Edinburgh and Glasgow must build on progress to become serious contenders

Published on Tuesday 8 December 2009 22:37

A REFRESHING breeze of optimism has been whistling through Scottish rugby recently.

• Securing progress in the Heineken Cup is important for Edinburgh's Scott MacLeod

The exploits of Andy Robinson's Scotland team against Australia two weeks ago lifted the nation, and, despite a frustrating loss to Argentina the following Saturday, the overall impression of this year's autumn Test series is that an effective organisational framework has been put in place which has allowed the national side's sense of self-belief and purpose to be rediscovered.

Meanwhile, at club level, Glasgow and Edinburgh clambered to first and second in the Magners League last weekend, with gritty victories in horrendous conditions in Belfast and Llanelli respectively.

It is only the second time in history that the Scottish teams have occupied the top two spots in the table, and the first time it has happened beyond the opening fortnight of the season.

It must be particularly satisfying for Sean Lineen and his Glasgow squad, who have struggled to find consistency in recent years, and, as a result, have tended to live in Edinburgh's shadow. They have never before been able to look down on the rest of the league from the summit.

This is all very heart-warming, but there are plenty of prize fighters who have given superior opponents the runaround in the early stages of a bout only to find they lack the class and experience necessary to go the distance when the going gets tough.

Scotland's brave rugby boys came off the ropes to land a knock-out blow against a surprisingly one-dimensional Australian team, but under the sustained pressure of a Six Nations championship will they prove to have golden gloves or a glass jaw?

Meanwhile, Edinburgh and Glasgow must sustain their form through the remainder of this Magners League season. And then, of course, there is the small matter of the Heineken Cup.

Players and coaches in this country hate when success in the Magners League is offset against failure in the Heineken Cup. They point out that they can only beat what is put in front of them, and if the likes of Munster, Leinster, Cardiff and the Ospreys chose to save their best for Europe then all Glasgow and Edinburgh can do is take advantage of that when they face them in the league.

But the inescapable truth is that until Scottish teams are serious players in the Heineken Cup they will remain second- or third-tier outfits in terms of their profile and ability to generate revenue.

The Scottish Rugby Union currently makes no money from televised Magners League matches. It is desperate to get a local broadcaster with money to spend on board, but have had little luck so far in persuading anyone that these teams (who have averaged only 3,571 per home Magners League game this season) are a genuine draw.

It is a Catch-22 situation. Advertising, attendances and crowds all depend on one another, and it is very hard to get the ball rolling without something out of the ordinary happening on the pitch.

What would Edinburgh and Glasgow give for the sort of popular revolution Munster enjoyed around the turn of the century, when they first became a genuine force in the professional European game?

The early indications are that this season will offer nothing different to the disappointing experiences of previous European campaigns. Neither side is out of the competition yet, but, after two games, they are not in particularly strong positions either.

Having lost twice, Glasgow almost certainly need to win all their remaining games and hope that other results go their way if they are to progress from their pool. It is a tough mission, which gets underway against Gloucester at Firhill on Friday.

The West Country outfit have had a rotten start to the season, but a good win over Newcastle Falcons on Saturday has offered hope to the Kingsholm faithful.

Even if we take out the significance of this match to the short, medium and long term futures of both teams, it promises to be an intriguing encounter with several delicious match-ups between Scotland squad members on the cards – not least at scrum-half where Chris Cusiter is going to have to be at his very best against Rory Lawson.

Edinburgh are slightly better placed, having managed to pick-up a victory against Ulster in their last European outing. They play a Bath team which has only one win in the Guinness Premiership to their name so far this season, at The Rec on Sunday, in a match which Rob Moffat's boys really should win if they are serious about repeating their success of 2004, when they became the first – and so far only – Scottish team to make it to the last eight of European club rugby's flagship competition.