Super6 Is Back, But I Still Feel We Are Not Where We Should Be

REGULAR readers of this pish will be well-aware of my support for the concept of the FOSROC Super6. Originally, I had my doubts, but, since a long ago chat with Glen Tippett – who has now moved-on to join the Glasgow Warriors team, I have been a supporter.

I have also, however, never deviated from my belief – any problems associated with S6 are mainly down to sheer incompetence, or is it something worse, from the ruling Murrayfield junta. Right from the start, when, under pressure from some Edinburgh clubs who thought they were more important than their on-field performances merited, they pauchled the franchise system to an extent only seen since in Scotland by the ongoing efforts to shoe-horn Haunless Useless into the First Minister's job.

It hasn't helped that the Welsh Rugby Union has got itself into an even bigger bourach than Scottish Rugby is currently in. So I think we will see Independence – which Haunless tells us won't be until at least 2050 – before we will see cross-border fixtures between Super teams and Welsh Premiership sides, far less Irish involvement as well.

At least, it now appears to be recognised that Super Rugby is part of the Performance arm of the Scottish Rugby Union, it is not a “club competition” in the accepted sense.

Less recognised is the fact – our esteemed Chief Executive, Sodoff Baldrick TCD, who now appears to have, no doubt reluctantly, been shouldered with the blame for foisting Super Rugby on an unwilling nation – blame which initially was landed on the now long-departed Scott Johnston – almost-certainly thought-up Super Rugby as a cheap option.

The reality is:

• The only level of Rugby Union which has any chance of making enough money to be self-sufficient is International Rugby.

Everything else requires some sort of sponsorship or outside support, whether that is:

• Well-heeled billionaire/millionaire club owners/underwriters (England and France)

• Local Authority support regarding the provision of grounds etc (France)

• A sporting landscape where Rugby Union is the principal/only full-time team sport (New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa)

• Historical entities which have established supporter recognition and financial support (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland)

Scotland faces another particular problem when it comes to financing rugby. The economies of England, France and Australia are big enough to allow the game to survive, if not exactly flourish in competition with other games – football in England and France, Aussie Rules and Rugby League in Australia.

In New Zealand, South Africa and Wales – rugby is “the game of the people” - the number one team sport. In the whole of the island of Ireland, there are five full-time sports clubs: the four Irish rugby provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster, plus the Belfast Giants ice hockey team.

In Scotland, rugby stands a long way behind football in popular appeal. It doesn't attract the same money, media interest or support. Our two leading rugby clubs – the SRU owned Edinburgh and Glasgow are both involved in the knock-out stages of rugby's European club competitions; our two leading football clubs, Rangers and Celtic are not.

Yet, the two football clubs regularly play at home in front of crowds in excess of 40,000, while our two rugby teams, arguably of equal standard within the game, can only fill grounds with a capacity of under 10,000.

Our national broadcaster employs a veritable army of talking heads to cover football. Just about every night they provide radio time for what are little more than advertising puffs for our two biggest clubs. Yes, they go in mob-handed when Glasgow Warriors have a home game, but, other than providing an opportunity for the excellent Peter Wright to entertain us, and The Limerick Liar to spout patronising pish – rugby might as well not exist to the mob at BBC Shortbread.

So, under these difficult circumstances, somebody came up with Super6. In theory a good concept, but, fatally flawed because, for it to work properly, it required greater Union financial input – but, the Union couldn't afford this, so, as a cost-cutting exercise, they persuaded the six franchises to under-pin the funding.

We now see the S6 concept being tweaked, via the introduction of Glasgow A and Edinburgh A teams being introduced into the Sprint part of the S6 season – a sector which was, in any case, only introduced because the cross-border element never got off the ground.

Glasgow A will now face Ayrshire Bulls, Boroughmuir Bears and Stirling Wolves; while Edinburgh A will take-on Heriot's. Southern Knights and Watsonians. I actually applaud these games, because it allows the S6 players to demonstrate how they shape-up in opposition to the two big teams' lesser players, while at the same time giving these fringe full-timers a chance to show what they can do.

The fact that the Super rugby season is still different from the main rugby season remains a problem, while there will be a further change, when the full Super6 season kicks-off in July, with the introduction of a seventh team – a Scotland Futures squad.

Again, to me this speaks of a wish to cut costs – why not keep the two A teams in the mix, to form a Super8, but with their squads limited to Under-23 players, with at most three over-age players, perhaps players coming back from injury or in need of game time?

We haven't yet got the mix correct, but, I hope, with these changes, we are getting closer to what we need. Only time will tell, however.