Success In Rugby Has A Lot To Do With Going To The Right School Or Club - but, that's hardly shock news

RIGHT – you're a young, ambitious rugby player, whose dream is to play for Scotland. So, where do you go to learn the game, and have the best chance of getting a Scotland cap?

Given the current recruitment protocols at BT Murrayfield I suggest your short list of intended destinations offering the best chance of achieving your ambition would be:

1. Stellenbosch University

2. University of the Witwatersrand

3. University of Pretoria.

Go to any of these three, and your air ticket to Edinburgh will follow in due course. However, if you don't fancy decamping to South Africa, don't worry, there are alternatives closer to home.

Back in the amateur era, there was a clear career path – go to the correct school, in either Edinburgh or Glasgow, get into either of the Oxbridge universities, get your Blue – play a couple of games for London Scottish and the cap will be along within weeks. This however is no longer the case.

Today, you need to get a contract with a full-time professional team, which in Scotland gives you a choice of Edinburgh or Glasgow. They tend to recruit directly from the Scottish Rugby Academy – who in turn tend to only allow their students to play for certain clubs, or in some cases recruit from these clubs.

So, where should you be playing? Far be it from me to offer advice, but offer I will. Here are the top ten Scottish clubs when it comes to getting Under-20 players a professional contract:

1. Stirling County – 26 past players with pro contracts

2. Heriot's – 25 players with pro contracts

3. Boroughmuir – 23 players with pro contracts

4. Watsonians – 23 plaeyrs with pro contracts

5. Glasgow Hawks – 22 players with pro contracts

6. Edinburgh Academical – 21 players with a pro contract

7. Currie – 18 players with a pro contract

8. Stewart's-Melville – 17 players with a pro contract

9. Melrose – 15 players with a pro contract

10. Ayr – 14 players with a pro contract

 

Groomed at Stirling County - but not one of their 26 U-20 caps

 

 

AS I said above, some of these players were directed to the club with whom they won their Under-20 caps – Finn Russell, for instance, though he came through the Stirling County system, won his Under-20 caps with Falkirk, before moving on to Ayr.

Eleventh place in the list is held by Hawick, a club which definitely grows its own, but by whom the iconic green shirt is still given-out on the basis: “If they're good enough, they're old enough.” Even born-and-bred “Teris” admit, the Hawick club has an uneasy relationship with Murrayfield, but, the Hawick system still, as it has for years, works – young Teris still long to pull on that green shirt and represent the toon.

 

 

Two examples of Hawick's "if they're good enough, they're old enough" ethos

The only other club in double figures when it comes to U-20 caps is Aberdeen Grammar, while, leading the way among the non-Scottish clubs, whose players are recruited via the Scotland Qualified campaign are Loughborough University and Newcastle University, both with eight alumni with Scotland Under-20 caps.

You may have noticed, the six FOSROC SUPER6 franchise clubs are all in the top ten – but, looking at the list, I cannot help but wonder what was wrong with Glasgow Hawks' franchise bid – that they didn't get one in spite of their excellent record in bringing through the likes of George Horne, the Fagerson Brothers and Scott Cummings.

Mind you, I suppose, for as long as Murrayfield's first stop in search of recruitment is South Africa, it matters little what happens at home.

Of course, certainly among its “white tribe,” in South Africa, Rugby Union is far-more the people's game than it is here. The chances are, your average 20-year-old Saffer, intent on a rugby career, has better basic skills than his Scottish equivalent. He certainly has a chance of having got closer to the fabled 10,000 hours of practice deemed necessary if you are to make a game your career.

They also, probably have better nutrition and strength and conditioning experience than their Scottish equivalent.

So, the truth probably is, the SRU will continue to recruit from South Africa for as long as that is a cheaper alternative to putting in-place the necessary expertise and systems which will improve the lot of young Scots.

It has long been held true in football – it's cheaper to buy ready-made from elsewhere, rather than making the investment in people and facilities to grow your own.

And, for as long as the paid officials, keen to protect their own wee empires, rule the roost at BTM, and the bottom line is more-important than growing domestic Scottish Rugby, I fear we are stuck with regular imports of cheap Saffers.

Getting off this bandwagon and back to putting home-grown Scottish talent first, has got to be a priority, I feel.