At Last, Some Welcome Good News Around Super6

THE FOSROC SUPER6 competition is the bastard child of Scottish Rugby. Largely unloved, despised by many, but, I remain convinced this is the future of performance rugby in Scotland.

In my view, the great brains of the BT Murrayfield Junta have done their level best to spoil a very-good original concept. Of course, Covid-19 has not helped, however, I again suggest, if S6 gets a fair crack of the whip, it will win over the doubters – those who have wished it ill from the start will never be turned.

Of late, it has been all bad news for S6, with players, naturally fed-up at not getting game time, chucking it in. We have had stories of desertions at at least three of the six franchises, with lurid suggestions at least one is on dangerously-rocky financial ground.

Just this week, there have been suggestions that Cammy Fenton signing for Heriot's, following his departure from Edinburgh was a signal of the end of civilisation as we know it.

 

 

Glen Tippet, Jim Kirkwood of Allanvale and Blair Macpherson at the Allanvale strip launch

picture by George McMillan

Time for some good news, which came today, with the unveiling of a new main shirt sponsor by Ayrshire Bulls. Glen Tippet was like the cat that got the cream today, at High Noon, when he revealed Allanvale Developments as the new shirt sponsors, in a big money, three-year deal

Allanvale recently purchased the historic Auchincruive Estate, the former Scottish Agricultural Collegte site just outside Ayr. The estate's centrepiece is the Robert Adam-designed Oswald House and Allanvale has ambitious plans to develop the 300-year-old estate.

Allanvale Managing Director Jim Kirkwood said: “Ayrshire Bulls have a high profile, and are well-integrated into the Ayrshire community. We are looking to support that and for Allanvale to become as much a part of the club as we can be in the years ahead.”

Glen Tippet said: “We are delighted to welcome Jim and Allanvale into our growing family of sponsors and partners. The success of Ayr Rugby has always been built on strong local community partnerships that help us through. Having Allanvale, another local brand, onboard with us reinforces the support we have in our local community – we couldn’t be happier.

“The Ayrshire Bulls is a key part of Ayr Rugby and is the stepping stone for those players who want to progress onto professional rugby. Just like the other FOSROC Super6 teams we are preparing well for the Sprint Series and looking forward to getting back playing.

“When the time is right, I look forward to welcoming Jim and the Allanvale team to Millbrae.”

TO RETURN to Cammy Fenton's switch from Murrayfield to Goldenacre; I have seen one or two clubmen less than happy with this move. Yet, such moves have been going-on in football for years.

If you go down the team rosters of many of Scotland's so-called “diddy” teams, i.e. any team which isn't one or other of the Bigot Brothers or one of the provincial full-time teams, you will find almost every club has at least one, often more, player who started off with one of the big boys and didn't make the grade.

Not every player can cut it as a full-time pro, and I honestly believe, in the coming years, we will see more players stepping down from our two full-time PRO14 teams to strut their stuff in S6.

I do not consider this to be a bad move. One of the purposes of S6 is to be a bridging level, between the club game and the full-time one. Players such as Cammy Fenton will be able to guide younger players in what will be expected of them with Edinburgh and Glasgow. They can set standards and lead by example.

The trick will be in getting the balance right. Too many former full-time professionals and an S6 team might be winning everything, but, not developing young players. Too few, they might become cannon fodder, the trick will be in getting the right players coming down to gel with the right players coming up – and that will not be easy.

Professional rugby is a very-expensive game, and, in the current climate, and more-so as we emerge from the Covid nightmare, whenever that might be, semi-professional rugby looks to me to be about to become more important.

I SEE there is talk of rugby in England, at club level, not resuming until 2021. I can see this also becoming the norm up here.

The clubs may be training and planning with a view to resuming on 31 October, Ah hae ma doots aboot this, particularly after this week's hardening of the rules as to what we can and cannot do.

Suppose we miss the 31 October mark, every week thereafter takes us closer to Christmas, factor-in those international and professional games which will be played, and I can well see the restart date being put back further and further.

Then, suppose we get hit by a bad case of winter 'flu, or a worse spike in Covid cases. Well, I certainly hope we can see rugby at club level this year, but, I am not holding my breath on this.

TOMORROW is European semi-final day. (OK, strictly speaking, it starts tonight) but, while our two big clubs are again outside looking-in, we have enough Scottish interest in tomorrow's two big games, live on BT Sport.

Racing 92 v Saracens will see Finn Russell looking to bedazzle and torment a Saracens squad likely to include Duncan Taylor, Sean Maitland, Tim Swinson and Callum Hunter-Hill.

Then, when Exeter Chiefs go toe-to-toe with Toulouse, we will see Stuart Hogg, Jonny Gray, Sam Skinner and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne in action. Certainly plenty of Scottish interest there.

We should not forget, oor ain Mike Adamson has the whistle in the final semi-final of the weekend, the Challenge Cup clash between Toulon and Leicester Tigers, who should have Matt Scott and Jake Kerr in their squad.