SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY REVEALS


Iain Morrison: Clouds threaten to rain on Scots' rugby's recovery

Iain Morrison
SRU CHIEF Gordon McKie made a markedly upbeat presentation to assembled journalists at Murrayfield last week, doing everything short of hitching up his pin-stripes and tap dancing on the table tops.

The debt is down and the numbers playing the game are up. The pro-teams are no longer a standing joke and most of their key players are locked into long-term deals, with others looking to return. The crowds following Edinburgh and Glasgow have risen,ADVERTISEMENTalthough more so in the west than the east after last summer's uncertainty at the capital club.

Obviously it is in McKie's interest to talk up the sport but there was some truth in his claim that, if the long-term downward trend has not been reversed, at least the freefall that the game was experiencing has been halted.

However, when quizzed about any storm clouds gathering McKie's first thoughts ran to "article nine". This is the item keeping them awake at Murrayfield right now.

The International Rugby Board's article nine specifies that countries have first call on players over and above club demands. In essence it is what is preventing rugby from going the football route where the club game is, arguably, more important than internationals.

The regulation was originally drawn up in amateur days and most people admit that it needs updating for the professional era. In practice, Test teams are already respectful of club calls on players outside the accepted international windows in the autumn and during the Six Nations. Scotland, for instance, will not be insisting that Nathan Hines and Simon Taylor abandon their French clubs at the climax of the French season to tour Argentina.

However, what is frightening the smaller nations is that an unholy Anglo/French alliance wants to change the regulations in the clubs' favour since the wealthy unions, (ie France and England) can offer financial compensation to the clubs in return for player release. The RFU has already done this with Premier Rugby Limited.

There was an attempt made at the recent May 1 IRB meeting to push through amendments that would seriously weaken article nine. Players would not be released for international duty until five days before a Test match; clubs could demand the players' return immediately after a Test match, and so on.

Even with the existing rule in place, Scotland will find themselves disadvantaged because there are now several Test regulars playing abroad. While the Magners League players will be rested, Scots players plying their trade in England will be obliged to play Guinness matches the weekend ahead of the Six Nations and during the two free weekends in the middle of the tournament. In contrast the RFU has agreed with its clubs to block book England players for that entire time.

The good news is that, after four long hours of discussion, the amendments to article nine were dismissed; any changes that do come in will need a 75% majority. The bad news is that the whole article nine issue will resurface again at the IRB's next council meeting in November.

This article was posted on 11-May-2008, 07:36 by Hugh Barrow.