EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS
BILL LOTHIAN

SCOTLAND'S leading rugby clubs were today preparing to confront district counterparts in a bid to provide opportunities for fringe professionals they claim are being unnecessarily denied game time.

A meeting of the Premiership Division One forum last night resolved to make fresh approaches so that the likes of Edinburgh's Ander Monro, Simon Cross, Matt Dey and Peter Jorgensen would be able to enjoy at least a substitute appearance in the colours of a traditional club.
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Protocols were changed at the beginning of this season so that no pros other than apprentices would be released to the Premiership.

Concern is growing in clubland, however, that this is having a detrimental effect and could be altered so that fringe pros appear in the so-called Super Cup which kicks off when the Premiership ends early on January 13.

One source said: "It cannot be right that some players are getting no opportunities at all when they could be exhibiting their skills in the Premiership rather than hitting tackle bags to try to impress their pro coaches.

"There is a resistance, however, to implement change based on it allegedly being too difficult to organise at Edinburgh, Glasgow or Borders level.

"The reality may again be that the Murrayfield authorities simply don't want to acknowledge that (traditional) clubs have any role whatsoever to play in the modern game.

"Out of concern for players who aren't playing or, like Duncan Hodge of Edinburgh, are perhaps having to be content with ten minutes at the end of a Celtic League match as the basis for maintaining form, there is a move afoot to compile a register of players being kept on the sidelines."

The source claims the pro teams aren't able to deliver the back up games they claimed with others affected including the Borders pair Dougie Flockhart (ex-Currie) and Geoff Cross (ex-Heriot's) as well as former Hawk Eric Milligan now at Glasgow. Approximately five to ten players at each pro team badly need game time.

"Additionally the Super Cup could be a vehicle for giving players coming back from injury a run," he added. "The real reason this is being discussed is to set something in motion for next season because if Scottish Rugby plays to form we will be advised to raise the matter in the closed season - and then told it is too late to implement for 2007-08."

This article was posted on 26-Oct-2006, 11:17 by Hugh Barrow.