THE SOTSMAN REPORTS
DAVID FERGUSON AT MURRAYFIELD ([email protected])
DOUBTS as to whether Murrayfield could put on a sevens show were dispelled over the weekend as the IRB World Sevens Series came to an exciting conclusion in Scotland, but where it goes next year remains up for debate.

This was not Melrose, and not the intimate affair one expects at the birthplace of sevens, but Gordon McKie, the SRU chief executive, who took the controversial decision to move the event from the Borders town to Murrayfield, wore the look of a man vindicated at the conclusion of the two-day festival.

There was no doubt that his team had pulled it off by staging a tournament most observers felt was better than the one hosted by Twickenham the previous week.

It was the SRU's first attempt at running a major sevens and players and coaches spoke glowingly of the quality of facilities, warmth of welcome and atmosphere. The attendance at Murrayfield was 13,907 on Saturday and 15,498 yesterday, surpassing the union's 25,000 target for the two days. For McKie that was enough to term the first IRB World Sevens Series event to be hosted by Scotland a success.

"I feel very proud that we have put on this event successfully and am encouraged by the initial feedback we've had over the last few days," McKie said.

"If you're asking how I measure success, there would be several barometers. The first would be the players, who have commented very positively on the quality of facilities and the way they've been looked after from the moment they arrived last Monday, and we've had very few hiccups there.

"The IRB have also said they are happy with what's happened. In terms of the crowds I'd say it was credible for a first event. It compares well with Twickenham, albeit we had better weather than they did. I was really pleased with the 'festival of rugby' and the way we brought in so many kids to the event, and it could not have scripted it better yesterday with the way they all came and sat alongside the pitch for the final match, and then saw the Scotland team beating South Africa.

"The sponsors have also been happy with the event, the supporters seem to have enjoyed it and the team have done well, though of course it was disappointing to lose to Argentina and then Kenya.

"For me, personally, it has been pleasing because there have been negatives surrounding this event and I think now the positives outweigh those negatives. There are areas where we can improve, including catering for example, but we will now have to sit down with the steering group we put together to run this, and speak to the IRB, players, our sponsors, partners and others to get their feedback on where we did get it right, and where we didn't."

Whether the tournament was a financial success will perhaps never be known - it should beat McKie's hopes of a £140,000 ticket income - but the question for the SRU now will be whether to try to replicate the event at Murrayfield next year or take it to Melrose, as Andy Irvine, the SRU President, insisted was his wish when he spoke to all competing nations at a dinner last week. Next year is the 125th anniversary of the first ever sevens tournament, instigated by the Borders butcher Ned Haig and staged at Melrose. This history helps makes a compelling case for taking the 2008 IRB event to the Greenyards.

But some were insisting yesterday that 20,000 per day could be attracted next season and if that was achievable, the rustic Greenyards, and its 13,000 capacity, is not a contender. But, if the SRU and IRB want to make a unique and special statement about the history of rugby, and move away from the more sterile, corporate affairs, with a stadium three-quarters empty, then the Borders venue would be the front-runner.

There is a feeling in some quarters that Murrayfield is a 'done deal' for the five years the SRU has the contract, but McKie denies that.

"We came here in the first year because we couldn't reach agreement of the cost of the infrastructure with Melrose and the Borders partners," he added. "We wanted to get it here for the next five years first, because Portugal and Russia wanted it as well, and Murrayfield was the low-cost option.

"There are alternatives. As well as Melrose we had people from Stirling here yesterday and they want to take it there next year, which we'll look at as well. It was encouraging to get close to 30,000 for the two days of the first tournament, and ordinarily you would expect to build on that, so does that mean that it can't go to Melrose, who were looking at a 13,000 capacity, next year?

"I think it would be premature to say yes or no. There were lots of empty seats in Murrayfield, which we knew would be the case, and there is also the fact that next year is the 125th anniversary of the game being invented in Melrose. But if you were to move it there next year I don't know if we'd want to move it again after that because I think we need to have a base really.

"But, for now, I'm proud with the effort of the SRU and everyone involved, and the people who supported it, and over the next week we will talk to people at Melrose and think seriously about what happens next year."

This article was posted on 4-Jun-2007, 07:27 by Hugh Barrow.