Great Stories Are Never Handed To Journalists - They Have To Be Dug Up

IN MY last post, I discussed the SRU's current fashion for media management – this was confirmed today, when what passes for the mainstream rugby media in Scotland all ran with the same stories – the thoughts of Edinburgh's Chris Dean and speculation that Finn Russell may be back at ten for Glasgow against Ospreys on Saturday.

 Glasgow's "Ospreylian" forwards coach Jon Humphreys

That said, chapeau to Lewis Stuart, for finding his own line, by leading the Russell story with a wee bit about Glasgow forwards coach Jon Humphreys being a native of “Ospreylia” as the Welsh region styles itself.

You see, that's the problem with effective media management, you get the story the SRU's spin nurse practitioners (they're not quite clever enough/qualified enough to be spin doctors) want you to get.

The late Ian Wooldridge, a star of the days when the Daily Mail was not Mein Kampf in comic form, would have nothing to do with press conferences – from whence today's big rugby stories came. He reckoned you always got more from a quiet one-to-one in a corridor, indeed, the best journalists hunt alone, rather than in packs.

An example of the iconoclastic sports-writing of the late Ian Wooldridge - here discussing Australia, a country he loved

In Scotland this can be problematic. I can name two Fleet Street big names who were forced south, to their enrichment, because they refused to march to the beat of the Lap Top Loyal's Lambeg drum.

As Jeff Connor, another former Scottish sports hack who left before madness overtook him, so-memorably explained in the Offside Line's brilliant serialisation of his unpublished book about the 2005 Lions Tour to New Zealand, there is an unwritten pattern to sports press conferences, a pecking order to be observed, protocols to be considered – all of which plays into the hands of the media managers.

So, it's always good when things go wrong. Some years back, St Mirren had a young forward who was: “the next big thing”; Liverpool and Manchester United were monitoring him, a big-money transfer was expected any day.

Jimmy Bone - his chosen baby sitter got a shock

So, when the press wanted to speak to him after a game at Love Street, Jimmy Bone, who was then managing Saints, needing to be elsewhere, asked one of the directors to baby sit the youngster, so he didn't say anything out of turn.

I was standing beside the director, who was impressed by the mature answers the kid gave to the assembled hacks. He turned to me and said: “That's my boy – he's good.”

That was the cue for disaster. Asked how he had enjoyed being man-marked by Maurice Malpas, the kid replied: “Aye, good players let you play a bit, they're not up your arse the whole game like lesser players.”

That quote never saw the light of day, till now.

Another great press conference story concerns, “Old Big 'Ead”, Brian Clough, who was holding forth after a rather good win by Notts Forest. Cloughie had a certain disdain for the gentlemen of the press, which he allowed to show that day, challenging the press's knowledge of the game and their right to criticise the professionals such as Brian Clough.

“Put your England caps on the table, you lot. I only got two, should have had a lot more, but, I've got two England caps, and that gives me the more right to talk about football than you lot. How many England caps have you got?”

Voice from the back of the assembled throng of journalists: “Forty-three.”

 Jimmy Armfield - was able to silence

Cloughie had not realised his old England captain, Jimmy Armfield, was covering the game.

 Brian Clough - pictured playing for England

Aye, press conferences might seem like a good idea, but, now and again they back-fire on you.

Got slightly side-tracked there; as I was saying, the High Heid Yins like press conferences and media set-pieces, it gives them some control. These things, from the media's side, are “on-diary items”: the Sports Editors know in plenty of time, they are taking place and can schedule the appropriate journalist to cover them.

However, the diamonds among the dross of general media output are those off-diary stories, the big nuggets, exposed by old-fashioned digging, that polish up into emblazoned back-page “exclusives”. The hack who can come-up with plenty of these on a regular basis, is still worth his corn.

So, let's see more of the kind of features big Mark Palmer of the Sunday Times Scotland came up with on Sunday – when he did a story about the other Russell boy – former Ayr centre Archie, who is off to Cambridge University and looking to win his coveted “Blue” in December.

Archie Russell with his (allegedly) less-intelligent big brother

Back in the amateur days, a Blue and a couple of outings for London Scottish virtually guaranteed a cap during the Five Nations – but, alas for Archie, these days are past. For all that, the Russell that got the brains remains a good player, if lacking those special qualities which set his gallus big brother apart.

