Super Six - Part Four

I BEGIN this somewhat lengthier fourth part at my look at the SRU's Super Six franchise document with a couple of quotes:

“It's the community land fund in reverse, whereby the governing body creates the myth of financial support in order to create, on the back of others'investment, a physicality infrastructure, capital and human resource which that body can control and bleed at will.

“It's a modern take on the King's new clothes.”

and:

“I spent some years looking at business risk. I have software that did stress-testing of financial forecasts, long before regulators introduced this concept to banking.

“The entire Super Six franchise depends on franchisees investing capital, human and financial into an untested model, while the franchisor provides capped revenue grants at a paltry level.”

I suggested to the person whom I quote, his opposition to the proposed franchises was a case of natural cynicism. He replied: “Cynicism born of reality.”

The guy I am quoting knew Craig Whyte was dodgy

OK, that's one guy's view. That particular “Juan Guy”, is an Ayr RFC member, who had insider knowledge about Craig Whyte's purchase of Rangers and who told those of us around him in the Millbrae stand: “This will not end well.” This at a time when Mr Whyte was being hailed by the Scottish football “stenographers” as: “A billionaire with wealth off the radar.”

He is not prophesying the same wretched outcome for Super Six, but, when a guy with that level of past experience cautions against a course of action – maybe those clubs considering bidding should think again, and definitely do more due diligence.

It cannot be disputed, those clubs who opt for Super Six, these are the organisations taking the biggest risk. Sure, they are guaranteed five years as a “top” club, but, if they want to stay at that level – they have to spend an awful lot of their own money, and, there are no guarantees Super Six will work.

Repeated failures

When rugby went professional, the SRU's vision for the professional game saw four professional sides. They couldn't make that work; so they went to three; that didn't work – they went to two, which has, sort-of, worked. Certainly, Glasgow has been a success, Edinburgh less-so, but, under Richard Cockerill, it appears to be turning the corner.

It has been obvious for some time, the professional game in Scotland would benefit from at least one of the two killed-off professional teams being revived, with an almost acceptance, Scottish rugby might benefit from a professional side located north of the central belt.

Well, rather than spending a piddling sum on six franchises, why doesn't the SRU, which is apparently very keen on this northern presence – put its money where its mouth is and fund it – rather than expect clubs already paddling hard to stay afloat, paddle even-harder for uncertain reward.

Everything about the franchise proposals screams – DISTRICTS. It's down there, in black and white in the document – these clubs are expected to be centres of excellence within their geographic regions in Scotland. That's the old District side by any other name.

Look at Scottish Rugby history. There have always been elite clubs. Hawick was represented in the first British Lions tour party back in the 1890s. The very first Scottish international team had lots of players from the Edinburgh and Glasgow Academicals, Watsonians and Heriot's have been supplying Scotland internationals since Queen Victoria was on the throne, ditto Gala and Melrose.

Long and Honourable Histories

The current top strata of club rugby, the BT Premiership, has ten clubs. Of these, Heriot's, Watsonians and Glasgow Hawks (a hybrid of Glasgow Academicals, Glasgow High School FP and Kelvinside Academicals) might be described as: “traditional old-school Former Pupil clubs”. Melrose and Hawick represent the traditional Borders heartland of Scottish rugby. Ayr, Boroughmuir, Marr and Stirling County are (and I do not use this term in a derogatory fashion) “nouveau riche” clubs – who aspired to the top flight and, by dint of hard work, over many years, got there, while Currie has also sprung – albeit in a far-shorter time-scale, from humble beginnings.

  Just two of the hundreds of Scotland internationalists who came through the club to Districts to Scotland route to the top

In the next level down, National League 1, there are clubs such as Edinburgh Academical – who provided the ground, the captain and five other players to the 20 Scots who lined up in Rugby Union's first international, at Raeburn Place, on 27 March, 1871. Here too, we find Kelso, home club of John Jeffrey, one of Scotland's two representatives to World Rugby. We see listed, Selkirk, home club of the great John Rutherford; Gala, the club of Jim Aitken, captain of the 1984 Grand Slam team, and Peter Brown, captain of the team which won at Twickenham in the 1971 Calcutta Cup match.

