THE new rugby season will soon be upon us. The club sides are back in training, just as the professionals have been for over a month. And this promises to be a very important season, after the changes agreed at last month's SRU annual meeting.
This new season is all about one thing on the club scene - securing a club's position prior to the decrease in the number of sides playing nationally from the autumn of 2012.
I am from the school which believes the centralisation of control of Scottish rugby into Murrayfield, which followed the move to professionalism, was a very bad move. It has taken Scottish rugby a long time, too long, to realise this, but I honestly believe a more regionalised approach will finally see Scotland move forward.
It will all depend, of course, on what the clubs decide - but if the Glasgow District clubs get their act together properly by the time the new set-up kicks off in 2012, there could be some tremendous local leagues on the go in the West.
IF THERE is one club facing real challenges in the new season, then that club is Ayr. Skipper Damien "Skippy" Kelly has returned to Australia, Glen Tippett has hung up his boots, Mark Bennett has gone off to France and Gordon Reid has secured a full-time Glasgow contract and certainly, until after the World Cup, will be heavily involved at Scotstoun and Firhill.
Of course, Ayr has a fantastic youth development programme, but, to quote Alan Hansen: "you win nothing with kids". So, recruitment will be a major task for the Think Tank of Jock Craig, Kenny Murray, Billy McHarg and Peter Laverie. But I don't mind betting, they'll pull a couple of crackers out of the bag and if the new boys gel quickly with the solid core of returning regulars, Ayr will still be in the trophies mix come the end of the season. The fact they've landed some potentially cracking British & Irish Cup ties could prove a useful recruiting tool for the Millbrae Men as they fill the gaps.
