Well Done Colin Rigby, as Transparency Strikes Murrayfield

SUMMER Rugby is coming to Scotland. It appears the FOSROC Super6 season, assuming we ever get back to playing rugby below full-time professional level, in internationals or the PRO14, will run from April until November.

However, this year only, the SRU are planning to run a short, sharp “S6Sprint” tournament, in the five weeks up until Christmas 2020.

The report specifically mentions “two championships.” The actual Super6 competition, which will run over 12 weeks, starting after the 2021 Six Nations is one competition. We can only assume the cross-border competition with the Welsh clubs is planned as the second.

 

This is one of the items discussed at the last SRU Council meeting, held on 10 September. A copy of the report on that meeting, distributed by new Vice President Colin Rigby has come into my possession, courtesy of a friendly club official. It appears, however, that not every club may have received a copy of Colin's welcome initiative – how widely to distribute it was left to the individual Council members and, for some, old habits die hard.

 

Colin Rigby
 

However, I welcome this rare show of transparency from within BT Murrayfield. It is an early indication of the elected officials flexing their muscles and hopefully doing a Boris and taking back control from the ruling junta.

Putting this report out is a good start from Colin Rigby. He and new President Ian Barr both made poromises about standing-up for the Clubs and keeping them abreast, within reason, of what is going on inside the Big Top. This is an excellent start, keep it up lads.

Among the interesting items, I note the second part of the agm, for which no date has yet been fixed COULD, as I have previously suggested, be held inside the main bowl at Murrayfield. This is one of the possible scenarios being looked at.

I found the figures around participation in part one of the agm interestingt. I have heard over the years, club reps saying they would turn up at the annual meeting and get the feeling, they were there to be talked to, rather than having input. It seems, meeting by whatever online method they used this year, gave some a greater feeling of involvement. Maybe this should be looked at and built on.

We all hear lip service to the mantra: “The clubs are the union,” hopefully, after this year, they will feel this more.

The controversial matter of playing numbers was also raised at the meeting. However, this figure is not as yet being put out into the public domain. This is one number we all want to learn, let's hope we get it soon, so we can see just how bad the situation is – because the current pandemic is not helping.

Good to see some Council members specifically asking about “players” who have played five or fewer games, this counting of peripheral players has long been a moot point with some.

Another interesting point to arise is, the SR|U is looking at a specific project to address the long-standing and thorny issue of “player drop off” within the 17 to 21 age group, to see if this brawn drain can be halted and player numbers increased.

Also, beavering away in the background, we learn that the various referee societies are actively looking at ways of increasing our referee numbers. This work is ongoing and hopefully will enter the public domain soon.

The report, while generally positive, does have some bad news. For instance, because of what are termed “budget savings” there will be no national age group rugby below Under-20 level. The Regional Academy programme is also on hold, although those players who have been selected are aware of their selection. Any return to action will be tied-in to a general return to club rugby.

The report also highlights matters on governance, with Gavin MacColl QC accepting the role as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Governance. The Council has approved the members of what is a new team, charged with reporting by May, 2021, so the report can go before the 2021 agm – subject to the group's terms of reference being approved by the Council.

Vice President Rigby will establish a working party to review and recommend on payment or non-payment of Premiership players and the position of paid plaeyrs with regard to playing in reserve team rugby. This working party will also look into the utilisation/non-utilisation of Super6 players in the Premiership. It is hoped this working party will conclude its investigations by the end of January.

One thing that is clear from the report, is that even in lockdown, work has been ongoing within BTM, with a view to Scottish Rugby coming out of the current pandemic able to not just survive, but to flourish.

RIGHT, that's the generally positive stuff. Sadly, it is not all good news, with the revelation of what can only be called sheer stupidity by some of the younger element around Edinburgh Rugby and a Covid-19 outbreak.

Speaking as one of the Auld Yins whose life has been seriously interrupted by having to remain indoors and take greater care of myself during the pandemic, I wonder how they could have been so-stupid; then I recall some of the daft things I did in my youth.

Still, after this, rugby players have lost what remaining moral high ground they still had over footballers. But, I will say this, this is not the first time Academy or Under-20 players have over-stepped the mark of late, maybe some of the supposed supervisors/leaders around the programme were given a guid boot up the bahookie, to be passed on down the line to the players.