This Is Important - Where Are We Going?

I HAVE now been involved in Rugby Union since 1958. My schoolboy heroes were Ken Scotland, Arthur Smith, Hughie McLeod. I was at “Clive Rowlands' Match,” that Scotland v Wales game of the 111 lines-out and 38 scrums. (If we had 38 scrums in one game today, there would be very little time left for rugby, but, that's just an observation).

I've seen The O'Reilly, “Pine Tree”, John and Edward at half-back and both Keith Wood and his father play live. I've spoken to Richie McCaw and Paul O'Connell and watched Finn Russell when he was a promising boy.

I've put in the hours when it comes to the game, I am now in my seventh decade writing about the game, but, right now, I am concerned as to where it is going – particularly in Scotland.

We are waiting for the final report of Gavin McCall QC's Standing Committee on Governance to be delivered to the powers-that-be at BT Murrayfield. This will be debated at a Special General Meeting of the SRU, some time in early 2022, after which the final revised governance model will be settled upon.

After the division and upset this issue has caused over the past year or two, the game of Rugby Union football in Scotland might benefit from a period of calm reflection, but, hey, this is Scotland; we are never happier than when having a stair-heid rammy, or a washing-hoose row. In some ways, we are like our Celtic Cousins across the North Channel, we cannot see a fight without enquiring: “Is this a private war, or can anyone join in?”

I fear the next (un)civil war in the game is going to be about the format, and, this one will be important.

As things stand, the format for Scottish Rugby is:

• Tier One – the full international side

• Tier Two – the two full-time professional sides

• Tier Three – the Sevens squad and the international age group sides

• Tier Four – Super Six

These four tiers are administered by the SRU's High Performance Department.

• Tier Five – The Tennent's Premiership (10 clubs)

• Tier Six – The Tennent's National League One (12 clubs)

• Tier Seven – Tennent's National League Two (12 clubs)

• Tier Eight – Tennent's National League Three (12 clubs – this season 11)

• Tier Nine – The Regional Leagues – First Divisions

• Tier Ten – Regional Leagues – Second Divisions

• Ten Eleven – Regional Leagues Third and Lower Divisions

These seven tiers come under the remit of the SRU's Rugby Development Department.

The SRU's management model is that the bulk of the cash with which they run the game comes from the international side. They make the money, through the SRU's trading arm – Scottish Rugby Union Ltd, the SRU spends this money as the SRU (if that is clear).

The problem as I see it is – the clubs (tiers 5 to 11) are the constituency from which the money has to be raised – the fans who flock into BT Murrayfield to generate the cash generally come from a club background. But, the costliest part of the business is the performance department (tiers 1 to 4).

The SRU either fully or partly pays for the 100-plus full-time professionals, the Seven squad, the age group teams, the Academy players plus the 192 S6 players in tiers 1-4. This seems to many to be an unfair division of the cash.

The current SRU management model calls for the SRU to try to compete with the other Tier One nations, but, here I think we are facing a handicap which may well be insurmountable.

The other Tier One nations:

New Zealand – close to Scotland in population, but, there, Rugby Union is the main team sport.

South Africa – population 59 million, again, Rugby Union is the main team sport.

Australia – population 26 million, Rugby Union is the fourth team sport behind cricket, Rugby League and Australian Rules Football.

England – population 55 million, Rugby Union is the second team sport.

France – population 67 million, Rugby Union is one of the two main team sports, with football.

Italy – population 60 million, Rugby Union is the second team sport.

Wales – population 3 million, Rugby Union is the main team sport.

Ireland – population 6.8 million, Rugby Union is the main team sport

Scotland – population 5.5 million, Rugby Union is the second team sport.

So, we are competing with five far-larger countries, plus three countries of similar size to us, but where Rugby Union is the major team sport. We are immediately handicapped.

For instance, the South West Region of England has a population of 5.6 million, remarkably similar to Scotland, but, there is no major football team in that area, so Bath, Bristol, Exeter and Gloucester, the four main rugby clubs there are the four main team sports clubs.

In Scotland, our two centrally-owned clubs, Edinburgh and Glasgow, come at least behind Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Hibs, the two Dundee clubs and Aberdeen in popularity and spectator draw appeal. Indeed, it could be argued that one or two other football teams are consistently a bigger draw than the two rugby teams.

In an ideal world, the two teams would perhaps be self-sufficient, however, in Scotland, they need the strength of the national union behind them to survive.

We therefore have to ask the following questions:

1. Is the long-term survival of the game of Rugby Union in Scotland being helped or hindered by the need for the national governing body to divert resources towards the survival of two full-time professional teams?

2. Is this a strategy which can be maintained over the longer term?

3. If it isn't, what is the best alternative?

4. What is more-important, the survival of the professional game in Scotland or continuing to make it possible for the maximum number of participants to be able to play the game?

Decisions, decisions.