THE HERALD REPORTS

SRU’s latest ruling further underlines total lack of common sense. Annan Rugby Club have been refused permission to kick off their league meeting with RHC at 2pm on Saturday because it clashes withthe Scotland v Canada international at Pittodrie.

No, I am not joking and, for clarification, the distance separating the two venues at which the respective organisers will compete for the nation's interest is 226.2 miles . . . journey time 4 hours 33mins, according to those very, very nice men at the AA.

Don Barty, Annan's president, is, not surprisingly, furious.

"Both Annan and RHC agreed toa 2pm kick-off since no-one from either club is going to Pittodrie, which is a physical impossibility in any case, even in a private jet," he said. "We were going to tape the international and show it after the RHC game and our plans for a sponsors' lunch are also scuppered. SRU intransigence beggars belief due to a minor international taking place at the other end of the country."

It certainly looks that way.

The official explanation offered was classic civil servant, jobsworth nonsense.

"We the staff do not set policy, we only implement it," Richard McGhee, the championship committee secretary told Barty.

"The policy was set by the Championship Committee and the Council and approved by the Board. That policy is that matches on international Saturdays are only permitted if they kick-off no later than two and a half hours before the international match. Application of this policy is to be consistent across the country, regardless of the venue of the international match or the club match in question.

"Unless and until I am instructed to do anything different by the Board this policy applies.

If you need a definitive decision on kick-off time now, then that decision can only be that the match must kick-off at 12.15pm."

The rather cynical sounding suggestion has been made that this may be the revenge of petty officialdom for clubs having turned down an ill-considered proposal from Murrayfield to scrap the Scottish Cup this season in order to keep international weekends clear.

That even the most small-mindedof bureaucrats would use little clubs that are simply looking to find the best way of maximising their opportunities to make such a point would seem inconceivable. Yet, when The Herald asked for further clarification, the following answer was offered.

"The SRU's annual general meeting earlier this year provided clubs from all over Scotland with the opportunity to vote on key issues," was the Murrayfield spokesman's telling opening.

"Following a vote at the annual meeting the clubs voted to continue with the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup competition in its current form. This created a need for the championship committee and the Scottish Rugby Council - both made up of club representatives - to review the season's fixtures.

"The conclusions of this review which were supported by the clubs via their council representatives, included structuring the season in such as way as to afford club members the opportunity to attendor watch Scotland international matches.

"This in practical terms meant clubs are requested not to play theirmatches in direct competition to Scotland international matches.

"However to ease congestion, fixtures have had to be scheduled on two out of the three Autumn Test internationals provided they kick off two and a half hours before the scheduled kick-off time of that day's Scotland international fixture.

"This is intended to enable all clubs to plan appropriately and importantly to allow all Scotland fans the opportunity to attend or watch the international matches.

"To date the significant majority of clubs have successfully managed to accommodate the request to play two and a half hours before international fixtures . . . "

The repeated reference to this being a request is interesting, when what was clearly issued to Annan was an instruction. However, either way this all smacks of the same sort of inflexibility that has seen the governing body roundly laughed at for locking out would-be supporters when unable to fill Murrayfield for the visits of the All Blacks and Springboks because there is no way of purchasing tickets on the day of the game. It is as if an edict has been issued by the Murrayfield hierarchy outlawing the use of common sense.

Even the strictest of policies should be set aside when their rigid application fails to deliver the best possible outcome.

In which context, it is also worrying that the aforementioned McGhee is among those officials called upon at disciplinary hearings for professional players.

That requires judgement, a key element of which is application of common sense, as opposed to blindly applying the letter of the lawtaking no account of mitigating or special circumstances.

In which case we ask again: Isthe rival attraction of Annan v RHC really that big a threat to the Scotland v Canada match?

This article was originally posted on 20-Nov-2008, 08:33 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 20-Nov-2008, 14:58.