It Has Aye Been, But, If Murrayfield Has Its Way - It No Longer Will Be

AND NOW we come to the interesting bit – who will bite for “Super Six” franchises, and, more-interestingly since this is Scottish Rugby – who will lead the resistance?

And as we all learned at our grannie's knee, when it comes to Scottish Rugby: “It's aye been and aye will be”. Except:

• Short tours – an SRU invention, in South Africa in 1960
• Official, competitive leagues – an SRU invention
• First official replacement in an international – Scot Ian McCrae
  
  
  
   Ian McCrae - one of several Scottish Rugby firsts

The “blazers” might revel in being thought old-fashioned, hide-bound and reactionary, but, actions speak louder than perceptions.

Not even the most-SRU-supportive journalist can say, the Murrayfield Mandarins have got everything right over the years, but, they have never been quite as bad as their critics like to make-out, and have had some good ideas. But, it this latest wheeze – the “Super Six” one?

We will know within six months. It might be, they do indeed find six parties willing to make the necessary commitment, to make the plan work; they might not, but we will not know until the details of what is entailed in running one of the franchises, what the Union's input is and – can it work.

The one general agreed view is, the devil will be in the detail.

What worries me is, reading reports on what Mark Dodson outlined to the SRU agm – if this plan goes ahead, we will be seeing a twin track approach to Scottish rugby.

My reading of his presentation is: the SRU will tightly-control what we should call the “performance arm” of the game, with the clubs perhaps getting a bit more freedom to run the grass roots “enjoyment” arm.

The promising young players, the kids who get onto the performance pathway and into the Under-16, Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 national squads will be the ones from whom the intake to the Academies will be drawn. They will then go on into the squads of the two professional sides, into the Sevens squad and the very best will win full Scotland caps.

Mark Dodson - third pro side could happen, eventually

If this works and the number of successful graduates is as high as everyone hopes, then that third professional side at which Mr Dodson hinted when questioned by the press after the agm, could well happen. However, any such side is, I would say, at least five, perhaps closer to ten years away.

It has been made clear, the practice of Academy students and fringe professionals being drafted down will cease, once the Super Six is up and running. The franchises will draw their squads and replenish them from the amateur ranks. The Super Six will be the pinnacle for the play-for-fun players.

Of course, I would expect them to form a safety net for those Academy students who do not train-on to warrant full professional contracts, while also being a magnet for the later developers who were missed on the pathway.

I feel, therefore, the SRU's plan might have a better chance of acceptance and implementation, if Murrayfield is prepared to devolve some element of control to the six franchises.

We know, the SRU would like these to be geographically-based on the former Districts. The six franchise clubs will be seen as the apex of rugby in their area – the place where the best players in each district want to play.

Well, why not treat them as they used to treat the Districts, back in the amateur days? With this in mind, they should perhaps drop the suggestion that these franchise clubs could have second teams, playing against the feeder sides.

I don't see this working. Better perhaps to get down to Hawick and ask the old-timers, how did it work back when the Green Machine was omnipotent? Then, all the junior and development clubs – Trades, YM, Linden, Harlequins, Wanderers, Albion and PSA worked on the basis they were there as much to provide well-schooled players for “The Greens” - Hawick RFC, as for club or personal glory. Then, expand that system through the six franchises.

I would also suggest, the plan for the Super Six to be under-pinned by four Scotland-wide leagues – a Championship and three National Leagues, is flawed. A Championship and a single National League I could tolerate, indeed, there has to be some sort of cushioned landing for those clubs currently in the Premiership and the National Leagues who are about to see their status reduced.

The suggested set-up is a nonsense. As the Scottish league system is formulated today, there are 46 “National level” clubs -10 Premiership and the 3x12-club “National” leagues. Under the franchise proposals, there will be 54 – the 6 Super Six semi-professional franchises, the 12 Championship League sides and the 3-12-club National Leagues. There are simply not 54 clubs of that standard in Scotland. Also, the notion that the Super Six franchises will field second XVs in the National Leagues - well, that needs kicking into touch too.

The SRU intends running the performance arm of the game – the full-time professional sides and the best of the young players. Well, Mr Dodson and chums – if you are going to sell-off the right to play below this level to just six clubs, and expect them to nurture the amateur game below that as a means of recharging their squads etc,you will have to give them some power over the amateur game.

If rugby in Scotland below full-time professional level is to be run at arm's length from Murrayfield, more power has to be devolved to the Super Six, as focal points of rugby in their District, and to the member clubs below this level.

 The SJFA logo - if the SRU's plans go through, we might need a rugby version

I say again – go to Hampden Park, speak to Tom Johnston and find out how he manages to keep the various junior leagues and clubs within the Scottish Junior Football Association from murdering each other.

Then, come back and establish a Scottish Junior Rugby Union, with the Super Six franchises at the head. That's maybe the only way your new idea could possibly work.

But, look out for fireworks along the way.

Graham "Greco" Hogg

FINALLY - Like everyone else in Scottish Rugby, I was stunned by the sudden and totally-unexpected passing of Graham "Greco" Hogg, earlier this week.

Graham was, like the good "Teri" he was, totally immersed in rugby, both in his native Hawick and in Edinburgh, where he spent most of his life, at University, then playing for, captaining and coaching Boroughmuir, Edinburgh, Scottish Districts, Scottish Students and Scotland A.

He was a superb coach and man manager, but, his lasting memorial will be Currie, the club he coached from Division Four, to Scottish Champions. He may have handed over the reins of day-to-day coaching to Ally Donaldson, then to Ben Cairns, but, as Chairman of the club's Rugby Board, he was still an immensely-important and influential man about Malleny Park.

He will be sorely missed and my condolences go to Jeanette and his wider family.