EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS
BILL LOTHIAN
EDINBURGH Rugby fans' chief Bert Lawson today fired a strong warning to Murrayfield bosses insisting that they do not tamper with the Gunners' line-up for Friday's concluding Celtic League clash with Leinster in the Capital.

Fears exist in rugby circles that the Gunners may be ordered to rest yet more players in view of up-coming Scotland commitments.

Such a move by the so-called governing body of the sport could only be interpreted as totally disrespectful to the game at large and the Celtic League specifically.

"I paid [for] my season ticket to see the best players unless, unfortunately, they are injured," said Lawson. "I understand that the front row has to be rotated from time to time but when it comes to seeing the stars on parade Scott Murray and Chris Paterson top my list and I want to see them in action - no disrespect to the younger understudies."

Scotland are due to play the Barbarians next Wednesday in a fixture billed as the "start" of the two Test tour of South Africa when the Springboks will be encountered on June 10 and 17.

Lawson added: "Resting players has probably cost Gunners the league title this season."

Hinting that enough was enough Lawson, recently re-elected chairman of the Edinburgh Rugby Supporters Club, said: "It still hurts that the rotation policy was in operation when the team lost heavily at Glasgow and also away to Borders. There have been other occasions when the team has been under-strength. I don't want to see rugby go down the football route of resting players to serve a side's special interest."

If Leinster were to win at Edinburgh and Ulster slip up at Ospreys then the title would head to Dublin

This article was posted on 23-May-2006, 15:31 by Hugh Barrow.