THE HERALD REPORTS

On an even keel and travelling in the right direction
NEIL DRYSDALE June 29 2009

BEST LEFT UNSAID: mentions of Scotland's six nations failure were kept to a minimum at the SRU's annual meeting on Friday night. Picture: Craig Watson/SNS
Slowly but surely, Scottish rugby's critics are having to admit that the current administration is steering the sport in the right direction. That was the obvious conclusion from the proceedings during Saturday's annual meeting at Murrayfield, where the delegates tucked into the agenda with the same relish with which they hoovered up the bacon rolls laid on by the SRU.

The consequence was that any mention of another difficult six nations, or a miserable Magners League campaign for Glasgow, was largely confined to a few fleeting references from the governing body's chief executive, Gordon McKie, who had impressive financial statistics at his fingertips, which he reeled off in a speech which carried far more conviction than his effort at last summer's fractious convention.

As the meeting progressed, one could quibble with a few of the measures implemented by the delegates. Their decision to re-elect Jim Stevenson as president, albeit by a narrow 92 to 87 margin, over the Lions and Scotland stalwart, Finlay Calder, seemed contentious, even before they had amended the union's bye-laws to politicise the post by granting the president automatic chairmanship of the Scottish Rugby Council, while question marks remain over whom will wear the SRU mantle on the International Board.

But, in the main, the developments were positive. For starters, the previous Scottish Cup format, whereby teams knocked out in the early rounds were granted access to other competitions, has been scrapped, ensuring that we will no longer have absurd situations, such as Glasgow Hawks being trounced by Howe of Fife and subsequently gaining another chance to reach Murrayfield, as transpired last season.


Instead, there will be three new tournaments, one for Premiership clubs, another for National League representatives, and a third for Regional League members, culminating in a finals day at the national stadium, where all the contenders will have secured their berths on merit.

Another worthwhile step, and one which Stirling County's ubiquitous spokesman, Ray Mountford, did an excellent job of advocating, was the sanctioning of the proposal to create a national integrated league of schools and clubs at under-16 and under-18 level, which should ensure there is further progress in dismantling the barriers which still exist between comprehensives and fee-paying establishments.

The latter have been allowed to dictate how they run their affairs for far too long, to the detriment of the sport's perception in Scotland. But sadly, one suspects that some antediluvian attitudes linger on in this area - one delegate from Edinburgh told me: "They can change the system if they like, but we won't be joining the new structure." And the fact that the motion was only passed by 88 votes to 82 indicates there remains a significant number of people, who are apparently content to bask in the outmoded notion that rugby is an elitist pursuit.

Yet, for the most part, whether in the unanimous backing by the clubs of formal integration with the Scottish Women's Rugby Union - which elicited whoops of delight from the few females present - or the introduction of a new system of dual registration, consensus held sway over controversy. In the aftermath, Calder, who must privately have been disappointed at his failure to earn a mandate from the delegates, was magnanimous, both praising Stevenson and expressing optimism for the future of the sport. Stevenson replied in kind, commenting: "Finlay is an iconic figure and he has a lot to offer Scottish rugby. As for myself, I am just delighted to have gained the delegates' backing. I will keep championing the views of the clubs and I also want to drive the Council forward."

As for McKie, who has endured some undeserved personal criticism, yet guided the SRU away from the brink of oblivion in the last four years, there was a list of his priorities for the forthcoming year. "In no particular order, these are not to lose money, grow the game, assist with the new cross-border competition, help our pro teams do better in Europe, and look forward to Scotland climbing back into the world's top eight nations," said McKie, who confirmed that he expects the new Edinburgh coach to be unveiled in the next three weeks. "We have a stable base and I am confident about the way things are going."

Nobody is pretending everything is rosy. But a corner has been turned.

This article was posted on 29-Jun-2009, 07:19 by Hugh Barrow.