Build It And They Will Come

THE NEWS that Hampden will host the first leg of the 2024 1872 Cup contest has caused ripples in the sedate world of Glasgow Rugby. Some of the West End Warriors are starting to fret, at the possibility of having to make a trip across the Kingston Bridge into what they dub 'Mexican Territory' – Across the Rio Grande. Hardier souls, such as Shug Barrow, think nothing of making this trip, but, to some of the others from Great Western road and its environs apparently believe, south of the Clyde – “here be dragons.”

I know, it's highly-unlikely to happen, indeed my flabber would be totally gasted if it did, but, if the financial conditions were not as dire as they currently are, I would suggest a move to the Soothside might work wonders for Warriors and for Glasgow Rugby.

You see, right now, one of Glasgow's smaller, but most-venerable sporting venues, the now derelict Shawfield Stadium. Built in 1898, lies empty, desperate for resurrection. Shawfield was home to Clyde FC until 1986, and was also frequently used for representative games.

After Clyde moved out, it contin ued as a greyhound stadium, but it was a case of a gradual demise until the stadium closed for good in 2020. Since then, its future has been in doubt and, as things stand, it could well be demolished, the site cleared and redeveloped for either housing, retail use or a combination of both.

The site has, however, the size to be capable of hosting a stadium with a capacity of 20,000 to 30,000 – which would seem ideal as a home for Warriors and a central home for Rugby Union in the Glasgow Region.

Of course, acquiring and rebuilding Shawfield would be a major and costly enterprise for the currently cash-strapped SRU – which makes it almost-certainly a non-starter. But, as a dreamer and a big admirer of Kevin Costner, all I can say is: “If you build it, they will come.” And I know that is not a correct quote.

STILL ON the subject of Rugby Union at Hampden; again I am putting this out more in hope than expectation, but, if the Warriors off-field staff could get their act together, the game, on Sunday, 22 December, could attract a bumper crowd.

The Sunday before Christmas is hardly the best day on which to attempt to gather a decent crowd. Public transport will be a problem, the rival pull of the major chopping centres, keen to have a last big pay-day before the presents are opened could affect the turn-out and, of course, getting to Hampden is not a familiar trip to the rugby-supporting public.

To their credit, Warriors are offering some interesting discounts for bulk ticket purchase, which I hope the Glasgow Region clubs will take up. For instance, Sunday is traditionally Mini Rugby Day at clubs; why not get the kids rounded-up and take them to Hampden to be inspired by seeing most of the Scotland International squad in action?

The match is ten weeks away – surely a mass conscription of the Region's Rugby Union clubs and supporters could be arranged within that time-scale, ensuring the largest-possible attendance at the game.

All it would take is a bit of effort – get it done guys.

WALES ONLINE has a story this week, that the proposed integration of the BKT United Rugby Championships and England's Gallagher Premiership is very much alive – with the report indicating that the mooted two division amaalgamated league, with promotion and relegation being the favoured outcome.

This confirms to a degree, the feeling which surfaced when the story first appeared – that the Welsh were the main drivers, anxious for a return to the glory days of amateur Rugby Union, when cross-border games were a big part of Welsh Rugby.

However, with plans to make the Italian and South African clubs, currently the junior partners in the multi-nation URC full members from next season, time is running out if the proposed British and Irish League is to come to pass.

Another potential drawback for the Welsh is the fact, as things stand, the Welsh clubs have the weakest hand to play in any negotiations, since it could well be that the four Welsh Regions would be in the second division.

Taking last season's finishing positions as a starting point: we could end up with the following divisions – with the top five in each league going into the First Divison and the rest into the Second:

Division One

Bath

Bristol Bears

Glasgow Warriors

Leinster

Munster

Northampton Saints

Ospreys

Sale Sharks

Saracens

Ulster

Division Two

Cardiff

Connacht

Dragons

Edinburgh

Exeter

Gloucester

Harlequins

Leicester Tigers

Newcastle Falcons

Scarlets

Two leagues which would certainly be highly-competitive and provide entertaining rugby, however, if it did come to pass, and had the sort of split of clubs envisaged above, I don't see the Welsh being too-happy with three of their Regions in the Second Division.

An alternative scenario might be two geographically-selected divisions of equal standing, with cross-division end-of-season play-offs. In which case, the divisions might look like this:

Northern Conference

Connacht

Glasgow Warriors

Edinburgh

Leicester

Leinster

Munster

Newcastle Falcons

Northampton Saints

Sale Sharks

Ulster

Southern Conference

Bath

Bristol Bears

Cardiff

Dragons

Exeter

Gloucester

Harlequins

Ospreys

Saracens

Scarlets

However, at the end of the day the biggest stumbling block to this Welsh-English plan for a British and Irish League is the fact, the URC is runby the national Unions, not the clubs. The notion is to keep the Union's top talent tuned-up for international Rugby Union, not to make money for the clubs. I expect the Unions to showsolidarity and frustrate the plans of the skint clubs.

FINALLY – there has been much chat this week about the introduction of the new World Rugby Laws overhaul.

All I can say, it's being done by World Rugby, a body which, from its days as the International Rugby Board has a long gtrack record of getting laws changes wrong. In this case, while there are one or two good points, I reckon they've not done enough, and the changers they have made include one or two which will cause a bit of a stooshie.

Much of the chat has been around the “29 minute red card” - which one or two social media commentators have managed to totally misunderstand. As I have been saying for some time, there needs to be a recognition that, in modern Rugby Union we have an increasing number of what I call “Technical Offences” and “Foul Play” - to a degree, the 20-minute red card addresses an aspect of this, but, I feel World Rugby needs to do more.

I still believe, a far-more thorough root and branch review of the Laws of the Game, is long overdue.