TO GET to the heart of player development in Scottish rugby and how a club nurtures its own, Heriot's could be the first name that springs to mind.
Give it a second … about now you might hear the howls of derision provoked by that opening gambit across Scotland. The 'Chelsea' of Scottish rugby, the talent magnet in central Scotland with nary a Herioter in sight? Surely some mistake.
The team
known affectionately as 'the Nails' enjoyed crowds of 10,000 at Goldenacre in a golden era of the 1920s, and they have won the Scottish Division One title twice in the 24 years since the leagues became official – famous sons Andy Irvine and Alan Lawson steering the blue-and-white hoops to the top in 1978-79 and the 'city slickers' marking the end of the last century by repeating the feat in 1999-2000.
And how do they do it? By 'stealing' everyone else's players of course. That, at least, is the commonly-held view of Heriot's' rivals, and current coach Bob McKillop even admits: "There is a lot of criticism of Heriot's – we are aware of that – and some of it is well-placed."
But, clearly, there are two sides to the story. Yes, their youth development programme is not a patch on most of those at other Division One clubs, easily overshadowed by lower-league clubs such as Perthshire and Ellon. Yet enmeshed in city life they rely largely on one school, George Heriot's, founded in 1628 with a fortune left by the jeweller to royalty. Many talented young rugby players leave the school at 18 for well-paid jobs in England and abroad, work that comes a distant second to rugby.
The rugby club does, however, provide what McKillop, and professional coaches, believe to be a crucial springboard from the lower ranks of Scottish club rugby to the professional level; witness Simon Taylor, Bruce Douglas, Rob Dewey, Nick De Luca, Alan MacDonald and John Houston as some recent examples.
They may have made it anyway, from their starting points across the country, but none would have done so as quickly as they did after pulling on the Heriot's jersey. McKillop is still keen on change.
"I remember saying to you when I came here more than two years ago," he recalled, "that Heriot's were a finishing school, but that that had to change. My view is the same now. You have to produce your own to have a sustainable club, a club that grows from within and develops real affinity and long-term strength.
"We have former Heriot's' pupils involved at the club, at various levels, and we have had eight or nine school-leavers training with us this summer, but they aren't suddenly going to make up a 1st XV to compete at the top of Scottish rugby.
"Stirling County is a great example of how to produce and develop your own talent – up there with the best in Scotland – but that didn't happen overnight. That championship-winning side of 1994-95 stemmed from a first school intake probably from 1974, so, in effect, that was a 20-year programme.
"Everyone is aware at Heriot's of the need to develop our own conveyor-belt of talent and we are tackling that, but it's a long-term process. In the interim, do we play a decent role in helping Scottish players make the most of themselves and progress in the game? We do.
"John Houston was struggling to get a chance in the Borders; he came here, got the exposure and won a pro contract, which he's shown already he fully deserved. Chris Fusaro probably wouldn't have had the same opportunities if he'd stayed at Howe of Fife that he's had since coming here. Chris's development is 90 percent Howe, and maybe five percent from us and five from the SRU, but players like Chris need a 'finishing school' if you like. Somebody has to do that job and I think we do it quite well."
McKillop, who saw the success of Stirling County from the inside and whose coaching skills have earned him involvement with the Scotland club side and U18s, is less worried by Heriot's' talent sources, however, and more concerned about the wider geography of modern club rugby in Scotland.
"We have five clubs in and around Edinburgh," he said. "Thankfully, Selkirk are up and we have three Borders clubs this season, but then none north of Stirling. It's perhaps indicative of the wider Scottish society and economy, a move to the cities of the central belt, but that's not healthy for the development of Scottish rugby.
"The sport needs the traditional clubs, and a spread of clubs, to develop. Hawick hate my guts probably because of the number of Hawick boys that have moved to work or study in Edinburgh and joined us, but I admire them hugely for what they've achieved and the way they continue to develop rugby talent, and we can't lose clubs like that from the top."
In terms of the aim for his own club this season, who lost to Melrose in last season's cup final, he laughs. "Same as last season, the season before that, and that: consistency. On our day we can beat anyone in Scotland; on others we can lose to just about anyone.
"I'm now in my third season and I know it is my responsibility to get results, but we have Roddy Deans working more with our forwards now and John Houston coaching with George Breckenridge and myself as well, so with more fresh ideas and some more experienced players we've brought in I'm very hopeful about this season. I love Heriot's and I'm desperate for the season to start."
The full article contains 978 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
