Pro rugby in Scotland is simply unsustainableI watched two exciting matches across the Channel last weekend in French rugby's "Top14" Championnat - at Bourgoin-Jallieu and Toulouse.

Neither was held in particularly good weather conditions, but the rugby provided great entertainment. Aggregate attendance in the was, I believe, around 30,000. A world record of 80,000 for a club match was established by Stade Francais in Paris earlier this season. Equally, Guinness Premiership fixtures in England are averaging around 10,000 spectators per match and are attracting substantially higher numbers where ground capacity permits.

Todays Herald

In contrast, both Scottish pro teams won at home against credible Magners League opposition on Friday. Aggregate attendance for the two matches was just over 5000, leaving about as many empty seats at Murrayfield and Firhill together as were filled at the Stade de France.

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Professional sport is as much about economics and finance as it is about the game itself. The discrepancy in critical mass and consequently in match revenue highlights why Scottish pro rugby is such an unsustainable drain on governing body finances, and unattractive to any entrepreneur. Surely it cannot continue like this, and wouldn't Scotland's best players actually be better off plying their trade at club level furth of their homeland?

Ron Sutherland, Peeblesshire

This article was posted on 22-Apr-2008, 07:25 by Hugh Barrow.