and American Football – because they operate in a limited and strictly-controlled market.

It is true, Rugby League in Australia makes big bucks, while some of the bigger Association Football leagues – notably The English Premiership, La Liga in Spain, the Bundesliga in Germany and Italy's Serie A are awash with cash, but, elsewhere, a lot of that game is played by part-time professionals.

In Rugby Union, with the exception of England and France, there is little money in the club game, and even in England, the countr y with the largest Union and the most clubs and players, the top 12 professional clubs are all loss-making. In France, local authorities to a greater or lesser degree, subsidise the bigger clubs – by building and owning the stadia for instance.

Most of the big Unions, however, acknowledge, the only part of their operation which can attract the big money necessary to fund the game's growth is the national side. In New Zealand, the New Zealand Rugby Union has done a great job in protecting the integrity of that legendary black jersey – by working with the top players to keep them fresh and keen to wear it.

However, as Paul's book points out, towards the end of Hansen's tenure as Head Coach of the All Blacks, younger players, of Pacific Island heritage, whose rugby-playing ability had raised them out of poverty, were increasingly willing to forego the honour of being a multi-capped All Black, to cash-in on their talent by joining a leading English or French club on a massive contract. This is the reality – of money talking, which Hansen's successors will increasingly have to live with.

However, as the book also points-out, with costs rising, players demanding a larger share of the cake, rugby's finances make less and less sense. The clubs will demand more games in which to recoup their investment in players, but, these same players will increasingly suffer burn-out.

The clubs will, since they are the major paymasters, be less keen to release their players to play internationals, the quality of the game might suffer, television may become less-keen to show less-entertaining games – the whole shooting match could blow-up in everyone's face.

Steve Hansen might not leave us much of a legacy after all.

 

In one of the later chapters of the book, Paul used the terms “Cavaliers” and “Roundheads” about most of the Tier One nations. He wrote that in Hansen's eyes, Australia and New Zealand were the Cavaliers – planning to win by playing attractive, attacking rugby: “backing themselves to create and exploit space.”

The Roundheads – England, South Africa, Ireland and Wales: “would be coming to play without the ball. They would be operating on an aggressive defensive platform, where they would be looking to rush off the line, close down space and cause chaos. They would be looking to suffocate opponents, give them no space in which to play and then kick high and contest for the ball in the air.”

Funny, no mention of France and Scotland, both nations which surely come under the “Cavaliers” heading.

As we all know, the Roundheads won the British Civil War – you cannot still say that conflict was a totally English one! The question, nearly 400 years later is – can the Cavaliers win rugby's global war against the Roundheads? For the sake of the game, they have to.

Maybe, if more nations tried to, and succeeded in playing the type of attacking rugby Hansen championed, that would be a good legacy for him, but, sadly, as things stand, the Roundheads still appear to be setting the agenda. Let's hope the upcoming Six Nations might see the start of a change back to attacking rugby.

Gregor Townsend Has Spoken

 

THERE you have it, the 39-man squad which Gregor Townsend announced this afternoon, from which the Scotland teams in this season's Guinness Six Nations will be selected.

The majority were expected to be there, but, as usually happens with Toony, he has plucked one or two rabbits from the hat in his selections.

For starters there are five uncapped players named: Saracen's back rower Andy Christie, Glasgow Warriors' Rory Darge, Edinburgh scrum-half Ben Vellacott, London Irish nine Ben White and his club mate, winger Kyle Rowe. Darge's and Vellacott's selection were widely predicted, the other three come into the Toony left-field variety.

In positions, the breakdown is:

• Loose-head props (3) – Rory Sutherland, Jamie Bhatti, Pierre Schoeman.

• Hookers (3) – Stuart McInally, George Turner, Ewan Ashman.

• Tight-head props (3) – Zander Fagerson, Wilem Nel, Javan Sebastian.

• Locks (5) – Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings, Sam Skinner, Jamie Hodgson.

• Back row (8) – Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Magnus Bradbury, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Josh Bayliss, Nick Haining, Andy Christie.

• Scrum-halves (3) – Ali Price, Ben Vellacott, Ben White.

• Stand-offs (2) – Finn Russell, Blair Kinghorn.

• Centres (6) – Sam Johnson, Chris Harris, Mark Bennett, Sione Tuipulotu, Cameron Redpath, Rory Hutchison.

• Wingers (5) – Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe, Rufus McLean, Kyle Steyn, Kyle Rowe.