ONE OF the big-name English rugby writers came up with a nauseatingly gushy piece on Monday morning, all about how great the Aviva Premiership was. To the English media, Rugby's top-flight league darn sarf is now, like its “Wendyball” equivalent:

"THE GREATEST LEAGUE IN THE WORLD”

Aye Right! As they say in the Greatest city in the world.

This hack based his claims on the “fantastic” 50 tries which were scored in the opening week of the new season. Pardon me if I do not do a sea lion impression, by clapping my flippers together. Because, well, the BT Premiership, which is definitely not the best league in the world – albeit, at its level, the rugby is bloody good – produced 43 tries in its opening weekend – which means, the punters at the five BT Premiership saw an average of 8.6 tries per game. While the punters in the Aviva Premiership paid a lot more to get in to see an average of 8.3 tries per game.

The poor, unloved Guinness PRO14's opening weekend produced a mere 5.28 tries per game. Which maybe shows, the PRO14 overall has a better quality of defensive coach and defensive co-ordination systems than in England.

It's called being professional, because, as every professional coach, in every different form or professional football – American, Association, Australian Rules, whatever – knows: defensive strength wins titles.

Kenny Murray - just one of several very good defensive coaches in the PRO14

There are a couple of outstanding attacking sides in the English Premiership, Saracens and Wasps, there are a couple of other very good sides, but, just as the fans of the English league smirk at the efforts of the two Italian sides, and maybe a couple of the Welsh ones, in the PRO14 – there are some duds in the Aviva Premiership too. And no amount of cash can totally hide that fact.

Media Management Is A Double-Edged Sword

MY MATE Dougie is one of Scottish sports-writing's big stars. He is a member of the A Team, that group of “Chief Sports Writers” or “Chief Football Writers”, whose beat is – Auchenhowie, Lennoxtown, Hampden, Ibrox, Parkhead, Europe.

On paper, it's not a difficult job, but, Dougie and his contemporaries have a slight problem which doesn't normally affect us lesser beings on the sports-writing food chain.

Sweeper-keeper Manuel Neuer

As Dougie has explained to me: “It is easier for me to get a one-to-one with Cristiano Ronaldo, or Manuel Neuer than it is for me to get the same access to Scott Brown or Lee Wallace.” Don't laugh, that is fact, because, when it comes to media management and controlling access to players, nobody comes close to the Bigot Brothers.

Of course, it helps that they've got the local papers in their pockets. The “suits” will not dare offend the Big Two, so, limited access is accepted.

Now, sadly, it appears to me as if somebody at BT Murrayfield has been networking with somebody from either side of the Glasgow bigotry divide, because, this season, the SRU appears to be attempting to limit the media's access to our professional players and coaches.

Edinburgh's main set-piece press conference is now on a Monday, Glasgow's is on a Tuesday this week – when Edinburgh play Friday and Glasgow on Saturday. I presume this order will reverse as necessary.

Also, media requests for interviews etc. will need to be made by 5pm on a Sunday – this is nonsense.

Rugby already struggles against the big beast of football for media coverage in Scotland. The SRU should be moving heaven and earth to make things easier for the media; instead, they appear to be putting obstacles in the hacks' way.

To be fair, the SRU media department does a good job, but, good public relations, churning-out press releases, is not the same as good sports journalism – even allowing for the fact some of the over-grown, under-trained kids getting media jobs today almost require the hand-holding support of getting press releases they only have to make fit the available space.

Glasgow has been a good story for the past three or four seasons; Edinburgh, under Richard Cockerill appear to be (hopefully) heading in the same direction – while the woefully under-sold and under-supported BT Premiership is a fantastic competition. The SRU ought to be selling their sport harder and better than they do – and, they could best do this by assisting the rugby writers to get the game better coverage.

SCOTSMAN Group Head of Sport Graham Bean and his team are doing a fantastic job, in difficult circumstances, not least in their ability to provide top-quality rugby coverage.

In Monday's Scotsman, they devoted two pages to the domestic club game, while rival publications are seemingly oblivious to the fact there is rugby below the PRO14.

