The Italian Job - You Were Only Supposed To Blow The British & Irish Cup Off

Some weeks ago, I was discussing the lack of a Scottish presence in the British & Irish Cup – the equivalent competition to the European Cup and Challenge Cup, for the Home Nations' second tier clubs, with the President of one of our top clubs.

(OK, the B&I has never been a happy hunting ground for our BT Premiership clubs, only once has a Scottish club – Ayr – got past the initial group stages into the knock-out phase. As such, the belief has grown, not least in Murrayfield's corridors of powers, that our top clubs, all essentially amateur, could not go head-to-head with the full-time professionals of the English Greene King IPA Championship. This has meant no Scottish representation in either of the last two seasons.)

This club President, however, tipped me the wink – all was not lost; we might never again see Ayr, Melrose, Heriot's or Currie going head-to-head with Bristol, or Jersey, Llanelli or Ulster Ravens, but, plans were afoot for a competition involving Scottish and Italian clubs, to fill the B&I Cup dates.

Last week, the Italian Rugby Federation announced dates for this competition – two in Setember and two in November, with perhaps others in the spring of next season to follow. From Murrayfield – nothing, until Iain Morrison wrote a piece on this in this morning's Scotsman.

So, it looks as if the new competition is a goer, except, Murrayfield hasn't come out with a definite comment on the new competition, and Morry seems to feel they are swithering between making it a genuine club event, or going down the route of selecting "District" sides to represent Scotland.

I believe, if Murrayfield opts for "District" sides, there will be one almighty back-lash from our Premiership clubs, a body of clubs including some of the iconic "brands" in Scottish rugby, who have been repeatedly and distinctly short-changed by Murrayfield's cack-handed administration of the game over the 21-years since it went professional.

This Italian-Scottish competition MUST, from this end, be contested by our top club sides, albeit squas enhanced by the inclusion of those Edinburgh and Glasgow players who tend to spend most of their season in the BT Premiership in any case.

Of course, it would help if this long-mooted, often-discussed but as yet unimplemented semi-professional BT Premiership were to actually happen.There has been more hot-air exhausted on this than in the average hot-air ballooning rally, but, real progress there has been none.

There are professional players on the rosters of our two pro teams, who spend far more time in the BT Premiership than they do in the Pro12. If the Premiership was semi-professional, this would hopefully drive-up standards and better equip these fringe Edinburgh and Glasgow players for the step-up to the Pro12 than the Premiership currently does, to the betterment of Scottish rugby.

The clubs are in favour, but still in the dark; the players will absolutely love it, so, come-on Murrayfield, tell us what is going on.

Mind you, the Italian Job is not the only alternative – I believe there is mileage in Ayr Director of Rugby Jock Craig's alternative suggestion – an Irish-Scottish Cup, between the top eight in the All-Ireland League and their counterparts in the BT Premiership.

These leagues are of roughly equivalent standard, the logistics are a bit easier than trips to Italy and the competition will be keen. There is another potential benefit for Scottish Rugby. We are told the High Heid Yins who appoint the referees to the Pro12, believe officiating in the All-Ireland League better equips a referee for the Pro12 than officiating in the BT Premiership.

Maybe, through an Irish-Scottish Cup, we could bust this myth and show, our top referees are every bit as good and, in some cases – yes, you John Lacey and Gary Conway – better than their Irish contemporaries.

On the other hand, I mentioned the Italian Job to "Management" and she immediately became interested – the idea of, perhaps, a long weekend around Lake Como or Lake Garda in September, has a certain appeal for her.

GLASGOW Hawks have received a great deal of sympathy for the way the exited the BT Scottish Cup at the weekend – losing out to Heriot's, who won because they were the away team.

Certainly, in cups and more-so at the sharp end of the competition, there has to be a means of separating two clubs who cannot otherwise be separated by events on the park. There are various options – most tries, fewest yellow and red cards, least penalties conceded and so-on.

Well if those round ball hooligans can come-up with the penalty shoot-out, why not Rugby, since getting the ball over the crossbar under pressure does require a degree of skill – unless you are a Scottish footballer, to whom it is kid's play!!

Why not a penalty shoot-out? But, for sheer badness, might I suggest the penalty takers are drawn by lots: shirt numbers into a bag, pulled-out at random, the "lucky" kicker gets to take his kick from slap-bang in front of the posts, on the 22-metres line.

It might be fun, and, I wager would be far fairer than: "the away team goes through".

Just imagine a hulking tight-head prop being asked to kick a semi-final-winning penalty. He'd probably do it – inside every Willem Nel or Zander Fagerson, there lurks a wannabee Stuart Hogg.

 

Willem Nel (above) and Zander Fagerson  - inside each there lurks a wannabee Stuart Hogg