Here too, we find Stewart's-Melville FP, home club of former Lions' captain Fin Calder; Jed-forest, from whence came arguably Scotland's three greatest scrum-halves – Roy Laidlaw, his nephew Greig and Gary Armstrong.

Under the franchise plan, such clubs will be down-graded to “feeder” status. I accept, some of the club grounds might well continue as the home grounds of Super Six franchise clubs, but, any link to the proud traditions of the past would be tenuous to a greater or lesser degree.

Received wisdom within Scottish rugby is that only two current top-flight clubs are keen to take-on franchises. These are Ayr and Melrose, the two “most-professional” of the Premiership sides. Billy McHarg, the Ayr president is a risk-aversive chartered accountant. You can bet, after reading the franchise document, if Billy goes into a room to talk to Mark Dodson and his staff, Billy will have a few very-difficult questions for Mark to answer.

Melrose are being touted as favourites to land the South franchise – since the SRU plan sees one franchise each in the traditional Districts: North and Midlands, Glasgow, Edinburgh and the South, with two “floaters.”

Now, I would not like to be the player from one of Melrose's Borders rivals who has to tell his club, and the rest of the “toon”: “No, I am off to play for Melrose in the Super Six next season”. Local ties are tight down there, he might find life uncomfortable. Also, Melrose risk alienating their long-term rivals. Aye, there is no love lost when Melrose meet Gala, or Hawick, or any of the other Border League sides, but, there is a mutual respect and appreciation which may be lost. In any case, the other clubs, while recognising the difficulties involved, are reputedly trying to put together a South franchise bid.

The franchise demand for the successful club to have, by 2024, when the initial five-year franchise period ends, a 4G all-weather pitch, could be problematic for those clubs looking at perhaps taking-on the Edinburgh and Glasgow franchises. None of the top-flight Edinburgh clubs owns their pitch, Heriot's, Watsonians, Edinburgh Accies and Stew-Mel all play on school grounds, while Boroughmuir and Currie play on council-owned pitches.

A Possible Football Connection

There are whispers of Spartans, the successful non-league football club, with its excellent facilities at Ainslie Park, looking to expand to become a continental-style multi-sports club, by amalgamating with one of the Edinburgh clubs and bidding for the capital franchise. But, these are merely whispers at present.

In Glasgow, once again the pitch could be a problem. We hear of, maybe, a club seeking to join Warriors in playing at Scotstoun, but, such a club would be seen as “Warriors Reserves” and, there would be logistical problems of two squads, playing the same game, sharing a single venue and training centre. The Super Six club, for instance, would take second place to Warriors when it came to use of the excellent Scotstoun gym.

Scotstoun - might it be home to a Super Six franchise, as well as Warriors?

It has been suggested one of the “floating” franchises might go to Stirling County – taking on the “Midlands” part of the old North and Midlands District, while the fabled Aberdeen option would see, somehow, the feuding Granite City clubs uniting to form a single city club to take on Super Six. But, back to County Yes, great club, which has come far in the past 50-years, but, good ground though Bridgehaugh is, money would need to be spent, and, access is a huge problem.

Again, the suggestion is, Ayr would take-on part of the far-flung Glasgow District, via the SWARC (South West Area Rugby Clubs) set-up devised by Bill Nolan some years ago. But, Millbrae has even-more access and required upgrading problems than Bridgehaugh, and it is an open secret around Millbrae, if they go for a franchise, they will need a new home.

Ayr Really United

One Millbrae “Silverback” even suggested – an amalgamation with Ayr United to revive the football club's plans for a new ground on the outskirts of Ayr, at Heathfield.

So, a lot of talking still to be done. More than a few obstacles to be overcome. Tomorrow, in the final part of my look at this matter – Aristotle will reveal what he thinks should happen.