David Ferguson: Friday night thriller shows potential is there to make pro rugby a success

Published on Tuesday 22 November 2011 01:43

THE big debate has begun again of how a gulf has developed between Scottish and Irish rugby, especially among those of us who remember when our players would beat Irish provinces comfortably.

The second weekend of Heineken Cup rugby provided the perfect illustration of why Scottish rugby has the right to be hopeful of closing the gap, as around 5,000 people return to work this week still full of the excitement of Friday night at Murrayfield and how they witnessed the most dramatic game of rugby, great skill, try-scoring and commitment, many may ever have seen. And on Sunday in Dublin, we saw evidence of where work is needed for improvement in Scottish rugby to happen.

The defeats suffered by Melrose, Ayr and Currie in the British and Irish Cup are relevant too, because in a rugby community as small as Scotland’s, the game from club to international remains bound so tightly that success in one area affects others and, similarly, limits placed upon one has a limiting effect elsewhere.

Defences might have been forgotten about on Friday night, but Edinburgh produced a scintillating performance of attacking rugby that ultimately bettered one of the most dangerous attacking sides in the northern hemisphere, so instilled a new confidence in their squad and supporters. There were many in the crowd new to Edinburgh and pro rugby, but can not be many who do not wish to return if encouraged.

Glasgow suffered the defeat most anticipated at the home of the Heineken Cup champions on Sunday, if in a more demoralising, awful manner than expected, but they have still started the season very well and, after a good win over Bath, remain in the frame for quarter-final qualification. The loss in recent years of Rory and Sean Lamont and Thom and Max Evans was all too clear in Glasgow’s struggles to unearth a finish when they did play well, and the availability of new Samoan wing David Lemi can not come soon enough.

Stuart Hogg is a terrific young talent, as is Duncan Weir, but, like Ruaridh Jackson before them, they are learning the game now at the coal-face without the same intense quality of preparation enjoyed by opponents in Ireland, Wales, England and France through the crucial development age of 15-19. But there is a foundation of promise being laid again in recent victories nailed by the pro players that Scottish rugby has to build on.

The reasons behind Ireland’s success are many in fairness – greater resource, financially and in rugby players, significantly – but if we return to the early to mid-1990s, the most striking difference is how they have grown from crowds of a few hundred often watching Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht lose to Scottish districts, to the near-18,000 that were at the RDS, or even the 9,100 at Connacht’s game with Toulouse at the weekend.

A key plank was the decision by the IRFU to take a chance on the provinces, when, like here, many clubs were screaming to ignore them and instead fund traditional clubs. Ulster’s crowd for their Heineken Cup game with Glasgow at Ravenhill in 1997-98 was 2,100 – 200 people fewer than Caledonia attracted to McDiarmid Park the same weekend for their game with Llanelli – with many rugby people in Ireland defiantly staying away.

Munster’s first match the year before brought only 1,500 souls into Musgrave Park while Leinster played to just over 3,000, and remember the Irish provinces entered Europe first in 1995-96, when the Heineken Cup launched with Irish, Welsh and French sides. The RFU and SRU had been so shaken by the game turning professional in 1995 that they declined to compete. Yet, around 15,000 supporters in total watched the Borders (approx 5,000), Caledonia (3,000), Edinburgh (3,000) and Glasgow (3,000) in their opening home European matches when they did enter in 1996-97, a season when the likes of Melrose, Watsonians and Hawick were still regularly attracting crowds of 3,000.

Leinster reached the semi-finals in 1996, but that was a mini-tournament, and the real breakthrough for Irish rugby came in 1998-99 when Ulster claimed a last-ditch win against Edinburgh at Myreside to pip Edinburgh to a quarter-final place and went on to win the tournament with all knockout ties in Ireland. That was almost a wholly native Ulster squad, but the response from the Irish RFU was to throw their full weight behind and invest in the provinces. Munster reached the final the next year, so momentum built in Cork and Limerick. It was expensive, even in a Tiger Economy, and they tried to shut down Connacht, but back-tracked when Galway people marched in the streets, and now benefit, even from half-funding Connacht, in retaining rugby interest and a development route in the west of Ireland.

