EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS


BILL LOTHIAN


SCOTTISH Rugby presidential candidate George Blackie has pledged to help install Edinburgh's Frank Hadden as permanent national coach if elected at Friday's annual meeting of the governing body.

He said: "I would insist on a Scot filling the coaching vacancy and we now have suitable candidates among whom Frank Hadden has done an excellent job in the wins over the Barbarians and Romania while he has been in temporary charge.

"Those results show there is light at the end of the tunnel, especially as I fancy there will be a backlash during the Six Nations Championship from Scots passed over for the current Lions tour.

"There will be a lot of Scottish players who are angry - and keen to prove a point which can work to our advantage.

"Meantime, building on the two successes so far under Frank Hadden, along with getting the financial side of things in order, would be my priorities as an SRU president.

"Finances might be more boring but they are important nonetheless including the fact that we are able to budget for a profit next season after making losses four years out of five."

Blackie, from Glasgow, was speaking prior to going head-to-head for the presidency with former international captain Andy Irvine, from Edinburgh.

The contest has evoked strong feelings with Blackie insisting he has suffered from "unbalanced" coverage in certain quarters based on constant references to his rival's playing record.

"I am the first to admit that if the SRU presidency was to be based on playing abilities then the election would be a non-contest.

"I believe there is much more to the presidency than playing ability; Andy himself would not want to be picked on the basis of what he did on the pitch 20 years ago.

"Being a good player does not make you a good administrator."

Blackie also makes clear that he views networking as a vital part of the role.

"While it has been suggested the president should be an ambassador for Scottish rugby I can see that sitting comfortably with heading up the new Council (which advises the paid board members).

"That would still leave plenty of scope for getting out and about meeting people including clubs, generally representing Scottish rugby and I am fortunate to be semi-retired from my dental practice which affords the necessary time to devote to the game."

Where Blackie is particularly closely associated with previous Murrayfield regimes is in playing a part in sparking the upheaval over governance which ended with the removal of chairman David Mackay and subsequent departure of chief executive Phil Anderton last January.

If Blackie has a regret - he makes it clear - it is that he was out of the country when the turbulence occurred.

"As an unpaid volunteer I had arranged a holiday. I did not start it. I was not leading it. I asked them (fellow committee members) not to do it when I was away."

Meanwhile, Andy Irvine, from Heriot's, told the Evening News pressure of work meant he was unable to outline the platform on which he would be standing for the SRU presidency.

This article was posted on 21-Jun-2005, 12:03 by Hugh Barrow.