FOR as long as I have been around rugby, the SRU has played up to its image of being a wee bit old-fashioned, arch-conservatives, almost pathologically against change. Their motto might almost be, as has been suggested often enough, It's Aye Been.
Then, when they have lulled everyone into a sense of false security, they will pull-off some outrageous and far-reaching coup. Thinking back over 40-years, none of us seriously thought the SRU of all governing bodies, would be the first to introduce national, competitive leagues. At the time, most of thought, when competitive leagues came in, it would be the Welsh who would do so, but, no, it was Murrayfield.
Then, having supposedly battled against substitutes for years, how ironic that the Scots should be the first to use one in an internaitonal.
Now, they have done it again, with this afternoon's announcement that the Scotland v Tonga international, on 22 November, will be played at the aptly-named Rugby Park, Kilmarnock.
This game will be the first in which a Tier One nation - Scotland, will play an international on an artificial surface, as the game goes on on the new £500,000 surface which was laid at Rugby Park over the summer.
Of course, the stadium's name tells you, this will not be the first time rugby has been played there. Certainly Kilmarnock RFC have not played there regularly since 1927 - when they played, not on the main pitch, but, at one, now vanished under the Park Hotel, behind the main stand.
Indeed, the match is a return of rugby tot he ground, it last featured there in November, 1954, when Ayrshire played Glasgow in a flood-lit match.
Rather as the Ibrox set-up seemed to hold-in the atmosphere of the SEvens competition at the recent Commonwealth Games, so, Rugby Park,with its four stands close to the touchlines, will provide a cracking pressure-cooker-type setting.
And, with promotions in place to ensure that local Primary School kids can get in for nothing, if accompanied by an adult, if this game doesn't attract close to a 18,500 full-house, it willbe a surprise.
This game is a rare chance for the West of Scotland rugby community to take their sterling support of Glasgow Warriors up a level, to the national side and could well be the first of many internationals to be played in the West.
If Murrayfield markets this one properly, and, I have every confidence in Dominic McKay pulling this off, this one could be a cracking day.
One of the amusing side shows to the international launch, was the inteerest the Scottish layers on-duty showed in Kilmarnock FC owner Billy Bowie's fleet of huge "boy's toys" lined-up int he car park.
Bowie has three giant American suvs, which he uses for publicity and Alistair Dickinson, for one, was clearly desperate to have a go in one of the giant American Ford 4x4s. I trust Billy Bowie took pity on him and gave him his wish.
