THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS
STUART BATHGATE ([email protected])

Scotsport Rugby Sunday (Sunday 6pm, STV and Grampian; Tuesday 12 midnight, Border)
AFTER a couple of years with virtually no exposure, Scottish club rugby is back on television thanks to Scotsport Rugby Sunday. Hosted by Richie Gray, the STV programme has been given an initial ten-week run, after which the television company and Scottish Rugby will assess its progress and decide what form, if any, it should take during the RBS Six Nations Championship, which is on the BBC.

It is rare for a governing body in any sport to sponsor a show, as Scottish Rugby is doing with this one, but the rationale was quite simple: you can either keep complaining about lack of coverage of your sport, or you can do something about it. In the case of Scottish Rugby, what they could do was devote part of their marketing budget to help with the funding of the programme, believing it would be at least as cost-effective as other outlets.

Both parties are pleased with the way the first two shows have gone, and viewing figures have been respectable. They would be even better, of course, if the show were on at the same time in the Border TV region instead of being screened at midnight two days later, but that decision was made by the Carlisle-based company and there is nothing the two Scottish organisations can practically do to alter it.

"We're really pleased we've now got terrestrial coverage again - and of all facets of the game," Gordon McKie, the chief executive of Scottish Rugby, said yesterday. "It's particularly good for the game at this time of the year."

McKie and his colleagues have had little joy in recent years from BBC Scotland, whose only commitment to rugby is to show the annual Melrose Sevens. They found a more willing partner in STV, who, having screened the Rugby World Cup, wanted to build on the audience they had attracted for that.

There may be none of the replays from multiple camera angles we saw during the World Cup, but that is not the point of Scotsport Rugby Sunday. Its aim is to be a relaxed, down-to-earth, magazine type of a show, and so far it is faring rather well.

The diet in the first couple of weeks has been a combination of match highlights, interviews and competitions. Boroughmuir's game against Glasgow Hawks, Ayr against Stirling County, and the Edinburgh derby between Watsonians and Heriot's have been among the games shown so far, and every team in the top flight will be seen at some time. Glasgow Warriors coach Sean Lineen and Scotland captain Jason White have been among the interviews, while Gray has been joined in the studio by Doddie Weir.

And, if you find yourself out of the house on a Sunday teatime, you can always log on to the STV website and watch the show again - and a lot more besides. At present there are match highlights from both weekends, as well as from Scotland's World Cup campaign and the recent women's international against Canada. As the weeks pass, the archive will grow.

Importantly for Scottish Rugby, the website is also designed to attract new players to the game. There is a section on the laws of the game, and there is a link to Scottish Rugby's own website where people can find out about how to get in touch with their nearest club.

This may not be groundbreaking in terms of how websites work, but the point is it does represent new territory for Scottish Rugby, who have emailed the members of their data base to tell them about the show. They have not revealed the exact sum invested, but so far they are satisfied they have bought into a good platform for their product.

The crowds remain pitifully small at most club games, but Scotsport Rugby Sunday has already shown there are a few performers at that level who are worth going to see. If allowed to continue beyond its initial run, the show could play a significant part in revitalising our domestic leagues.

Tomorrow's programme will include highlights from Glasgow's Magners League match against Cardiff, Ian Barnes's return to Hawick with Edinburgh Accies, and the Division Two game between West of Scotland and Haddington. The show will also feature an interview with Stephen Gemmell, the Scotland sevens coach.

This article was posted on 24-Nov-2007, 08:36 by Hugh Barrow.