But, Graham and his gang cannot cover everything, and there have been some good stories from beneath the BT Premiership on this opening week of league play.

The Gavin Calder Memorial Trophy

National League 1 had a couple of local derbies, with new trophies up for grabs. These games saw Edinburgh Academicals take possession of the Gavin Calder Memorial Trophy, by beating Stewart's-Melville 38-26, in an entertaining Inverleith match in which both sides claimed try bonuses.

At the other end of the M8, well just off Junction One of the M77 to be precise, visitors GHA beat Cartha-Queen's Park to go ahead in the battle for the Billy Barnes Memorial Trophy, which, like the 1872 Cup will be decided by aggregate results over the season.

There was another close-fought local derby in this league too, with Jed-forest beating Kelso 27-20 at Riverside. Gala, a third Borders side in the second tier, made a successful start to their quest to bounce straight back into the Premiership with an34-28 win over Aberdeen GSFP in the Granite City.

NATIONAL LEAGUE 2 also produced some entertaining rugby, with perhaps the most-enthralling match being the Glasgow Derby between West of Scotland and GHK at Burnbrae. The host side won 29-25, with both sides claiming try bonuses and GHK also getting a losing bonus.

There were try bonuses too across the city, with promoted Dumfries Saints beating Whitecraigs 38-27 to get off to a good start. But, top of NL2 after Week One are Preston Lodge, who thrashed Aberdeenshire 60-17.

But, the biggest win in the National Leagues was posted by Newton Stewart, who will hopefully not think it will always be this easy on the national stage, after opening, following winning the West League last season, with an 81-0 win at Dalziel.

That was the biggest winning margin in any of the national leagues, but, in West Division 2, Paisley thrashed Birkmyre 91-10 in the Renfrewahire Derby, while, in Caledonian Regional League, Division 2 North, Ellon thumped Shetland 101-7.

We should mention the disappointment of the reformed Corstorphine Cougars, who lost their Edinburgh West Derby at Forrester 25-38. I just hope somebody at Murrayfield notices, they are no longer RHC Cougars, but, are now Corstorphine Cougars.

Yes, if the clubs can continue as they have started, word will soon get out, that Scottish rugby is in good health.

THIS post is in danger of turning into rugby-writing navel gazing, which is, right enough, one aspect of philosophy. But, the reality is, with the advances in social media, the old dead trees media is, if not dying, looking increasingly perilous in intensive care.

We guys on the interweb, we can put-out a story and our readers can react far faster than can our rivals in newspapers, and their audience. For all that, I still feel, the print media can give a subject the time and space we cannot online to go more-deeply into a subject.

Sadly, the decision-makers at the top of the traditional print media have got a few decisions wrong, and are still trying to find the right balance between old and new media.

I am not trying to provide a fast-acting rugby news service, but, I have to admit, one or two of the younger guys, who are, are doing a great job. Some of our top clubs have got their on-line presence worked out and are doing a terrific job, but, others are stuck at the “aye been and aye will be” stage.

The age of the “citizen journalist” has to a degree arrived in Scottish rugby, so enjoy it you lucky fans out there.

Some Thoughts On The Meaning Of Rugby Life

MY KEEN readers at BT Murrayfield can relax – I do not intend going-on about Agenda 3 in this post. Instead, I thought I would reflect on the first weekend of the new season.

 Hat-trick man Sean Maitland

THOUGHT 1 – Are some of today's top referees addicted to referring decisions to the Television Match Official (TMO). This came to me as I watched the Saracens v Northampton Aviva Premiership match on catch-up. Sean Maitland's second try in his first-half hat-trick was referred upstairs, because the touch judge, who was haring up the line, behind Sean, wondered if he had put a foot, or knee in touch before scoring.

FFS, it was obvious in real time, BEFORE the referral upstairs, that he had not been within a foot of the line. If the assistant official's eyesight is so-poor he has to have a second look, get him retired – he's not fit for purpose.

THOUGHT 2 – How does George Clancy get away with it? Within the opening two minutes of Friday night's Cardiff v Edinburgh match kicking-off, he had made two horrendous bloopers.  We Scots are well-used to being screwed by George, but, his performance on Friday was a reprise of his horror show in an international, all those years ago; when he contrived to help Wales beat a Scotland team which had been in-charge for the first 70 minutes.

