Super Six - Part Three

IN PART TWO of my look at the SRU's Super Six franchise document, I looked at the potentially-expensive matter of the facilities which clubs seeking to run a franchise will be required to have in place, if not by 2019, at least by 2024, when the initial five-year franchises are due for renewal.

Some still see ditching the Reivers as a huge mistake

That came up in section seven of the document, but, there is more cause for caution and reflection in sections eight and nine, as I hope to demonstrate here.

For some time now, there has been a feeling within the Scottish Rugby community, that, dumping the Border Reivers was a huge mistake,  and we should have at least one more full-time professional team, operating within the PRO14, and ideally two more such clubs. However, full-time professional clubs are expensive items to run, and the feeling is, the SRU cannot afford to run the one, or two additional full-time clubs.

They looked for partnership agreements, but, having been badly burned by their experience when Alex and Bob Carruthers bought-into Edinburgh in 2006, one perhaps senses the Union is not keen on trying this management model again.

So, might Super Six be a means of providing a higher grade of rugby than the amateur club game, and under-pinning Edinburgh and Glasgow, without the SRU having to dig deep?

The franchise document makes it clear, Super Six is a level, below the two professional teams, but above the amateur game. The presumption is, the Super Six clubs' players will be drawn from the best amateurs, and the younger Academy players.

When Mark Dodson made his initial presentation at the agm, the suggestion was, the Academy Level Three and Level Two players, considered ready to spend most of their time with the two professional teams, would get their game time with Edinburgh and Glasgow A teams – perhaps playing matches against English and the other PRO1 teams' Academy sides. Mr Dodson's original statement made it clear, they WOULD NOT be playing in the Super Six.

That was in August, in November, no mention of Edinburgh or Glasgow A teams, but, suddenly, the top Academy players WOULD be playing in Super Six. This move, obviously saves the SRU some money.

Stafford McDowall, an Academy prospect starring in the Premiership - future Academy players will get their chance in the Super Six

Whenever a third professional side has been mooted in the past, the presumption has been – this would be a Development team – used to get younger Scots up to professional speed, and ready to move up and fill gaps with Edinburgh or Glasgow. Suddenly, with the Academy players available to Super Six, they are getting game time and experience, perhaps not as intense as in the PRO14, but still, bringing them up to full-time speed. And, this way, it again saves the SRU money.

The link between the Academy, both at National and at Regional level is repeatedly stressed in the franchise document. Section 8.2.6, is, in my view, a telling part of the document, this reads:

“Links between franchisees and the regional Academies will be formalised under the jurisdiction of the High Performance department of Scottish Rugby. The principal purpose will be to give a smooth passage in assigning a proportion of Academy members to Super 6 squads. Through this arrangement player development can be closely controlled under head coaches who will share, with the regional academy coaches, a line of report into the Technical Director of Scottish Rugby. This should lead to very well-directed and rapid development of the best young players, similar to the best practice in the Southern Hemisphere nations.”

So, the players will be playing for the Super Six franchises, but, the SRU's High Performance Department is still very-much involved. It looks to me like professional development on the cheap. Just as potential Rugby Championship players in New Zealand play in the Mitre 10 and Ranfurly Shield competitions to gain experience, then the SRU hopes the Super Six will perform the same function.

To be fair, I can see the sense and the genuine thought which has gone into section eight. Section nine, which deals with communications, marketing and commerce, is, to my mind, largely “mince”.

No complaints about the strategy – which calls for new opportunities to promote the game and bring in more money. This is laudable. Section 9.2 however, is, to me, largely wishful thinking.

This covers club marketing and communications and calls for one member of each franchise's executive committee to be responsible for these functions. The franchise document sees this as a part-time post, then lists nine functions which it expects of this part-timer. This reads:

Marketing and communications activities would almost certainly include:

• regular interviews with the head coach – giving him a voice should be a primary aim of the marketing effort

• features on players

• match reviews and pre-match commentary

• setting up player visits to schools and other institutions

• promotion of the club’s events, facilities, investment, aspirations and so on

• media engagement and management including broadcasting, social media, print media and so on

• management of channels and the media of communication throughout the franchisee’s regional network

• effective ticketing sales and distribution

• links with businesses to support some of the above – such as ticket offers, media engagement and so on – in addition to sales of advertising and sponsorship.

The marketing and communications functions of all the franchised clubs must collaborate to develop common purpose and methodology. It will be important to seek the practical effects of sharing information and knowledge, but all franchisees are required to promote the Super 6 as a brand, which will benefit all of them.

Good luck with this. For a start, has the SRU really looked at how the game is covered by the media today? Sure, the national team is well-covered, so too the two professional clubs, but, below that, where the Super Six will be competing for space – Aye Right, as we say in the West.

The pecking order for sports coverage in Scotland is well-known and follows a long-established pattern:

1. The national football team
2. The Old Firm
3. The national rugby team
4. Andy Murray
5. Golf and horse racing
6. PRO14 Rugby
7. The remaining Premier League football teams
8. The “diddy” football teams below the top tier
9. Anything else the papers can get free or at little cost from agencies
10. “Minor” sports such as club rugby

The (Glasgow) Herald, which was once one of the two leading newspapers in Scotland for rugby, no longer covers the BT Premiership to any greater extent than a Monday round-up, provided by a hard-working freelance. The Sunday Herald never touches the BT Premiership, while, at the other end of the M8, The Scotsman, and its Sunday stable-mate Scotland on Sunday, to their credit, continue to cover each Premiership match, albeit with short reports, while also printing a comprehensive league tables and results section.

Sure, Edinburgh and Glasgow are well covered by BBC Alba, with occasional forays onto BBC2 Scotland, and the BBC Radio Scotland team of Colin Grigor, Tom English and the wonderful Peter Wright, plus various commentators, is a continuing joy.

But, while long-established household name clubs such as Melrose, Hawick and Heriot's are names seldom printed in our quality newspapers, and never mentioned in broadcasting terms – outside Radio Borders, what chance has these new franchise clubs have of getting coverage away from their local papers.

The man with his finger on the pulse of Scottish Rugby - The Offside Line's David Barnes

Some clubs have excellent websites, catering to their members. Other websites, even at the top level, are piss poor, and will seriously need to up their game, should their club win a franchise. While, if you really want to know what is going on in Scottish Rugby – you can do worse than follow David Barnes's excellent The Offside Line – while reading Aristotle Armstrong for trenchant opinion is mandatory.

More to follow.