THE HERALD REPORTS
Super Cup puts Scotland in the global spotlight

NEIL DRYSDALE January 06 2007

When the Scottish Rugby Union initially announced the establishment of the Super Cup, as a stand-alone tournament intended to follow the Premiership, it would be stretching credulity to suggest that the news provoked unfettered whoops of delight from Scotland's mostly cash-strapped rugby clubs.
Instead, the new competition appeared specifically designed, a la the late Willie Whitelaw, to whip up apathy all round the country. And yet, suddenly, with the blessing of the IRB and the introduction of a litany of trial regulations which will be scrutinised across the globe, there is a genuine sense of excitement that, for once, Murrayfield will blaze a radical trail which could transform the game for ever.
Privately, some observers may be harbouring reservations, or, in the case of the Ayr coach, Craig Redpath, viewing the Super Cup fixtures as an opportunity to blood youngsters - "If they haven't all gone down with the flu virus," he said, in rheumy-eyed fashion the other day - but, for the likes of the former Scottish international turned player-coach at Watsonians, Cammy Mather, the next few weeks ought to serve as a positive template for the future of his sport.
Among the main changes are that either side can use as many players as they like at lineouts, defending teams will be allowed to collapse the detested rolling maul, and the policing of the breakdown will become far less of a lottery, with the only offences being offside, and not going in "through the gate".
Add to that the fact that if the ball is passed or run back into the 22, it cannot be kicked straight into touch, and a welcome reduction of penalty offences, and these innovations will provide a recipe for greater entertainment, less faffing about in interminable set-pieces, and an onus on performers to rely on skill rather than bulk and place creativity above sterility.
Certainly, Mather is relishing the prospect of being involved in the fledgling event. "Getting the league finished by Christmas made for a pretty gripping spectacle, and this should give the fans plenty of more thrills and talking points, not least because there will be lots of folk from South Africa to Argentina, and New Zealand to France, who will be studying Scotland's best clubs and that can only help raise the profile," said Mather.
"Basically, it'll be good for the young boys, the speed of the game will definitely increase, and if we can sort out the breakdown, that will be a huge bonus, considering that it has been a massive bone of contention for years now.
"That, for me, is the most important aspect of this trial period, but allowing sides to stop the rolling maul is another stride forward, because there have been few things more boring than watching a pack shove the ball up their jumper and driving over for three or four tries in a match, without their opponents having any legal means to prevent it.
"I guess that everybody, referees, players, coaches and supporters, will take a little time to grow used to the changes - and we could have done with starting this after the Premiership, not with one more round of ties to be staged on January 13 - but the whole point of these amendments is to keep the ball alive and if we can have a 15-a-side version of sevens, then that's brilliant."
His enthusiasm is shared by John Roxburgh, the redoubtable director of rugby at Glasgow Hawks, whose charges started falteringly in defence of their Premiership title, but have subsequently rallied with sufficient vigour to indicate that they could collect further silverware, amidst the experimentation.
"Some of this is just tinkering - such as turning "touch judges" into "flag referees"- but we have long needed to tidy up the breakdown situation, and anything which encourages players to be bold and adventurous deserves to succeed," said Roxburgh.
"The bottom line is that this is happening at the behest of the world governing body, so it is important, and this is a chance for us to lead the way, so I hope the SRU promotes the Super Cup properly and that the fans are kept fully informed. But I am optimistic that the punters will came and watch and enjoy what they see and it is up to the union and the clubs to maximise this exposure, because some of these matches are being screened worldwide and that hasn't been a familiar feature in recent times. If I have a worry, it is that some of the lads might run out of gas - I'm not sure they understand how much more these trial laws are going to keep the ball in play. But they will soon learn and the best ones will blossom."
That description clearly applies to Currie, who have scaled the summit under their wily mentor, Ally Donaldson, and although he feels the next month will be a step into the dark for the massed ranks of the Premiership, he concludes with a summation which will probably be echoed by the majority of his peers.
"It will be difficult chopping and changing in the next few weeks, but we have to rise to the challenge and we can garner a lot of positive coverage for our domestic scene, so there is no shortage of incentive," says Donaldson.
"Some of the trial amendments look good on paper, but I have concerns about one or two of the others, especially the ruling relating to the lineout and the possibility that we are going to see that area's importance reduced. For me, rugby has to be for all shapes and sizes and I don't want to see anybody discriminated against. Ultimately, if this makes the sport more attractive, fine. But we have to ensure that we retain the core values and don't tamper too much without thinking things through."
As Donaldson's confreres prepare to tackle Melrose at Malleny Park, this Super Cup boasts an undreamt-of cachet on the international stage. But nobody should pretend there won't be teething troubles. Mercifully, one suspects the clubs will transcend these travails. Much as they do everything else flung at them from Roseburn.

This article was posted on 6-Jan-2007, 09:22 by Hugh Barrow.