IT IS written in stone, probably in whichever vault the contents of the Scottish Rugby Union's museum currently lie: "A strong Scotland needs a strong Hawick". The Terris have been having a terrible time lately, so has Scotland. So, is there any sign of a new McLeod or Renwick appearing from the mists of Mansfield Park to lead us to the promised land of Six Nations, far less World Cup glory?
Apparently not, if this week's reports from the Borders are true. These tell us of defections from Hawick to Kelso by some players and of others apparently about to set-out on that drove road which leads from the Borders to Edinburgh. This is serious.
Harsh economic times have hit the Borders hard; the market for the top-quality woolens and cashmeres which have for so long underpinned the economy in the dales of the border country has shrunk like a badly-washed cheap sweater. The mills have closed, the sunrise industries which came in have seen the sun set on them and the young are increasingly moving out - an exodus which has also hit the rugby teams which have for so long been the heart beat of the communities.
We hear there has almost been civil war in Hawick for some years now - the green shirt is no longer the be-all and end-all of every Hawick boy.
Some say the rot set-in shortly after Bill McLaren retired from teaching, this view I can understand, the effect a single, totally-dedicated teacher can have on a sport has long been under-estimated and, in truth, McLaren (if he ever could have been) was never adequately replaced.
Also, the expansion of the National Leagues, now thankfully turned around by the SRU's annual meeting, perhaps gave Hawick's smaller clubs notions above their station. Whereas the men who ran Trades, YM and the other lesser Hawick clubs were once content to smooth-off the rough edges, before sending their young men up to try for the green shirt, recently, they have had their own visions of National League success divert them from their long-established and honourable task of bringing through the next generations.
For Hawick's sake, perhaps a retrenchment into regional rugby will see The Greens again become the sole focus of the town's rugby ambitions.
One thing is sure, with the restricted number of truly Scotland-wide league places on offer from August 2012 on, a few big name clubs will find themselves out of the Premiership picture. I don't see Hawick as losing out, but, if Hawick men are happy to move to Kelso, their task in rebuilding the notion of The Green Machine will be that bit harder.
However, I am sure, Hawick will rise again, and when it does - just watch Scotland go.
