The Scotsman reports
DAVID FERGUSON
GRAHAM Burgess has identified a leading "British rugby figure" to run Scotland's first franchised rugby team if the SRU give the green light to handing him control of a professional side.

He refused to divulge the new man's identity on the day when the SRU spent hours thrashing out their proposed route only to decide that more time was needed. Issuing a press release under the heading "Pro Teams future remains uncertain," the union stated: "The Board fully supported Scottish Rugby Chief Executive Gordon McKie in his task of progressing matters to a final stage in the next two to three weeks."

Allan Munro, Scottish Rugby chairman, said: "This is a critical time for [the SRU] and it's no exaggeration to say the future funding of our professional teams is a serious concern. Failing to address this debt is not an option, but we simply cannot continue to run three professional teams without joint investors or other external sources of revenues. Gordon is exploring all serious offers and we sincerely hope the end result is the continued existence of the three pro teams."

The statement reiterated that cutting investment in professional rugby before next season remained an option, but stressed that the Board were desperate to retain all three teams. McKie added: "We are at a very sensitive stage in our talks with potential investment partners and while I recognise timing is getting very tight, the Board were agreed that we are following the right course of action."

It would now seem that Burgess is the only realistic contender for taking over a pro team this summer, and thereby easing a burden of around £2m from the SRU. The Aberdeen-based businessman has spent most of this week presenting plans to shareholders in his business, Sovereign Oil Fields Group PLC, and still has legal issues to discuss with McKie, but said yesterday that detail was being added to his plans to take over a pro team daily.

Burgess, who consortium includes former Scotland winger Kenny Logan, and US millionaire Roy Carver, revealed: "We now have a very experienced person on board as our managing director, if we get the go-ahead from the SRU. He is currently with an English club, but is attracted at the prospect of creating something new and exciting in Scotland.

"We are also looking for a big-hitter as chairman and have identified a few candidates. If the SRU agree, they will join myself, Roy and Kenny on the board along with two members of the Scottish Rugby Board."

Time is running short, and Logan, set to become the new team's commercial director, insisted: "We're well on with our plans and have done a lot of groundwork, but we need the SRU to commit to this as much as we have for it to happen. This will be the hardest job I've ever taken on in my life.

"We don't know which team it will be, but contrary to speculation that we only want a Heineken Cup team we're quite happy with Glasgow being in the European Challenge Cup if that's the team it is."

Glasgow, the team most likely to be bought and moved to either Stirling or Perth if Burgess' plan succeeds, were yesterday drawn against English Premiership side Saracens, Narbonne and Italians GRAN Parma in next season's European Challenge Cup

This article was posted on 23-Jun-2006, 09:46 by Hugh Barrow.