Are Glasgow just a "development team for other clubs and Scotland?"

In The Sunday Times, Hugh Campbell questions the lack of support received by Glasgow Warriors and claims a little bit more would make all the difference.
For a team whose game is based on movement, this has turned into a season of stasis. After jiggling Scottish rugby's hierarchy last season by finishing above Edinburgh in the Celtic League and having to be huckled out of a far harder Heineken section than the one they voluntarily vacated this time, the Warriors have been comfortably the least impressive of the three pro teams in both performances and results.

It would be inaccurate to finger a single culprit in the swing, indeed Hugh Campbell himself argues for a sliding scale of responsibility. Somewhere near its upper end sits the Scottish Rugby Union. Ian McGeechan, who left its director of rugby post in April, had promised Campbell that budgetary discrepancies between the professional teams, whereby Edinburgh were granted considerably more funding on account of previous Celtic League and Heineken progress, would be rectified. With McGeechan gone, this did not occur, and Campbell's repeated inquests have brought only blank looks.

Financially unable to hold onto quality like Sean Lamont, or recruit similarly high-brow replacements such as Xavier Rush, the All Black No8 who signed for Cardiff, Glasgow have a squad that looks insubstantial even before the barrage of injuries that has bitten chunks out of their front and back-rows. The youngsters who have stepped in have proved themselves game, but are still low on the acumen required to win some.

"We've got young guys who try to force the game when it's not on, or don't force it when they should," concedes Campbell. "That mental toughness is built through taking responsibility for your game, becoming a leader."

Which suggests that perhaps there aren't enough of them in the side. Glasgow get too close to too many good teams to be themselves a bad one, and while mental crumbliness does not compute with any line-up containing Jon Petrie or Scott Lawson, their infatuation with the losing bonus point takes the biscuit. Last year they picked up seven; this year's tally stands at five. "It's hard to explain. It's not about not trying, or not being physically hard enough," frowns Campbell. "It comes down to silly mistakes, which teams, and players, with experience don't make."

The Warriors, in their defence, do not inhabit the sort of ordered environment conducive to smooth on-field returns. Old Anniesland will become their third 'home' venue of the season on Friday (Firhill is off limits because Partick Thistle will be in action less than 24 hours later) when they tackle Ospreys in the Celtic League, while Campbell can call on no permanent all-weather facility for outdoor training. An approach to share Murray Park with Rangers reportedly met with the approval of David Murray, the Ibrox chairman, but was resisted by others. "We're almost a development team for other clubs and Scotland," says Campbell. "Just a little bit more could make a huge difference."

A little bit more money, yes, but also a little bit more from the people already in place. Hugh Campbell rightly points out that, with the Celtic League table tightly packed, a run of form could even see Glasgow end up bettering last season's sixth place. For all the disquiet, they are only two big wins off Edinburgh in second.

If that improvement doesn't transpire, their invite to Europe's top table will almost certainly be revoked, which could prompt musical chairs at a coaching level.

This article was originally posted on 22-Jan-2006, 19:51 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 22-Jan-2006, 19:51.