THOUGHT 3 – I admit, I had my doubts about appointing Richard Cockerill to the vacant Edinburgh job. I didn't think this arch-disciple of: “Stick it up your jumper then grind 'em down” English-style rugby was a good fit for the more free-flowing Scottish game.

But, to be fair, he has begun well at Edinburgh and they played well in Cardiff, with some of the younger guys really putting their hands up for regular places. OK, Cardiff continue to under-perform badly, these are still early days, but, I like what I have seen so far.

THOUGHT 4 – The trouble with “champagne rugby” is, like the best champagnes, it has to be dry. Horrendous conditions such as we saw in Connacht on Saturday night tend to mitigate against the team that wants to chuck the ball around.

Maybe Glasgow made too-many handling errors, but, they were always willing to try things and, in the end, their ambition paid-off. Another good win.

THOUGHT 5 – Some “armchair” Warriors fans were asking me yesterday, when they might see the big guns – Finn Russell and Co, in the colours. They are enjoying finding out if the new guys are up to speed, but, they do want to know when the stars will sparkle.

I would say, we might have to get used to seeing Finn, Hoggie and the likes NOT featuring for Glasgow as often as in the past. My reasoning; well, Dave Rennie has come-up through the New Zealand system, where the black shirt is everything. The absolute top ABs tended – like some centrally-contracted English cricketers – to not turn-out as often for their clubs as might be imagined.

Sure, Rennie will want all his big guns available for the really crunch games, but, between the demands of the national side, and the player rotation protocols already in force – we might not see our stars playing at Scotstoun as often as we might like and wish to.

THOUGHT 6 – The BT Premiership is a better competition than some people think it is, and it is dreadfully under-appreciated. Take Saturday's opening day five games for instance.

• Five games – 321 points, an average of 64 points per game
• Five games – 42 tries, again an average of 8 tries per game
• Two games settled by less than one score, a third in doubt up until the final play, which took the winners beyond a single score lead.

If they keep this standard up, we are in for a great season.

 Marr winger Scott Bickerstaff (pic. Kevin Quinn)

THOUGHT 7 – We have some cracking young players coming through. At Scotstoun on Saturday, George Horne confirmed, he is a class act – he always seemed to have time to spare. But, young Sam Yawayaw, the Stage 3 Academy player, making his Hawks' debut, definitely has star quality, and a Fijian approach – he knows where the line is. But, for Marr, Scott Bickerstaff showed, he can, with the right passes, be as much of a scoring threat in the top-flight as he was in National League 1. Elsewhere on Saturday, other younger players put their hands up for advancement.

THOUGHT 8 – I watched the Leicester v Bath Aviva Premiership match on Sunday afternoon. I enjoy the BT coverage of the English game, even though, as with everything sporting and English, the over-hype is ridiculous. But, the refereeing – Oh Dear! Mind you, there is a case for believing, Rugby Union at the top level needs more on-field officials, because there is so much going on for even three pairs of eyes to cover everything.

THOUGHT 9 - I started this post with observations on those much-maligned but necessary people, the match officials. I was still going on about them at thought 8. I have, in the past, been accused of having it in for Scottish referees. Can I just say, our standards are definitely rising. Mike Adamson is on the PRO14 panel and doing well. Hollie Davidson was on the line for the Women's World Cup Final, and we have one or two others “bubbling under” - the likes of Sam Grove-White. I don't recall seeing Ben Bain before he had Saturday's Hawks v Marr game and, I thought he did very well. We have depth among our whistlers.

Mind you, it's a hard life being a Scottish referee. The excellent Lloyd Linton made one mistake in the PRO12 last season, and was promptly dropped. When you review the back catalogue of mistakes made by Messrs Clancy, Fitzgibbon and Lacey, you have to think, maybe Lloyd's big mistake was being born in Ulster, rather than one of the southern Irish provinces. The Dublin refereeing Murphyia looks after its own.

