EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS REPORTS
Rugby: British and Irish Cup has Barnes crying out for more

Published Date: 02 December 2009
By BILL LOTHIAN
SCOTTISH rugby needs to treble the number of traditional clubs taking part in any future British and Irish Cup following successful initial forays into the new cross-border competition.
That's the view of Ian Barnes, Premier Division One representative on the Scottish Rugby Council, as he surveyed returns that include an Ayr victory over Rotherham while Heriot's gave an outstanding account of themselves before going down 0-5 to Nottingham.

Both English outfits are professional, operating at a level below the Guinness Premiership which, in turn, equates to the Magners Celtic League.

Barnes, who has travelled the country watching early ties, said: "I coached the first Edinburgh team to enter the Heineken European Cup (in 1997] and they were well off the pace back then.

"I estimate that it would only take a couple of years to get our clubs up to the standard of English National Division One, which is where they need to be to provide the necessary broadening of the base of the game.

"What Andy Robinson has done with Scotland this month (two Autumn Test wins including one over Australia] is not sustainable without a broader base.

"Financially that is impossible to achieve higher up at Celtic League level in Scotland.

"What requires to be done is make the Premiership semi- professional which is a situation that exists in some clubs – but far from all – at the moment.

"The problem is the clubs lower down the chain ... but, I'm sorry, the Scottish Premiership needs to be able to do its own thing and the tail has been wagging the dog for too long.

"When Doncaster entertained Ayr I saw five Scots in the home side and these lads could be back playing north of the border if we had a more professional set up.

"I've never been comfortable with the artificiality of the present Scottish club set up. This new competition can stretch teams and with a turnover of £3.1 million, compared to the £35m figure at Scottish Rugby, the Premiership deserves to be recognised for its contribution based on revenue from sponsorships, gate receipts and events like the Melrose Sevens.

"Fortunately, I think there is at last a growing awareness at Murrayfield of the importance of Premiership clubs."

Barnes' remarks about lower order clubs deserve to be seen in the context of a willing servant who continues to aid grassroots rugby in various ways. So far as comparisons between the premiership and English national one are concerned an element of fiscal realism has possibly been injected today by the news Coventry have gone into voluntary liquidation strengthening Barnes' arguments as, in the main, Scots outfits appear well run.

"I was encouraged by the enthusiasm at Doncaster where the 1,700 crowd for Ayr's visit matched normal attendances and the overall set-up there was impressive.

"At Ayr last Friday another 1,500-1,700 turned out with around 200 supporters attending a dinner beforehand. Scottish clubs now have something to aim at but I'm not sure how many of the English sides are willing participants.

"The next step would be to get Irish clubs (as opposed to Provincial A teams] taking part and the way I'd increase Scottish participation ties in with the radical overhaul needed for our club structure.

"For me that means a 24-team Premiership which is necessary to give a geographical spread.

"This would mean two divisions of 12 teams meeting once before splitting into three divisions of eight teams.

"That would mean 18 domestic league matches each season and plenty of competition for places in the British and Irish Cup where there has to be more thinking outside of the box" said Barnes.

Heriot's, who have no floodlights, are believed to have backed off the idea of taking their match with Nottingham to Lasswade the previous evening.

Barnes said: "That struck me as a better idea than staying at Goldenacre a few hours before Scotland kicked off against Australia." Similarly, there have been suggestions of combined club sides with Heriot's and Stewart's Melville understood to have discussed a North Edinburgh entry to the British and Irish Cup but, again, the concept was rejected.

Barnes said: "My club, Edinburgh Accies, offered injury-hit Heriot's some players for their trip to Coventry last weekend and I can see where they were coming from in doing their own thing but there will have to be more free thinking, generally, to help Scottish rugby.

"That could even mean Melrose, if they qualify, playing British and Irish Cup ties at nearby Gala, where there are floodlights.

"I used to favour clubs over districts as the way forward until along came the British and Irish Cup which I think can be the future.

"The leading sides in England are limited companies along the lines of Edinburgh and Glasgow whereas our clubs can soon be on a par with their national league teams, which will mean higher standards."

If six Scottish teams were introduced to the B&I Cup next season then on current placings they would be: Currie, Ayr, Melrose, Dundee, Glasgow Hawks and Edinburgh Accies – a near perfect geographical spread.

Barnes added: "If the tournament continues and Accies qualify I wouldn't hesitate in urging our ties to be played under floodlights, perhaps at Lasswade, to boost crowds."

This article was posted on 3-Dec-2009, 14:49 by Hugh Barrow.