THE SUNDAY HERALD REPORTS


RUGBY: Lewis Stuart looks ahead to the new season and finds that several factors make it difficult to predict who will finish top of the pile
Comment
EVERY CLOSE season sees its fair share of churn, players arriving here and leaving there, youngsters going professional, pro players reverting to amateur, coaches stuck in the revolving door. There has been all of that over the last few months, but add three further complicating factors and predicting this season is akin to using a pin to pick the Grand National winner.

One: new laws. Two: a new relationship with the pro teams and the draft system that should see pro players in club action most weekends. Three: the expansion and more open approach to the academy system that should see most of the next generation getting all the rugby they can handle.

Inevitably, there is no consensus on any of them, except a new and refreshing willingness from the club coaches to play the pro and semi pro players whenever they are available, even if they believe the disruption could hinder their team more than the player's extra skill and fitness will help it.

"I'm a great fan of the club game but we do need to strengthen it," says Peter Wright, the director of rugby at Glasgow Hawks. "The easy way to do that is go get better quality players involved, that is a no-brainer. Some clubs bring in guys from other countries - and I don't have an issue with that, there is still a role for foreign talent - but it makes sense to bring in our own pro players and use them to raise the quality.

"It works two ways, gives a link between the pros and the clubs and makes means that young up and coming players in the club teams see the guys who have already made it and they could potentially be playing with. The greater involvement of pro players is a very positive move."

Not that the process is without its niggles. The model was the American sport draft with the lowest ranked club from the previous season (Selkirk, second in Premiership Two) getting first pick, the second lowest (West of Scotland) the next, and so on until Boroughmuir, the champions got the 12th pick and the whole process started again. Since then two squabbles have arisen. First, the draft was done in June, but what happens to players whose position has changed? For example, Watsonians picked Daryl Gibson but he is to leave Scotland. Do they get to replace him?

Also, five young players have been added to the pro ranks since the draft and after having gone through preseason training with their original clubs. There should be a new draft pick to allocate them, but most would rather stay put. What happens to the likes of Marc Teague, only on a six month contract and who could theoretically be a club player again before the end of the season. Discussions continue on all these issues.

What effect it will have on the league is impossible to predict, mainly because the availability of pro players depends on so many variables. Edinburgh Accies could be contenders if they see a lot of the Blair brothers (Alex and David, that is) or Greig Rutherford, but it is hard to see them advancing much beyond stodgy mid-table without them. And so on across the league.

What all clubs expect is that their apprentice players will all be available most of the time, and there has been a lively summer market in the apprentices from lower-division clubs. Again just taking one example from the many on offer, Neal Patrick, an Academy lock, has joined Boroughmuir, the champions, from Dunfermline.

"It's going to be fascinating because of these academy players," says John Beattie, coach of newly promoted West of Scotland. "We took the view about a month ago that we would play our part in the restructuring of the game so if the SRU have an Academy player who is available for us, then we will play them. It is difficult, though. They are paid for by the country and if they are not spread evenly then it will cause problems."

With the main academy at Murrayfield, many full-time academy players on the move are looking to Edinburgh, reinforcing the capital city's domination of last year's league where only Melrose and Ayr had the resources to compete.

This season, it looks like being the same clubs in the mix. "It's certainly our aim to retain the title," says Peter Blackhall, for Boroughmuir. "I think the new laws will suit us down to the ground. We reached the final of the Super Cup when they were trialled before and have already played a couple of warm-up games under them and they went well. We are always trying to move the ball away from contact and that style works well under these laws."

But then, Melrose, if they can get over their early season injuries, Watsonians, and Heriot's also looked particularly equipped to handle them as well. It really is impossible to tell.

This article was posted on 24-Aug-2008, 07:35 by Hugh Barrow.