I Say Carruthers Old Boy - The Natives Are Restless And On The Verge Of Revolting

  SHEILA Begbie will, hopefully, now the season is up and running, be getting out and about to talk with interested clubs, and test the water as regards the preliminary response to Agenda 3 - the brave new world of Scottish club rugby. In envisaging her preliminary report back to Murrayfield – I keep getting seeing Carry On Up The Khyber.

 Messrs Dodson and Johnson react to Ms Begbie's first report

To:

His Most Excellent Majesty, Khazi Mark I of Murrayfield,

Chief Executive of the Scottish Rugby Union,

Lord of the Sponsorship Income,

Wearer of the Official M&S Suit,

Keeper Of The Key To The Board-room Drinks Cabinet,

Protector Of The Lesser-Spotted Johnson,

Master of All He Surveys.

Shite Mark, but you've landed me in it this time. I only just got out of Hawick alive. I had to address the natives from ootside the hut – it seems nae wimmin are allowed.

It was much the same in Glasgow. Now, I'm a Glesca Girl, but, never, not even when knocking-back a hauf-cut Rangers player inside Victoria's have I been bad-mouthed as I was on Tuesday night – and this in the West End too.

The natives are not merely unfriendly – they are revolting.

Send a gun boat, get Wee Beastie fired-up to come and protect me.

Love to Scottie,

Yours,

Sheila.

The South's response to Murrayfield's plans

I call them “the Silverbacks”, those long-retired players, usually forwards, who still turn-up of a Saturday afternoon to support their clubs, offer praise – but more normally criticism, and to bolster the bar takings. You know, you can learn a lot from spending time with these guys pre and post-match.

On Saturday, at Scotstoun, several of the Silverbacks were asking me about my repeated comparisons between Junior Football and Club Rugby. As I see it - unless they embrace a Rugby Union version of Junior Football, club rugby as the SRU seems to wish it to be in our brave new franchised world from 2019 on will not work.

For those who don't know the difference between Junior Football and real football – a crash course.

Junior Football is the replacement for clan warfare in Scotland, but, rather than Campbell against Macdonald etc., this is village against village – Newtongrange v Bonnyrigg, Kelty v Crossgates, and, at its zenith – Auchinleck v Cumnock. No quarter is asked or given, it doesn't matter how you do it, just win, is the first rule.

These days, the top Junior clubs are competing with the lesser Senior clubs for some talent, but, the best junior sides always have, at their core, one or two locals, playing for their mates and the toon. Does that sound familiar down there in the Borders?

Junior Football is the bastard child of Scottish Football. The Hampden Hierarchy is supposedly in-charge, but, in-reality, they let the Juniors get on with running things their way, with Tom Johnston, the Scottish Junior FA's Secretary, the link man who has to seek to maintain good order and discipline, like a latter-day Viceroy, occasionally reporting back to HQ.

"Viceroy" Tom Johnson

The thing is, the SFA is quite happy to allow Tom Johnston – a bloody good administrator by the way – to run things, with minimal input from further along the sixth-floor corridor at Hampden, where “real” football is administered. The Junior clubs know this – and – IT WORKS.

Now, it seems to me, and to a lot of folk, IF this new super-duper world of Super Six franchises, as outlined in Agenda 3 come to pass, what will, in effect, be the Rugby Union equivalent of Junior Football will be run by the Murrayfield professionals, by diktat. What they say will go.

I have news for Mr Dodson and his apparatchiks:

THIS WILL NOT WORK

Professional Sports Administrators, professional coaches – these guys can run professional sports – where everyone is supposed to be singing from the same hymn sheet and aiming for a common goal.

Running a strictly amateur, or even a semi-professional team, where there may be a common goal, but, those who are seeking to get there are coming from different points – well, that's a whole different ball game.

Dave Rennie can issue orders

Dave Rennie can tell his squad: “Special session, be at Scotstoun, stripped, warmed-up and ready to go for midnight on Sunday”, safe in the knowledge his entire squad will be there.

Calum Forrester at Ayr, Robin Chrystie at Melrose or Peter Wright, at Boroughmuir, if they tried that, would find – three guys on shift work at the day job who could not manage; a couple more on long-arranged week-ends away with their family; two in London on business; one flying to New York for a conference plus a couple more telling him: “Sorry coach, but, it's my wife's/mother's birthday and I am commited to a family do”.

