A regular programme feature that keeps you up to date with rugby and club issues and news by Kenny Hamilton.
(Not necessarily the views of Glasgow Hawks).

A Glasgow Derby – And no signs of a Panorama Documentary.
Welcome to the players, coaches and supporters of GHA . They generally bring a big, and vocal support with them I expect today to be no different. After a resounding league win over Ayr by 37-26 GHA have control over their own destiny and will be keen to take themselves out of the relegation zone by surprising their nearest Premiership neighbours.
With young forwards and a talented back-line, they will become a stronger side if they can keep the nucleus of their team together next season. While we wish them every success, that does not necessarily extend to this afternoon’s match.

Heriots Rugby Club 19 14 1 4 585 360 12 1 225 71
Glasgow Hawks 16 14 0 2 562 249 12 2 313 70
Boroughmuir 18 12 0 6 486 325 7 3 161 58
Melrose 18 11 1 6 503 479 7 2 24 55
Aberdeen GSFP 18 10 0 8 484 380 7 2 104 49
Biggar 19 10 0 9 375 380 5 4 -5 49
Ayr 19 9 1 9 427 439 2 2 -12 42
Hawick 18 8 1 9 377 458 5 1 -81 40
Currie 20 6 1 13 426 491 4 5 -65 35
GHA 17 6 0 11 338 411 5 3 -73 32
Watsonians 17 5 1 11 382 490 4 2 -108 28

Order from Chaos?
The sage like Sheriff Bill Dunlop (and his working party) will, of course, have provided the answers in the review of Governance. He will have mended the structural fault line that has afflicted Scottish Rugby for the last 100+ years, and done so in just 3 weeks of deliberation.
Old Anniesland’s Peacemaker has provided a template that creates a single Governing Board for Scottish Rugby and embraces the spirit of the amendment advanced by the Premier 1 Forum and supported by many clubs (known as the Heriot’s amendment in shorthand). It also seeks to reinvigorate and redefine the role of the President as an ambassador for the Scottish game and creates a new Rugby Council to review performance of the whole lot and keep member clubs advised.
It is all very good, sensible stuff and will help avoid a lot of pit-falls in the future. But in a few years time we may be back with people criticising the “Dunlop Report” as failing to fix Scottish Rugby. You see, we can change structures around as many times as we like but, by itself, this will not solve the problems in Scottish Rugby. People like Bill will tell you that structures and committees can either get in the way or help address the problems.
What we now need to find are the right people to lead Scottish Rugby out of its current difficulties – not an easy job.
He is worth chatting to as a man so passionate about his rugby that he cannot sit or stand still while watching a match. As the “silver streak” circumnavigates the OA pitch ask him his views on where Scottish Rugby is and you get intelligent insight. He has even offered a few clues in his report on the unasked question of “What kind of people do we need to fill these new key posts?”
Now that is a question worth asking.

Interim Decisions?
I was “surprised” to see the statement that “confirmed” the 3 Scottish Pro sides will be in place for the next 3 years.
That surprise has been replaced by real concern that the Interim Board appears to be making decisions with lasting implications for the resources of Scottish Rugby and that the new Governing Board might be saddled with a very expensive or possibly unaffordable legacy.
The statement that apparently confirmed the 3 teams future did not set out any detail concerning resources available, squad sizes, or resolution to the conflicting demands upon players between International and Pro sides or between Pro sides and domestic clubs.
Will Hugh Campbell have control over his players’ training and playing schedule next season? How many players will he have to draw upon? Are we still going to limp along with 3 poorly resourced sides or give our top players a chance to get into a winning habit?
That winning habit at pro team level would surely be worth more than 20 extra conditioning sessions in a Polish ice-box?

Overseas
Bumped into former Hawks Rory McKay & Gordon McFadyen in Oz, both looking very fit and looking forward to the season with Manly. We might see them in time for next season. Gav Mories has just started a stint out there and John Maclay was very ‘relaxed’ when I saw him in Auckland at a Burns’ Supper.


Postbag
Any comments or questions to Kenny Hamilton c/o Glasgow Hawks, Crow Road, G13 1PL

Or by email via:
[email protected]

This article was posted on 3-Mar-2005, 12:42 by Hugh Barrow.