We have 2 sides – which frankly might be enough at this time. It will be very hard to encourage anyone to invest some serious risk money in the near future, I would suggest. So why not put in place Boards of Directors for both Glasgow and Edinburgh and charge them with responsibility of developing the business plan over the next 3 years that would lead to them becoming independent entities. They will need an agreed financial and player-release protocol in place with the SRU and the Board should be pulled together based on an appropriate mix of skills and experience to develop the business.
While it is not essential that they are all ‘rugby people’ I am sure we can find the right levels of energy and skill from those still sufficiently motivated to try and develop Scottish rugby at the top level.
The World Cup
How will Frank Hadden approach the match with the All Blacks?Undoubtedly the most interesting Rugby World Cup ever with some terrific matches and intriguing permutations that might emerge in the quarter–final stage.
I think we all acknowledge that this is the best prepared world cup squad that Scotland has ever had and that, if they get it right on the day, we should feel confident about Scotland’s chances of reaching the next stage of the competition. (That sentence will have the superstitious amongst you reaching for your rabbit’s foot and voodoo doll.) The team is currently lying 3rd in the competition for number of tries scored – just 3 behind the Aussies and a few more behind the All Blacks.
But what is the correct approach to the match against New Zealand this Sunday for Frank Hadden? Back-up players or first team squad? If he plays the back-up squad he might learn something (I seem to remember the Welsh having a similar experience at the last World Cup). But if they suffer a humiliating defeat will that affect the confidence of the squad ahead of the Italian job? If he plays the first choice will he be condemned for risking injury of top players ahead of the group decider?
I think we should trust him to make the choice based on his knowledge of the individual players. After 2 matches some will benefit from a rest while some are still building towards their peak in the competition.
Warriors Link Up with Hawks
The Hawks and Glasgow Warriors had a joint training session on Tuesday 11th September and players and coaches agreed that it was a very worthwhile venture. The hope is that we will be able to repeat the exercise on an ongoing basis.