Peter Wright has to try to persuade

Professional sport pays people to do things, amateur or semi-professional sport relies on volunteers, and, the cost of those volunteers' time and energy is – they have a say in how the team and the sport is run.

So, for what will in effect be Junior Rugby, Murrayfield MUST be prepared to delegate, to allow devolved management, back to District or as it now is “Regional” level. If they don't, this whole Agenda 3 thing is doomed to failure.

I cannot say this often enough. By all means have a semi-professional layer of the game, to allow the better guys who cannot devote themselves to being full-time professionals a platform on which to perform; to have a safety net for the late-developers, to allow the guys from the lesser clubs a potential pathway into the pro game.

But, that layer must be more in-tune with the grass-roots below it, and, for this to work, it has to be managed bottom-up, rather than top down.

The South clubs, Melrose apart, seem to have grasped this. They appear to be intending to set-up and run the Borders franchise as a re-born South of Scotland team. Yippee Kai Hay, I applaud this. If it happens, this team will be a genuine power in the land. It will be great to see the red and white hoops back, with the stockings indicating which club each player is from.

Ayr, who I am sure will go for a franchise, as Ayr Raiders, will look to build-on the SWARC South-West Area Rugby Clubs) infrastructure which Bill Nolan established back in the day, with the Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway clubs feeding-in.

We hear there will be efforts to establish North and Midlands franchises, which could work – bring it on.

BUT

There are two areas where Junior Football does not work – and I fear Junior Rugby will not either. These areas are our two major cities – Edinburgh and Glasgow.

As one of the Hawks' Silverbacks said to me yesterday: “The money is not there for a Glasgow franchise – any company which is going to sponsor Rugby Union in this city is already tied into Warriors; there is no funding left for a semi-professional side.”

I suspect, the same thing applies in Edinburgh, where firms and wealthy individuals who might be willing to put cash into the game are already involved with the full Edinburgh side, or putting it into the handful of Premiership sides of roughly equal stature. It is impossible to see anyone being willing to help one semi-professional side, when there is already a fully-professional one there, and a club side just below them.

Set Phasers To Malky - This Could Get Ugly

I HAVE nothing against Sheila Begbie MBE. Indeed, I have never met the lady. I do recall one telephone conversation, about 20-years ago, when she was the token woman above tea-making duties inside Hampden.

Sheila Begbie MBE

I have therefore, no definite opinion as to her capabilities. Certainly, on her watch, Scottish Women's Football grew-up, but, I think the distaff side of the ruffians' game in Scotland has made greater progress under her successors than it did under Ms Begbie.

That said, it could well be a case of her qualities taking women's football from obscurity to the cusp of its present rude health. However, quite what caused her to jump ship from the ruffians' to the gentlemen's form of football, I don't know, but have my suspicions.

Women's rugby in Scotland has also come on in leaps and bounds under her watch, even if the international results were fairly dire until the likes of Shade Munro and Scott Wight came on-board, but, we have to give her credit for her part in women's rugby's progress.

Clearly, in the world of professional sports administration, Ms Begbie has proved herself a capable operator.

BUT

In her newly-announced role as: Director of Domestic Rugby, she will be in charge of all Scottish rugby below the elite professional level – the national side, the two professional teams and the Academies – as outlined under the “Agenda 3” initiative announced at the agm. This means, Ms Begbie will be in-charge of the proposed “Super Six” plans.

Having acknowledged her part in growing women's rugby, it has to be noted – there is a long way still to go. Scotland is still the weakest of the four Home Nations -why give the woman in charge greater responsibilities, and shift her focus to the men's game, when the job with women's rugby is still incomplete?

She has inherited the responsibilities of Keith Russell, who was DoDR until his sudden and still-unexplained departure earlier this year.

In some ways this could be a good move. It is already clear, getting the Super Six up and running will involve a fair bit of arm-twisting and horse-trading. Ms Begbie will come into this as a rank outsider, without having long-standing friendships and relationships with some of the unpaid club officials.

The SRU maybe needs this Begbie to sell Agenda 3 to the clubs

It's not as if she comes in being seen as: “a Caledonian Region person” or “an Edinburgh Region person” - far less bringing with her a long-established club connection. She does not have a regional or club axe to grind. Nobody will be able to tell her – if it comes down to a choice between Club A or Club B getting a franchise: “Aye, your favouring them because you or your son played for them”.