• Full Back (1) – Stuart Hogg (Captain).

Perhaps of more interest is the omission of some guys who have hitherto been Scotland regulars. No place for Adam Hastings or Huw Jones, neither of whom has set the heather on fire, since summer moves to Gloucester and Harlequins respectively. Sean Maitland's lengthy Scotland career appears to have run its course, as perhaps has that of Fraser Brown, while the experiment of converting Ollie Kebble to a tight-head has, if not been abandoned at Scotland level, if it continues, will be with Glasgow. George Horne is another whose lack of club form has cost him his place.

All Scotland fans will surely be delighted to see Cameron Redpath back from injury, while Rory Hutchison's excellent form with Northampton has earned him a recall.

In the quality of player he has been able to leave out of the squad, plus the one or two others who could not be considered due to injury concerns, Townsend has shown that he now has alternatives and a degree of choice which perhaps no previous Scotland coach could enjoy.

Rugby's Tartan Army might be allowed to dream as we anticipate the start of the 2022 Six Nations.

The People Speak - More Confusion

I RECENTLY blogged on a Guardian 'The Breakdown' article, which highlighted the fall-off in player numbers in England. It goes without saying, if things are bad down there, they might well be even worse up here. Any way, that Guardian article, plus my take on it, got a few people worked up, and without naming names, here are a few of the comments I have seen, based around these figures.

Here are a selection of the comments. I have kept the posts anonymous, although one of the posters is a very-weel-kent former Scotland legend, while several of the others are long-serving club stalwarts.

1. “This is the depressing situation of English rugby ( and behind it I believe ALL club rugby) - according to the SRU 2019-20 annua1l report Scotland had 13,413 adult male players and 19,300 youth players registered with another 4,069 non registered players - who knows what the figures will be now with the saga of so many matches cancelled this season because of lack of playing numbers .

These are the facts that World Rugby and all the national unions are unwilling to face up to All over the rugby world mini rugby is booming but without strict Law adherence/changes we cannot keep players in the game as it is becoming increasingly unsafe and unattractive.”

Some excellent points there. I agree, World Rugby is asleep at the wheel, and the game faces really-serious health and safety issues going forward, which, at the moment, neither the world governing body, nor the individual unions appear to be addressing.

2. “I understand the chaos caused by Covid - but not only for rugby, and it will become endemic in the near future!!

If all is so dire other than that, how can Heriots Rugby Club report increasing demand leading to them fielding 3 Blues teams, in addition to the Super 6 squad? Plus a successful women's and junior playing programme? Surely, we are not the only club in Scotland (or the UK?) to be surviving the current  crisis successfully, and laying a platform for the future!! (maybe good management and leadership has something to do with it!!) How about some more success stories to light up the gloom?

Of course, there will be radical changes in the set up of rugby across the world, as in everything else. I have personal experience of what has been happening in the US!!

I do not believe for an instant in any possibility of an NFL clone movement anywhere!!. I really feel that some of the doom mongers seriously underestimate the power of  our game - at all levels, ages and nationalities. Rugby has been an important part of my life for 70 years now, including working with relative newcomers. We know  that those who play our game develop a bond, unique in sport.

So let's work to strengthen the weaknesses (finance, laws, organization) but maintain the deep attraction of the game in which we all believe!!”

I can agree with the last paragraph there, but, the rest, too-much an air of We're all right at Goldenacre about it – because you're not. There are other clubs managing the modern game well, Marr being a good example. Maybe the Rugby Development Department should be using the example of the successful and thriving clubs to encourage the strugglers to adapt and thrive.

3. “The evidence is in the results pages of the SR website. I’m delighted that Heriots are getting three teams out. Excuse my French - but the effin well should! A ready made school system and one of the top clubs in Scotland based in Edinburgh with already made draw on possible players

I’ve seen recent data from the Rugby Development department on player numbers required to get teams out. So far this season Prem teams have used 40 players (39.3 to be exact). Between 37-38 players for the national leagues and approx 40+ for regionals

In effect that’s 80 players to get out 2 teams! That is a completely unsustainable position. 

To illustrate this point we were exchanging messages in the rugby agitators group. One mentioned the the concerns expressed at East region on player numbers. The response from one of my Prem colleagues and I paraphrase - not really bothered as it doesn’t affect us! I may be being unkind but that was my take.

