Jack is backed in three-way split
DAVID FERGUSON
CHIEF RUGBY WRITER ([email protected])
GEORGE Jack replaced Andy Irvine as president of the Scottish Rugby Union after an incredibly close vote at last night's annual meeting, and immediately pledged to restore harmony in the game.

Jack beat off challenges from Peter Brown and Jim Stevenson, but only after a vote that almost required a cut of cards to separate two candidates. In stark contrast to the overwhelming support for the outgoing president, Andy Irvine, in 2005, the first vote resulted in Peter Brown, the former Scotland captain, and Cambuslang president Jim Stevenson each polling 56 votes and George Jack, the current vice-chairman, receiving 57 votes.

Before the cards could be cut to eliminate Brown or Stevenson, Brown withdrew his nomination, leaving a straight fight between Stevenson and Jack. In the second vote, Jack took 91 votes to Stevenson's 75 and replaces Irvine for 2007-08.

Gordon McKie, the chief executive, had begun last night's meeting by sounding a passionate rallying call to the 171 club delegates with a near 40-minute report and allowed Irvine to book-end the meeting's more detailed business with a similarly rousing address which left club members rapturously applauding his two years' of service.

Of most interest in the chief executive's report seemed to be his revelation that the SRU's heavy burden of financial losses, with an overdraft reaching nearly £23m, had been stemmed by director of finance Eamon Hegarty and the board. In offering wide praise, he said the union had operated with an average debt of under £19m over the past year and that a break-even figure would be reported at August's separate financial meeting, albeit with the proviso that "this will be overshadowed by the Border Reivers closure decision" and the many obligations still associated with redundancies and a 20-year agreement at Netherdale.

How this will be kept from lifting the debt was unclear, but McKie went on to state how much of a great financial boost the agreement of a flood prevention barrier behind Murrayfield, freeing up land for lucrative property sales, and lifting of the alcohol ban would prove, and so left delegates with confidence that the debt levels will now begin to fall. He followed with a sweetener for clubs which was well received.

McKie spoke both of club rugby growth, age-group improvements, "encouraging morale" in the national squad despite a poor Six Nations result and revealed that the union was now working on a five-year plan for the future of the game.

The meeting ended with Irvine's passionate address, before the election of the man to replace him. The outgoing president touched on all levels of the game, urged continued and greater cooperation and communication, and stated that he was satisfied that he was leaving the sport in a better shape than he found it two years ago, criticised those who felt club rugby was dying and praised, criticised and asked for understanding for the national team in the performances throughout 2006-07.

He spoke of how hard he had found reaching the decision to close the Borders, stressing that he felt there was almost unanimous support from Scottish clubs for the move which, he said, had resulted in diverting more money to Glasgow and into the club game.

Irvine praised club, youth, schools and women's rugby, and saved particular praise for McKie, who he said "I have never met anyone who works quite so hard and passionately. Scottish rugby was crying out for strong leadership and we have now got that. Under his guidance we are now working from a very solid foundation.

"I'm not saying that everything is rosy in the garden because there is still a lot of hard work to do, and the competition is getting stronger every year as well. We have made a very encouraging start in our new governance. It's been a great honour to represent you."

Earlier, in the motions debated, it was agreed that the national cup competitions would be regionalised, but only in the shield, bowl and plate, leaving the top 64 clubs in a national competition, after Glasgow Hawks successfully challenged the SRU's efforts for regionalisation to the quarter or semi- finals, which Jock Millican of Heriot's stated "would make a mockery of a national cup".

In the other motions voted for on the night, a proposal to restore a vice-president position abolished in 2005, in order to aid the president - which Irvine spoke out in favour of - attracted 95 votes to just 62 against, but fell due to failing to reach a two-thirds majority, so there will be no return of a vice-president's post in the near future.

The union's championship committee was also given the right to vary the number of substitutes required up to a maximum of seven to reflect differing needs at different levels of the club game, and also vary the amount of ticket commission earned by clubs from selling international tickets. McKie had already stated that the usual five per cent had been increased to 25 per cent for the sale of forthcoming August international matches, but accepted that the union could also lower it from five per cent at other times.

This article was posted on 30-Jun-2007, 06:59 by Hugh Barrow.