That might be a plus. However, for every plus there will be a minus. Ms Begbie's lack of club contacts, built-up over years of knocking lumps out of other officials as players, touring together and working together within the Murrayfield system, might be a drawback.

And yes, she is a woman. Women's rugby has never aped the men's game. In both women's football – where Ms Begbie cut her administrative teeth, and women's rugby – the ladies tend to do things slightly differently from the men. This could be a potential cause of, if not conflict, differences of opinion.

I know the old system, whereby the future High Heid Yins of Scottish Rugby had to serve a lengthy apprenticeship, doing the menial jobs within the District Union, and serving their time before, for one glorious year, they were SRU president and could enjoy the fruits of their unpaid labours have passed.

But, that system for all its failings, brought forth a breed of official who knew the game, knew most of the people in it and knew what it meant to the wider rugby community.

Ms Begbie is a professional sports administrator, PSA for short, a growing community these days. We should acknowledge here, she has, if not the tee-shirt, at least the caps, having played internationally for the Scotland Women's football team.

One of the things you get with “professional sports administrators” is – empires get built. PSAs also tend to move around from sport to sport – they start off in their own sport; they get an administrative job, are able to show they did it reasonably well, so, some other sport will then hire them. And, if they do well there, they can move on up to perhaps a bigger sport, until they reach their ceiling.

Empire builders also recruit staff. Where once a couple of volunteers ran a District or a team set-up, giving freely of their time for no reward other than to see the team and the players doing well, with PSAs, you find assistants, consultants and general factotums being recruited, it can be a slippery slope to cost overruns. Take away the Edinburgh and Glasgow playing squads and coaching staff and, there are still over 100 people on the Murrayfield pay roll What do they all do?

Also, PSAs get appointed, they don't have to stand for election and, in the process forge alliances, debate the issues and come-up with a course of action which carries the body of the particular sport's kirk with it. They rule by diktat, democracy goes out of the door.

Which brings us back to Agenda 3, and the relationships between the strictly-amateur clubs, the semi-professional Super Six and the SRU's performance arm.

Already, we hear the SRU rather than the clubs involved will be appointing the Super Six clubs' coaches – I can see conflict there.

We hear the current system, whereby fringe professionals and Academy players can play in the Premiership when not required by Edinburgh and Glasgow will cease under Agenda 3 – I can see problems there.

Can a PSA still appreciate the problems involved in running a strictly-amateur club set-up, particularly since, as outlined by Mr Dodson, it looks lop-sided?

I have heard one or two long-serving club stalwarts, guys who have spilled blood for their club, then worked tirelessly in playing retirement to advance their clubs saying: “It's a power grab – Murrayfield wants to run everything from Primary One minis up to the Club International XV.

The clubs are the SRU, and, if the paid officials see Agenda 3 as a chance to silence the clubs and run things their way, then I am certain Agenda 3 is doomed to failure.

I was not at the agm, but, experienced journalists who were tell me, the suits didn't like it the two or three times the club representatives didn't do what they were expected to do. Rebellion was met with annoyance by the powers that be – they didn't like it up 'em. A wee bit of humility might have served them better.

Agenda 3 is the biggest change in Scottish rugby since professionalism. It seems it is being rushed through. Like an early days Jean Luc Picard, Captain Dodson and First Officer Johnson have said: “Make it so” and are unwilling to discuss it, or even try to encourage the body of the kirk to follow their lead.

"Make it so", said Captain Dodson

Might Ms Begbie is the cast member in the different uniform, the one out front taking the risks, who you know isn't going to make it to the end credits.

There are good things in Agenda 3, but, Ms Begbie will have a struggle getting these through, in the face of the several bad things which could yet scupper it.

And, if the suits think the clubs will more-readily agree to the SRU's proposals, because they are being delivered by a lady – well, they might be in for a great big gunk -to use an auld Scots word.

One final wee cautionary note for Dodson & Co. One spell-check alternative I was offered for “Begbie” when penning this post, was “beseiged” - just saying like.