Eddie Is Revving Things Up

ON THE FACE OF IT, the news that former Formula 1 team owner and “professional Irishman” Eddie Jordan is buying London Irish would appear to be a case of yet another entrant in the billionaire's “I can pish my fortune higher up the wall than you can yours” game that is England's Gallagher Premiership.

However, all may not be as it seems, it is being suggested that “Fast Eddie”, if he can complete the deal and fight his way through the jungle of Rugby Union politics, intends to enter the reborn Irish in the BKT United Rugby Championship. To my mind, this is a brilliant move, my only criticism is this – why didn't a Scot come up with this?

Because, I have seen it suggested, both within and without the ranks of London Scottish, that a third Scottish professional side in the URC, based on The Exiles, was the way to go. IF, and given the obstacles he will have to overcome, Eddie faces a hard task in making his plan work, it is a big IF, I suspect it will be another boost for Irish Rugby and another missed opportunity for Scotland.

Eddie is convinced, a London-based URC franchise would almost immediately attract a hard core of support from the huge Irish diaspora in the South of England. Add the equally large Scottish, South African and Welsh diaspora in the same area – keen to see their visiting sides - and there is no reason why London Irish cannot become a powerful force within the URC, attracting big crowds.

Mind you, the Jordan plan still faces some major issues, not least, finding a suitably-sized home in the London area. Add opposition from the Rugby Football Union; some of the “57 Old Farts” in the Twickenham board room might not be too-pleased to see the Celtic cousins running a team in their multi-national competition on their good English turf – or artificial surfaces even.

Eddie may or may not pull off this move, but, at least he is having a go, while Scottish Rugby, who could have done this as well, sits in the pits and does nothing.

I FELL OUT with Richard Bath a couple of decades ago and have never felt the need to mend fences, more-so because he was the one who broke things in the first place. That said, I must admit, he did rather a good job in pulling together that new documentary-drama about The Great Match, the 187a Raeburn Place game which really founded international sport.

If you get the chance, and it is available on You Tube, watch it, it's an hour or more of your life which will lift your spirits. The programme also showed, not a lot has changed in international affairs over the 150-plus years since that game.

Then as now, the English thought they could make the rules, agreed to certain ones, then quite happily broke them, until brought to heel by an unbending Scottish referee. A couple of the “tackles” from England players in the game were straight out of the Owen Farrell play book.

I did enjoy and admire him for doing what he did, seeing Chris Paterson, sans kicking tee and modern composite ball, attempting conversions with the replica 1871 ball. He got the dry ball over no bother, but found it a bit harder with a wet one – food for thought there.

Speaking of the balls which were specially made for the filming. I have, since they started doing it, liked the way the Scotland Captain arrives at Murrayfield carrying what I believe to be the match ball from the opening game at the National Stadium – a sort of Rugby Union version of a Field Marshal's baton.

I (again) offer this suggestion to Keith Wallace and the High Heid Yins in the Murrayfield Junta. Players, unless they go on to win 100 caps, only ever get the one Scotland cap. Well, why not, when a player is elevated to the national captaincy, mark that mil,estone by commissioning a replica leather ball, onto which the match date and details can be tooled. That way they have a tangible, permanent record of having led their country.

Or, since the SRU is skint and the younger Rugby Union writers are all daft – and use the term regardless of how correct it is - why not present each Captain with a genuine Captain's Armband? This is the cheaper option, which ought to go down well with the Murrayfield bean counters.