SRU told Burnbrae facilities require upgrade
KEVIN FERRIE, Chief Rugby Writer August 03 2006
The president of West of Scotland has given a guarded welcome to the prospect of their Burnbrae ground becoming the new home for professional rugby in Glasgow.
Gordon Cairns said the club believes their facilities could quickly be upgraded to accommodate the nomadic Glasgow Warriors, providing them with an all-purpose home ground.
"It is feasible, but the SRU would have to put up two temporary stands either side of our main stand and floodlights, while drainage would also have to be improved," he noted.
"We are keen to be involved with them but there's a lot of discussion and debate to take place because we also have to make sure that it is of benefit to our club as well."
A Warriors spokesperson said last weekend that they are currently weighing up a range of options and expect to say within the week which is its preferred option. Partick Thistle's Firhill is popular with players, geared as it is to professional sport, while the location of Hillhead/Jordanhill's Hughenden means it remains the supporters' favourite.
Like Burnbrae, substantial work would have to be done to turn Whitecraigs, currently the pro team's training base, into a suitable match facility but it is even further afield, on the South Side of the city.
The new Falkirk Stadium, boasting the best facilities of all, has also been suggested, but it is 30 miles from Glasgow so would be deeply unpopular with the core support.
Cairns was unwilling to make an estimate of the cost of the work required to get Burnbrae into a suitable condition but it is unlikely to come in at much less than a six-figure sum.
The link with West of Scotland would be all the more attractive if the negotiations the club has long been involved in regarding the possible sale of Burnbrae with a move to an alternative site was to come off, providing them with the cash to create a purpose-built facility.
That is unlikely to be in place any sooner than the City of Glasgow's Scotstoun Stadium development, which is targeted for completion in 2008 and the Warriors' challenge is identifying accommodation for the immediate future.
lEdinburgh's hopes of claiming a place in the knock-out rounds of the Heineken Cup were boosted yesterday when it was revealed that Agen scrum-half Mathieu Barrau will miss the group stage. The France international playmaker has been sidelined for at least six months after suffering serious knee-ligament damage.
lFormer Currie prop Colin Quigley has signed for the French Pro 2 side Beziers.
The 25-year-old left Malleny Park last season to join the Italian outfit L'Aquila.

This article was posted on 3-Aug-2006, 07:17 by Hugh Barrow.