SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY REPORTS


Irvine steps forward

IAIN MORRISON


LAST weekend, Scottish rugby took a giant step towards its rehabilitation when the clubs voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new system of governance proposed by Sheriff Bill Dunlop. It has taken another significant move in the right direction with the news that Andy Irvine, former fullback and the man voted Scotland’s greatest-ever player, was put forward by Heriot’s last Friday as a candidate to succeed Gordon Dixon as the next President of Scottish Rugby.

"I have been approached and I’ve said that I am willing for my name to go forward", Irvine admitted earlier this week. "Any former player of note has to put something back into the game and all I’ve done for five or six years is help with the kids on a Saturday morning. I am concerned about the state of Scottish rugby so if I can contribute in any way then I will be happy to do so."

If he is successful in his bid, as seems likely, Irvine would become a member of the Scottish Rugby Council that has replaced the general committee, but he has yet to decide whether to allow his name to go forward for the position of Chairman of the Council, despite plenty of pressure to do so. This post is automatically seconded onto the important decision-making Scottish Rugby Board and if Irvine shows a willingness to take it he would surely receive widespread support from the other Council members.

Heriot’s President Jock Millican explained why he had persuaded Irvine to stand. "There are two real reasons," said Millican. "The first is that Andy is one of the most capable people for the post with a background that includes both rugby and business.

"Secondly, he is ideal as a figurehead to help galvanise Scottish rugby to move further in the right direction. There are signs that we have taken some steps forward and Andy is the sort of icon that can push that process further."

Irvine has taken the decision to stand reluctantly and only after the sort of arm twisting that Amnesty International frowns upon. The prospect of allowing his name to go forward was first mooted several months ago and then again when the review of governance made it clear that the President would be a largely ceremonial position. On both occasions Irvine insisted that his work commitments prevented any such move but recent events have obviously persuaded him otherwise.

As any student of history will confirm there is nothing as bloody as a civil war and certainly the disharmony at Murrayfield has done nothing to ease Scotland’s many on-field issues.

Irvine will be seen a candidate uninvolved in the recent fighting and unburdened by political baggage who will act as a unifying force for the overall good of the game. He is sure to garner widespread support from across all sections of club rugby.

He already has the required support of ten clubs and his background will appear, as per the Sheriff Dunlop recommendations, on the SRU website in due course. Naturally, the clubs have the final say on the next president when they vote at the June agm but someone must be persuaded to undertake the thankless task of standing against Irvine since an uncontested election is a very dangerous precedent to set.

George Blackie is the current senior vice president who, under the old system of Buggin’s turn, would have automatically been put up by the general committee. As Dunlop reminded us, anyone could have stood against him but in reality this never happened.

Blackie, or anyone else who can muster the requisite number of supporting signatures, should be encouraged to stand for president against Irvine to establish the principle of contested elections for President rather than holding out any great hope of victory against an icon of Scottish rugby.

In a week that saw the much-anticipated resignation of Ian McGeechan, who fled the brickbats to find sanctuary as replacement for Warren Gatland at Wasps, it is heartening to hear that such a well-respected figure as Irvine views the moment in Scottish rugby as a new launch rather than a sinking ship.

Irvine not only commands respect for his former prowess on the field but he also comes with impeccable business credentials as a senior, and if his car is anything to go on, highly successful director in the property company Jones Lang Lascalles. Modern rugby is big business and it is vital to have men with the right background at the centre of the game in Scotland.

More importantly, Irvine has already been there and got the t-shirt. Along with John Jeffrey, the former fullback was co-opted onto various committees in the late 1990s when Duncan Paterson was running the show. Both Jeffrey and Irvine resigned to bring attention to some very dubious practices within the general committee and effectively brought Paterson’s regime to its knees. This ushered in the Lord Mackay review, which should have sorted the problem once and for all - something the clubs have only belated managed.

Irvine’s brave decision to put his considerable weight behind the new-look Union will surely persuade other capable men to offer their backing to Scottish rugby, still smarting from four months of bloodletting.

There is even a chance that, if Irvine is successful in his quest, he will be joined by Jeffrey at the centre of Scottish rugby once again. The "White Shark" is currently managing the Scotland under-21 team, but there have been some suggestions that someone of his stature should be doing the same job for the full national squad. Jeffrey has a farm to run but he could surely be a part-time figurehead over and above the national coaches, especially if they are less experienced men.

Whatever else, the news of Irvine’s decision will be seen as a great fillip for Scottish rugby at a time when the game needs all the positives it can get.

This article was posted on 17-Apr-2005, 08:58 by Hugh Barrow.