THE HERALD REPORTS

Carruthers holds courtNEIL DRYSDALE July 11 2007

NECKS ON THE LINE: Edinburgh owner calls for talks, but an end to the crisis in Scottish rugby seems no closer. Picture: Gordon Terris
Afew more bruising rounds of semantic nit-picking, legal jargon and sententious rhetoric were enacted in the battle between the SRU and Edinburgh yesterday. At various stages, Bob Carruthers, the professional club's voluble co-owner, was formally charged with misconduct by the governing body, responded by claiming that court proceedings were being prepared against Murrayfield officials and called for immediate mediation to end the dispute.

If only Scottish rugby's reputation wasn't being dragged through the mire, Carruthers' antics might be amusing. But some at his 45-minute press conference went away with the feeling that this row is poised to run longer than The Mousetrap.

Last night the SRU insisted that, despite their nemesis' protestations to the contrary, Edinburgh, who prevented 12 of their leading players from training with their Scotland colleagues last week and then resigned their associate membership of the union, will not be permitted to participate in next season's Magners League and Heineken Cup competitions.

"Mr Carruthers has to adhere to the bye-laws and regulations of the SRU and if he doesn't, Edinburgh won't be allowed to play in either of the two events," said a spokesman. "We have to hope we can reach a resolution to this matter, but we are not interested in mediation with Mr Carruthers because we do not feel there is anything to be gained."

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The union is thoroughly disenchanted with the behaviour of Carruthers, whom they feel has uttered so many misleading statements they no longer wish to enter into dialogue with him.

An SRU insider said yesterday that the only place they felt they would arrive at the truth over Edinburgh's financial dealings was in the courts. They were dismissive of Carruthers' suggestion that an independent mediator could be brought in, not least because when it was suggested at the press meeting that the newly-elected SRU president, George Jack, might assume the role, Carruthers replied that since Jack and the union chairman, Allan Munro, had been in the same scout troop, he might not be entirely impartial.

The gulf between the rival factions seems close to insurmountable. Asked if the SRU are still bankrolling Edinburgh to the tune of nearly £2m annually (they are), Carruthers replied: "That is a private contractual matter." The answer was similar when reporters sought to scratch beneath the surface.

Otherwise, Carruthers was talkative to a fault: "The SRU's actions have trashed the reputation of Scottish rugby around the world. At nine o'clock yesterday morning, they say we are not part of the jurisdiction of Scottish rugby, then at four o'clock in the afternoon, they are saying they are going to take disciplinary action against us, because we are part of the jurisdiction, it doesn't make sense.

"Their press release was ill-considered and shouldn't have been sent out. It is very unfair to Edinburgh Rugby, it has caused a great deal of anxiety for our staff, players and sponsors and it was mischief-making, cooked up by somebody who didn't think it through."

Carruthers last weekend asserted there would have to be redundancies at his club, before retracting that statement within 24 hours, while telling the SRU that he was poised to fly his players to the Cayman Islands. He has rubbished the SRU for spreading discontent and negativity and now demands calmness and common sense.

"We have formally offered mediation on a number of occasions to SRU plc and we don't understand why they don't take up the offer," he said. "Are they really going to spend their limited resources in the Court of Session when, literally, tomorrow, two lawyers and two blokes could sit down and resolve this whole matter?"

One fears that scenario is unlikely to materialise for the foreseeable future. In one corner, Carruthers insists: "The Celtic League confirmed that we will be playing in the Celtic League and we have been speaking to clubs all round the world and they are expecting to see us in the Heineken Cup."

In the other, the SRU keeps quiet and awaits m'learned friends, even as Stephen Larkham seeks urgent talks with his Edinburgh employees and the club's committee are served with notices of a Thursday disciplinary meeting.

All this and the Fringe doesn't even start for a month.

This article was posted on 11-Jul-2007, 07:11 by Hugh Barrow.