In Scotland, the SRU panicked at the rising figures and, in 1998, merged four well-known and well-supported districts into two that nobody knew, far less loved. They had less money, but, more damagingly, were bereft of ambition, marketing nous and understanding of how to make districts work alongside clubs, and, with no local identity or affinity established, were closed by new bean-counters in 2007 to no street protests.

When Edinburgh reached the Heineken Cup quarter-finals in 2004, there was no drive to follow Ireland’s lead and improve marketing, invest in the squad or stadia, but a meltdown and civil war within Scottish rugby that instead brought finance chiefs in to stem losses, but with little grasp of how to improve the game.

When Glasgow made their breakthrough of sorts in finishing third in the Magners League in 2010, the response was to cut the team’s budget, thwart ambition from Glasgow staff and encourage high-earning players to leave.

Money is scare, granted, but this is not all about money, rather building on success, however small. Scottish rugby has an opportunity again in 2011 with a total attendance approaching 10,000 in the Heineken Cup home games, including hundreds of people who like the idea of watching and being associated with pro rugby in Scotland but rarely attend games.

Hope springs from a new leadership that sounds like it understands the errors of the past 15 years. There is also a sense that clubs are beginning to grasp the benefits to all of backing pro rugby and helping Scottish rugby’s middle tier to succeed. Irish rugby is not without its flaws but it used small steps by its provinces to build a path out of the doldrums of its worst decade of international results, and Scotland could do the same with a new blend of SRU investment and club support.

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bigrugbyfan

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 07:10 PM

Different times now and clubs must be the way forward to ensure survival of the game. Districts were only strong because clubs were strong not the other way about. We don't have time to waste on what has happened, the organisation needs sorting and reorganising. Getting the clubs and the pro sides as close as possible is the priority. Scotland team will take care of itself if this is working.Oh and let's develop and promote our coaching talent clearout needed to let others in.

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THE SILVER CROC

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 12:25 PM

More blotting paper material from the occasionally stumbling Mr Ferguson. He might have saved space by writing the following........... Fact is the SRU threw Scottish rugby's babies out with the murky bathwater of committee politics, noses in the trough and incredibly poor management (by the old GC) when they disbanded the original four District sides with their traditional enduring connections to the clubs they represented.

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MrJaffa

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 11:30 AM

Why are the Scottish press not in uproar about the level of highlights available for the Edinburgh game? This is their chance to big up pro rugby to the highest level and what do we get? 1 try and about 20 seconds of highlights from what people have described as the 'best game of rugby they will ever see'.

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MrJaffa

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 11:28 AM

#2 - An excellent point. Whilst the SRU have been badly at fault for the running of the professional game on a number of levels, the press in this country have also been an embarrassment and contributed to the lack of support for the pro-teams. When they were talking of shutting the Borders down what did the press do? Were they up in arms? Calling for protest marches? or did they perhaps quote numberous club representatives saying 'this shows it should be the clubs'.? ........................ Scottish rugby has been badly let down by the SRU AND the Press and this article alone does not get close to redressing the failures of the press in the past.......................................It still galls me that every time I pick up the Scotsman or Scotland on Sunday I have to search for the small article on the Edinburgh Glasgow games in amongst the large articles with pictures on the Ayr or Melrose result........... I am interested in reading about club rugby but as a supporter of Scottish rugby for over 30 years my priorities (and I believe there are 10's of thousands out there with the same viewpoint) is that I want to hear about SCOTLAND.....then EDINBURGH (or Glasgow).......then CLUBS.........but hey....why should the press cater for me......its not as if I buy their papers....read their articles advertisements..............................mind you... maybe I am being harsh......Scotsman and Press in same breath? hmmmmm perhaps not

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Dissillusioned Supporter!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 09:49 AM

Pending Moderation

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Mole5000

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 09:42 AM

Hmmm, funny that this potted history glosses over the Scotsman's 2-3 year campaign to get the Districts disbanded at the start of professionalism.

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Turbrech

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 07:16 AM

Nothing to do with a good atricle. This is just a minor whinge from an Edinburgh season ticket holder. My son and I (both season ticket holders) watched Friday's game from the wrong touchline (if I remember 3 tries at 1 end 8 at the other). Although there was plenty of space in season ticket areas wwe made the mistake of bringing 3 friends who couldn't sit there so to sit with them we had to journey south. Minor point but isn't there a way to avoid penalising season ticket holders who persuade others to come and watch?

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