THE SCOTSMAN WRITES

We were naive to sign deal with SRU, says Carruthers
DAVID FERGUSON
THE former chairman of Edinburgh Rugby admitted yesterday that the team's owners had been "naïve" when signing up to a partnership with the Scottish Rugby Union.

Alex Carruthers, younger brother of majority shareholder Bob, entered Murrayfield a year ago enthusiastic about taking over the reins of Edinburgh Rugby as part of a six-man team of directors. He returned to the national stadium on Thursday night dispirited and left, after a four-hour disciplinary meeting, believing the future of the pro game now rests on a knife edge.

It had been hoped the current feud between Edinburgh and the SRU would be consigned to the past after the SRU seemed to soften its stance this week, and the news late on Thursday that Edinburgh had agreed to return as associate members of the SRU indicated relations were improving.

However, the hearing was not a straightforward affair. First, the panel of Rod Mackenzie and Dougie Hunter, Glasgow lawyers used by the IRB in discipline issues worldwide, and Bert Duffy, the former Selkirk and SRU president, dropped the case against the six Edinburgh directors named on the complaint. They then invited Edinburgh to restore union membership, resigned last week, to allow the panel to charge Edinburgh. Carruthers agreed, he claims, to show his support for working with the SRU, and the panel then issued them with a censure for breaching IRB Regulation 9 by preventing players from training with Scotland from 2-4 July.

Graham Ireland, SRU company secretary, and acting discipline manager Richard McGhee were at the hearing, but the SRU refused to comment yesterday.

Alex Carruthers said: "To say we had not acted reasonably in our release of players when we'd released them before the autumn Tests, the Six Nations and through the whole of May and June, and always would do for the eight weeks before the World Cup, was ridiculous.

"We pay the players all through that, and have to pay others to replace them, yet three days trying to make a point last week costs us a censure. I would never say never about getting involved again, but [Thursday] just makes me glad I did resign."

In contrast, many believe that the withdrawal of players and ensuing row was a misplaced attempt by Edinburgh to railroad Gordon McKie and the SRU board into coming to the negotiating table which has back-fired with damaging results. McKie has won strong support from within Murrayfield, and the main issue remains deadlocked - Edinburgh want a bigger share of the money given to the SRU by the European Rugby Cup for competing in the Heineken Cup, while the SRU sticks resolutely to the terms of the contract.

There are also two clear obstacles to a swift resolution. First, the SRU does not yet know whether its ERC share will be cut from £2.2m to under £1.5m this season to reflect the closure of the Borders team; and secondly, it is possible the 'partners' will not be able to recover from the complete breakdown in trust. Alex Carruthers said: "I would agree we were naïve in signing the contract we did with the SRU, but at the time we thought the intentions were honourable from both parties and given the time-scale the SRU had - they were on the verge of shutting down a team, remember - there were always going to be areas open to interpretation. We were assured that these would be worked through in an open and honest manner, but the door was shut when the contract was signed.

"My hope now is that, if nothing else, this may get all the parties round the table to create a sounder footing for the pro game moving forward. If the SRU want to make it work, they will, and if they don't, they won't."

This article was posted on 14-Jul-2007, 07:10 by Hugh Barrow.