THE HREALD REVEALS


KEVIN FERRIE, Chief Rugby Writer June 07 2008
A previously little-known supporters' organisation is leading the fight to protect the future of the Scottish Cup and prevent a reversion to old-style committee politics in the Scottish Rugby Union.

There has been widespread alarm at proposals lodged by Murrayfield administrators ahead of this month's agm that would see the cup scrapped next season and would see the SRU Council given a role in the day-to-day running of the sport. However, having concluded that many clubs remain cowed by officialdom, the Forum of Scottish Rugby Supporters FOSRS has taken the lead in seeking to ensure that a unified approach is taken to blocking these backward-looking steps. "FOSRS set off to act as an honest broker and catalyst only, but seems to be leading the charge so far because clubs are a bit intimidated by presidents and chairmen," explained Roy Comfort, vice chairman of FOSRS.

"We are a voluntary organisation with 1500 Scottish members that represents the supporter and customer. Among our ranks are many club officials and members, mini coaches, referees, players, indeed, all manner of Scottish rugby life. We have only one vested interest, the success of Scottish rugby at all levels, from minis up to the national team.

"We were disappointed to read the proposal from George Jack the SRU president and Allan Munro the chairman that the cup should be scrapped next season for some pretty unconvincing reasons," added Comfort. "We are also none too happy with their idea that the council takes over the preparation of the league season, remembering the 2005 blood-bath when Mr Jack and some of his chums formed the old SRU General Committee and tried to run things. We therefore mailed all clubs proposing three amendments to the motion and have three gallant clubs putting them forward, with a few more in support, quite a feat in the narrow window allowed by the SRU. This battle will hot up, as we are essentially challenging the president, council and SRU bigwigs on this one."

The proposal would see the current Competitions Commission disbanded, with the council taking over its responsibilities and deciding on a new structure for the 2010-11 season, while the cup would be scrapped for next year because of supposed fixture congestion.

What FOSRS rightly seems to have detected is a bid for a power grab. As Comfort noted, it is easier to get an emotive response to the suggestion that the cup be put into abeyance, but the bigger issue is that of the council's role. "That is the thin-ice one for clubs," he said. "It is also the more important in the overall scheme of things.

"Is the Scottish Rugby Council the right body to prepare the new season structure? They are only meant to scrutinise the board's work and expressly not to take on executive powers. An improved season structure is far too important to become a political football."

He also observed that in seeking to provide justification for this Murrayfield-driven initiative, Colin Thomson, the SRU's head of community rugby, "appears to have blown out of proportion" the matter of fixture congestion.

"Why suspend the cup before there's even any proposal as to what might replace it?" he asked. "The case being put forward just doesn't add up and we could be throwing out the valuable baby with the bath water."

Some at the SRU are now seeking to claim that these proposals have merely been put forward to stimulate debate. Yet, that is a somewhat disingenuous argument since, in the confusion of agms before, damaging proposals have got through pretty much by accident, making any such device ridiculously dangerous.

Amendments have been put forward by Cumnock, Crief & Strathearn and Marr Rugby, which would kill off all aspects of the SRU amendments, but as Comfort pointed out, failure to act will make the clubs themselves equally culpable. "If we collectively do nothing, then we have only ourselves to blame if the agm proposals lead us up another dark alley," he said.

This article was posted on 7-Jun-2008, 07:28 by Hugh Barrow.