Scottish Rugby Has Problems Beyond Not Securing Re-start Ball

FOR A brief, tantalising minute, it seemed last night that both Edinburgh and Glasgow were going to win their PRO14 games. Then, Edinburgh fell to the seemingly eternal curse of Scottish sides – an inability to secure re-start possession, and, two or three phases later, Ulster kicked a dramatic winning penalty. Surely it is not that difficult for full-time professional players to be able to secure and make good use of a ball kicked to them, and why, after so-many re-start calamities, are Scottish professional players still cocking-up one of the game's basics.

BACK to club rugby this afternoon, and I think I know what the two main talking points around the ropes will be: 1. That ridiculous advertisement for a southern hemisphere playmaker, posted by one of the Stupid-6; 2. The weekly sweepstake on how many games will go unplayed, because clubs cannot raise a full XV, or, a full XV plus experienced front-row cover.That latter point is, for the long-term health of the game, probably the more-serious matter. On which subject, I throw-in this comment, sent to me the other week by a diligent reader of this blog:

“Thinking about The Bear's comments about not enough bad rugby players led me to reflect on my own involvement in various initiatives to get more people involved and playing the game. When you look at the whole thing from top to bottom it's hard to see the obvious integration of the upper reaches of the Murrayfield with the efforts to keep clubs like Mid-Argyll fielding a team.It seems to be limited to player visits with that season's biggest bit of silverware or worthwhile initatives such as RBS rugby force.  The point here is that it is one of activities that allow a box to be ticked and support of the grassroots to be reported at the SRU AGM.

But does it do any good? These initiatives are designed to maintain all that has gone before, and what we need are new initiatives that will bring in new players (including the bad) and help ensure that fixtures are fulfilled. From the top of the ivory towers in EH12 it seems it is enough to point at capacity crowds and Scotland's world rankings in 7s and XVs. All well and good, but it does nothing to enhance or maintain the culture of rugby within our society. A common theme from the great and the good is the need to get new blood into the game.

I've taken part in a lot of initiatives to get school children from the state sector playing rugby, from tournaments at clubs, training sessions at schools, sessions with the pro teams, evening sessions in tarmaced MUGAs in the darkest schemes known to man.  You name a sensible sounding idea, and I've given it a go. One or two not so sensible ones as well. One thing has remained constant in the 20 years I've been doing this,
and it I believe it is at the heart of why the returns are so poor.

99% of the participants had never seen a game of rugby.

Rugby can be a simple game, but we are setting ourselves a pretty tall hurdle in trying to sell something that no one has ever seen, let alone played. Bernie Ecclestone was happy to take the money from subscription TV, but was immovable in his insistance that it also had to be available free to air. That undoubtedly helped swell the ranks of Hamilton and Schumacher's fans. The latest Pro14 TV deal does not seem to address
this issue at all.
Once they've worked it out I'd say that almost all enjoyed it, so the good news is that getting knocked about is still attractive to the Netflix and Chill generation. What these limited initiatives do not do is address the long term cultural needs of a rugby club, particularly filling the ranks of the old farts of the future who will do the pitch
bookings, pick up a whistle, or a read a coaching manual or two.

We have to get more people watching the game before we can expect to increase the number of people playing the game.”

That is not an isolated view, I have had much the same case put to me by various people, indeed, as my correspondent points out: Iain “The Bear” Milne has been beating the drum of not enough bad players playing the game for years. But, nobody at Murrayfield appears to be listening – the “suits” are seemingly obsessed with the professional game, to the extent they risk killing the grass-roots.

Mind you, some clubs need to look at themselves. A couple of Saturdays ago I went into the bar of a club at 6pm. First question, why did that club, on the Saturday before the leagues kicked-off, not have some sort of game going on? They hadn't, and there was not a single player in the bar, indeed, the only drinkers were a bunch of guys about my age, who seem to treat that particular club bar as their own wee private club.

Most of the ten or so guys there wouldn't know a ruck from a set scrum. Now, fair enough, their beer money helps keep that club going, but, for all the excellent efforts that club puts in in youth rugby – where they punch well above their weight; to see so-many non-rugby people dominating the club bar, at that time on a Saturday night, is worrying.

GAME of the Day in the Tennent's Premiership this afternoon will surely be the Millbrae clash of Ayr and Currie Chieftains. This would have been a good game any way, but, the added bonus of the Bill McLaren Shield being up for grabs, adds a certain picquaincy to the menu. There are some genuine high-quality backs on display in both sides, so, let's hope for a tries-fest to entertain the 340 Bonnie Lassies attending Ayr's annual Ladies Day.

In the capital there is an interesting encounter at Goldenacre, where Heriot's entertain Watsonians, in a meeting as old as Scottish Rugby. Most of polite Edinburgh society will be there, it seems.

Having put Hawick to the sword last week, Melrose today entertain a youthful Glasgow Hawks side, who produced some nice moments in losing to Heriot's last week. I fear, however, another sore one awaits them at the Greenyards.

Stirling County entertain promoted Edinburgh Accies at Bridgehaugh, in perhaps the tightest match to call, while the final game, at Meggetland, sees Boroughmuir and Hawick looking to bounce back from opening day defeats. It's a good card, let's hope for some good rugby.