This gets back to our discussions and Aristotle's articles on the laws. It’s not purely a player numbers game. It’s how attractive is the game to play. I watched Broughton v Haddington yesterday. Not a great game but pretty typical regional rugby. Ref a bit off and lots of player errors. But still let’s smash the ball up. With whole team spread across the park so when the inevitable missed tackle came they raced up the park and scored. Not particularly enjoyable to watch tbh.

Saving Rugby Union has a point!”

It would appear the modern player increasingly wants to pick and choose his games. We need to find a means of getting back to guys wanting to play EVERY week, whether home or away.

I think we need to look at the issue of replacements, having a full bench might work in the performance game, it appears counter-productive at the grass-roots.

Then there is the enjoyment factor, if guys are not enjoying their Saturday run-around, they will find something else to do. We need to put the fun back into fun rugby.

4. “Numbers have decreased alarmingly over the last 15 years, I totally agree. Games off, biggest issue is travel. I did the statistics myself over 6 years and sat down with the reserve league representatives of both East and West reserve rugby who chose to ignore my findings.

As I said there are green shoots of growth and our game can be attractive but we have to make fundamental changes to our game which is in the hands of the clubs. Less travel, shorter season, less subs, clubs learn to trust each other, clubs run their leagues, an understanding what youth rugby is about….. not winning but participation. I could go on but I’m tired of the subject as I have been going on about this long before Aristotle ( rugby) was even invented.

The worst area for change is the Borders, our hotbed of rugby!! All the clubs are struggling for numbers yet they continue to vote for National rugby ( involves travel), support 12 team leagues, have a 10 team King of the 7’s going into the summer ( making changes now!!).

Club rugby must move with the times yet the majority of the clubs won’t because of self interest and their beloved league system which is not fit for purpose. For your interest National 1 which is the league our Blues 1sts are in is still a 12 team league, 22 fixtures, we are already playing a full round of fixtures during Easter weekend 16th and there will be more cancellations meaning games going on to the end of April……. the clubs want 12 team league because they are scared of being in Nat 2. Hardly a way to encourage players, officials, volunteers etc into the game.”

Some good points there, I think particularly the club status thing. Some clubs have this sense of entitlement – because they've been playing since eithteen-canteen they should be considered a “big” club and accorded special treatment – when actually, they are, and for some time have been, rather average.

I feel we have too-many “National” Leagues which are of a poor standard. I would go quickly to Super10, but, below that, any leagues would be regional. Ideally, three full-time teams playing in the URC, ten semi-pro teams, with an element of cross-border games built-in, that should be our performance game.

Below that level, regionalised club competition, with a national cup competition.

5. "I was having a similar chat with Colin Rigby on Saturday. He’s not a fan of more regional rugby and I agree with him.

I believe there are too many national leagues. And 12 team leagues are a problem because of the number of games. 

I have to say, it’s not because clubs are worried about being relegated. It’s to have 11 home games. 

As always we get sucked into looking at things from our own perspective without looking at the whole. 

For arguments sake, let’s get rid of Nat 3 and have 10 team leagues. So that’s Prem as is, top 10 from Nat 1 - as it stands Watsons and Boroughmuir go down. Top 8 from Nat 2 plus W & B.

Glasgow Accies, Kirkcaldy, Gordonians and Whitecraigs into regions.

But we would need three up three down into Nat 2. So Nat 2 would have 40% change year on year.

And how would regional clubs bridge the gap from regional rugby to National rugby. And don’t get me started on Caley 1!!!!

Another issue is we reinforce the super hoovers - like Heriots who would have Super 6, Nat 1/prem and wherever their reserve side chose to play (there is some talk of allowing 2nds to play in 1st leagues in East and West. This is a bad idea speaking from experience in Midlands)

The season structure group are likely to propose the same structure they came up with a couple of years ago. That’s 10 team leagues and several Nat 3 clubs dropping out into regional rugby. 

Each action has an equal and opposite reaction. It’s too easy to say more regional rugby will solve our problem. We haven’t articulated what the problem statement is. 

As an aside, some Edinburgh clubs won’t travel the length of ferry road. Colin said that their 3rds wanted fixtures with Heriots, Watsons and Accies. Max 8 games a season.

What seems simple is actually simplistic."

That final paragraph is probably the best one in this whole piece.

We have too-many National Leagues, that seems pretty clear. We do need change, but, let's get the bigger Governance issues sorted first; then draw breath and have a calm think about where we are going.

What is clear, doing nothing and carrying-on as we are, neither is the right option.