THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS

New league set-up breath of fresh air, says Peter Wright

Published Date: 20 August 2010
By David Ferguson
THERE have been mixed reactions to the SRU's agreement to pursue a new league split for the next two seasons, but what makes the idea more of a manageable feast has been the 'buy-in' from coaches across the country.
Currie's Ally Donaldson admitted this week that he would like to see it go further into end-of-season play-offs among the top four, like virtually every major rugby competition nationwide, and he has strong backing from coaches across Premier One. But where in the past decisions over changes to the season or league structures were invariably debated and decided upon by club administrators, the significant difference this time around is that the change has come from the coaching brains.

Some club administrators have proven themselves great revolutionaries and forward-thinkers, but too many others found it easier to stifle progress because it did not suit their club at that time. Hence, the great impasse in trying to move club rugby in Scotland forward.

The split at the end of October where, after the first 11 games are played, the top eight clubs will go into a new pool for seven games against each other to determine the championship and British and Irish Cup qualifiers, and the bottom four meet the top four in Premier Two to decide who goes up and down, is not wholly popular. But it represents an attempt at improvement and even Peter Wright, the voluble director of rugby at Glasgow Hawks, is not moaning.

Preparing for a season in which he believes his fledgling Hawks will reveal a new maturity and challenge for the title, he insisted: "We had to change. What you have to accept right at the start, and it's what we did as coaches when we got round the table at the Premier One forum last year, is that what we have had in the last few years wasn't working. The season was too long, players were getting fed up and supporters were switching off. They are still there for big games that meant something, but they are not interested in what's being served up week after week.

"Now, this might not be perfect, and there will be teething issues with the way home and away games have been split up, and I understand clubs' worries about losing revenue from fewer home games, but from a rugby perspective it should be better. We want it to be more competitive and meaningful right through the season for as many clubs as possible.

"The opening games this weekend might mean more than they did because everyone wants to get into that top eight and have just 11 games to do it, so we all want to start with a bang.

This article was posted on 20-Aug-2010, 06:30 by Hugh Barrow.