THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS
STUART BATHGATE ([email protected])

SCOTLAND will host a leg of the IRB Rugby 7s for the next five years, beginning with the series final on 2-3 June 2007, it was announced yesterday. The news was greeted with disappointment in the Borders, however, when it was confirmed that Murrayfield rather than Melrose would be the venue for next year's event.

David Parker, whose council had lobbied for the tournament to be held in the birthplace of sevens, said he was pleased Scotland has been given the right to host a leg of the series for the next five years. The Scottish Borders Council leader insisted, however, the Greenyards would have been a better venue than Murrayfield, where the Scottish Rugby Union has decided to hold the event on 2-3 June next year. Speaking on behalf of the consortium involved in the bid to take the sevens to Melrose, Parker called the announcement by the world governing body of rugby union "a bitter blow for the Borders and the game of rugby". He continued: "We are pleased for Scotland, but deeply disappointed that the Scottish Rugby Union was not able to bring the event back to the internationally recognised home of Rugby 7s, Melrose. The result is particularly sad, considering what an excellent, well-planned and well-financed business case we had put together for the event.
Click to learn more...

"A partnership of Eventscotland, Scottish Enterprise Borders, Melrose Rugby Club and Scottish Borders Council has been working hard for two years to bring this world-class event to Melrose. Our proposals had a total funding commitment of £2.14 million over the five years of the tournament.

"We thought the SRU was also a fully committed partner in this enterprise. I believe the SRU has chosen to walk away from a £2.14 million offer and an outstanding sporting opportunity to stage a world-class rugby event."

As the awarding of what amounts to a five-year contract is to the SRU and not to a specific venue, it remains a possibility that the Greenyards will host the event sometime between 2008 and 2011. Yet, while the Borders group remains hopeful that will happen, they still cannot understand why Gordon McKie, the chief executive of the SRU, appeared unconvinced by their assessment of the financial viability of a Greenyards-based tournament.

"We believe a strong, ambitious and robust case was put in place to deliver and build a high-quality international event in Melrose over the five years, delivering significant economic benefits for the area," said David Gass, the chief executive of Scottish Enterprise Borders.

Borders councillor Kenny McCartney, a former international rugby referee, said: "The IRB 7s thrives on atmosphere wherever in the world it takes place. Melrose, unlike Murrayfield, would have given the Sevens the atmosphere it deserves."

McKie, by contrast, thought that a tournament in Melrose next year would have caused a significant loss for the organisers. While the consortium assessed losses of no more than £100,000 in a worst-case scenario, the SRU official decided their figures did not stack up.

McKie said: "We have been keen to take the event to Melrose, where sevens began, and especially for its anniversary year in 2008. Unfortunately, we were unable to conclude the necessary financial arrangements with the relevant authorities in the Scottish Borders in time to enable the staging of the IRB tournament there in 2007.

"We remain willing to explore the Melrose option for some date in the future. If this is not possible and if it makes sense, we will also be prepared to examine the merits of taking the 7s event to other parts of Scotland after 2007."

This article was posted on 18-Oct-2006, 07:51 by Hugh Barrow.