THE HERALD REPORTS TODAY

Kevin Ferrie on Thursday
KEVIN FERRIE May 07 2009
For some weeks, the SRU's communications department has complained about this newspaper's readiness to raise issues of concern to rugby clubs and supporters, in particular our attempts to ensure a degree of justice for two clubs ejected from the Scottish Cup without being allowed to play their ties.

As a consequence, two separate invitations to media gatherings have been withheld from me, The Herald's chief rugby writer, over the past week.

Last Wednesday, a "non-transferable" invitation was sent to a freelance reporter who contributes to The Herald, rather than me.

This was resolved when, informed about the briefing, I simply gatecrashed the event being conducted by Gordon McKie, the organisation's chief executive.

The second, yesterday, was, on the face of it, a relatively unimportant lunch which the SRU-owned Edinburgh pro team's spokesman said represented "an opportunity for us to thank you all for your work that has taken place during the season".

That was their prerogative, although it provided those invited with a competitive advantage because of the announcement, just half an hour before the lunch began, that a new competition was to be run by the Home Unions. Edinburgh's event was, then, the only one at which there would be direct access to any of the full-time Scottish professional coaches whose teams stand to benefit.

The SRU's tactics are reminiscent of the New Labour spin book.

Some writers are provided with greater access; others have restrictions imposed upon them.

SRU representatives complained about what they perceive to have been unfair treatment in our pages and implied that consideration was being given to withdrawing co-operation, unless there was a change in tone on my part.

We at The Herald see our job as holding authority, in this case the SRU, to account and fully intend to continue doing so.

We have to weigh up the SRU's concerns against, among other things, messages of thanks from the likes of the disabled supporter who, after 51 years of attending Murrayfield, was upset at no longer being allowed to have a picnic at his car.

He remains dissatisfied at both the tone and content of the explanations offered from SRU headquarters, and that has been a recurring theme as issue after issue has been raised.

The handling of matters apparently viewed at Murrayfield as not worthy of the coverage received indicates to me a degree of corporate arrogance.

Yet the role of the media is crucial for those lacking the wherewithal to have their case raised in any other way, and there has been no greater example than the matter of Cumbernauld who, with St Boswells, were one of the teams unfairly ejected from the Scottish Cup.

To deny a team its competitive right was the worst decision made by the SRU championship committee in my time covering the sport and made the governing body something of a laughing stock.

An unreserved apology has now been issued to Cumbernauld for the distress caused, and a working party (on which it will be represented by two members) established to introduce measures which will prevent such a disgraceful decision being made again. The rest of that group will also comprise "personnel agreed with Cumbernauld RFC", whose members have thanked The Herald for continuing to report on developments without fear or favour.

Just as the governing body has sought to deny this newspaper the access accorded to others, there have been signs over the past week that Murrayfield's hierarchy is worried.

Allan Munro, the SRU chairman who remains generally well regarded, felt the need to intervene robustly over the past week. It was his message to Cumbernauld which carried the apology.

Meanwhile, as the organisation seeks to deal with a president who is trying to garner more executive powers for the office, it was Munro's board's disagreement with the working party looking into the sport's governance that led to the resignation of Rob Flockhart, chairman of that group.

Manipulating the media message might work elsewhere but we intend to continue to tell both sides of the story and not just the "official" version.

This article was posted on 7-May-2009, 07:09 by Hugh Barrow.