THE HERALD REPORTS

Two teams might not be sustainable

ANDY NICOL December 22 2007
Christmas is a time when you take stock of what you have. As a kid, I used to see what toys I had, watch the adverts on TV to see what was new, then pester the hell out of my parents until I got the one I really, really wanted.

When taking stock of Scottish rugby, there is no doubt that, on the playing side, it is in better shape than it was at this time last year. Both Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh are in good shape, winning games and looking as if they could start to be a real threat in the Magners League and, to an extent, the Heineken Cup.

Yet when you look at the sport's financial position, and compare it year on year, it is still in a bad place. This time last year, the Scottish Rugby Union were explaining the financial hole that it was in and that some major surgery was going to be required.

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Remember, that financial predicament was when it centrally controlled two teams, Glasgow and Border Reivers, with Edinburgh having been franchised out of their control. It was announced that they could no longer afford to fund two professional teams and that Borders would close at the end of that season.

Well, because the franchising of Edinburgh failed so miserably in the summer, we are back to a status quo, with Murrayfield controlling and funding two outfits.

The only discernible difference from last year to now is that, after Edinburgh lost some of its biggest name players, and therefore biggest earners, in the summer, they may now cost less to run than Borders did. That, though, could be balanced by Glasgow investing in players such as Daryl Gibson, Lome Fa'atau, and Kelly Brown.

Whatever the case, if Scottish Rugby could not afford two professional teams last year, how long can it hold on now that it still owns two teams? Is the current situation sustainable? In the immediate term possibly, but certainly not in the long term.

As it is Christmas, let's keep things positive. Scottish Rugby received an early Christmas present with the announcement that Frank Hadden has signed a new contract that will keep him as coach through to the next World Cup in 2011. It is great news, because he has made a difference in the two years he has been in charge. But that improvement means that the bar of expectation is raised higher and the challenge gets bigger, although we are in good shape to reach that bar.

I cannot remember a Christmas when I have looked forward to the Six Nations more. The quality of players Scotland now have at their disposal means that we could be the real dark horses in only six weeks' time.

If Hadden still writes a letter to Santa - I am sure he does - then he will be asking for his talent pool to be more evenly spread throughout the squad. Look at the back row, for example. If the back row for the first game of the Six Nations against France was Jason White, Ally Hogg and Simon Taylor, not many would complain. Yet that would mean the form' back row, and indeed the Glasgow back row of Kelly Brown, Johnnie Beattie and John Barclay missing out.

Throw in to the mix names such as David Callum, Alastair Strockosh and Ross Rennie and you begin to understand the strength in depth that Hadden has at his fingertips in that area of the team.

Scrum-half is exactly the same. Mike Blair, Chris Cusiter and Rory Lawson would all get in to England's and Ireland's teams no problem but only one can play for Scotland. Having three of this quality is necessary, though, because injuries will occur and it is very reassuring to have that quality in reserve.

It is in stark contrast to stand-off. I would imagine Frank's letter to Santa would ask for a stand-off of real quality to push Dan Parks. I am almost ruling out Chris Paterson as he is not getting regular game time there at Gloucester, while David Blair and Phil Godman have a bit to go.

I have no doubt that Frank would like nothing better than a top quality stand-off in his stocking on Christmas Day.

This article was posted on 22-Dec-2007, 08:22 by Hugh Barrow.