Rugby Sevens: All Blacks and host Glasgow rise to occasion

NEW Zealand moved a step closer to an incredible tenth World Sevens Series crown with victory in the inaugural Emirates Airlines Glasgow Sevens, and Colin Gregor’s Scotland left Scotstoun with nothing last night.

So, little change there then. But this noisy and colourful tournament of 16 nations from Portugal to Kenya and the US to Russia, which ended with the Kiwis beating England to claim a 44th cup win, in a new all-enclosed 15,000-seat arena in the west end of Glasgow, was always going to be about far more than one sevens tournament.

The more far-reaching interest lies in whether this significant move by the SRU, in tandem with national and local government help, will awaken Scottish rugby’s true sleeping giant.

The Borders remains the home of sevens, and no matter how the clubs are battered about by continually changing league structures, they survive. Edinburgh’s independent schools remain at the core of rugby in the capital with clubs such as Currie and Boroughmuir also driving interest. In the Caledonia district, the work goes on in Stirling, Dundee and Aberdeen, as well as Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, Perth, Caithness and other clubs and towns to retain a good network.

But while we continue to witness a direct correlation between a lack of players and intensity in the development of Scotland’s best teenagers, relative to the world’s top ten nations, and the ensuing inability to execute skills under the most extreme pressure on the world stage, Scotland’s biggest population centre remains largely oblivious to the sport.

Until now perhaps. Glasgow Warriors’ efforts in reaching the Celtic League play-offs for a second time in three years is a significant step in the right direction, and their move to Scotstoun this summer is a driver to create a new rugby hub in the west of Scotland.

The sevens opened eyes to what Scotstoun could become when Glasgow move in, with stands at either end of the stadium and a touchline stand brought on to the running track on the far side. The SRU have bought smaller temporary stands for either end, but the move to Scotstoun was brokered on an agreement that they would not be employed permanently, to protect the running track.

So they will start with stands on each side of the pitch, behind the running track, albeit with terracing all round the pitch as Edinburgh now do at Murrayfield. But with a run already on season tickets for next season – seating in the 3,500-seater main stand will be reserved – the end stands may be needed if crowds like Saturday night’s of 5,000-plus were to pitch up regularly.

The Scotland players trooped off the pitch with heads bowed yesterday after losing in the Bowl semi-final to Spain, and coach Graham Shiel spoke afterwards of how fine the line had been between beating Wales and South Africa on Saturday and ending up turfed out of the Bowl by one of the sevens world’s developing nations.

There will be many sceptics who wonder why the SRU invest a six figure sum in sevens rugby at all when Scotland sit tenth in the world, two places above the XVs squad admittedly.

The presence of the Glasgow Warriors squad, however, who took a bow for their play-off achievement, only underlined the difficulty Shiel faces without access to around 70 of the country’s leading players.

Scotland has just over 80 professional players, while England have more than 600, and the cup winners New Zealand are much nearer England’s than Scotland’s tally. Shiel is creating pros rather than picking from them. England have 130,000 adult rugby players and Scotland 13,000. New Zealand have around 30,000. So, while there has to be a demand on Shiel and Gregor and their squads to improve their form, the real success of the move to Glasgow will be in whether it can change the picture of rugby growth in Scotland. Will it spark fresh interest in rugby in the west of Scotland, deepen the pool of rugby players in the country and enhance the levels of competition, whilst using sevens to create more skilful players?

With only two pro teams and 20 more players being shown the door this season, many of whom have had little opportunity to prove whether they could become Test-class – and another handful of non-Scottish qualified players coming in – the sevens does serve a purpose in keeping Scottish talent in the game, and exposing them to international standards, while they push for a chance to improve competition for spots at Glasgow and Edinburgh.

It was impossible not to delight yesterday in the speed, power and skills of the likes of Samoa, South Africa, New Zealand, the Fijians and England, with Scotland having their flashes of brilliance too, and it combined with an intense entertainment package to produce a great sporting carnival that many will have experienced for the first time.

Add in the rise in support for Glasgow Warriors, the drive to make Scotstoun the new hub for various levels of rugby from next season and the new investment in facilities and community rugby by the SRU, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Life, Sportscotland, RBS and other sponsors, and there are reasons for optimism.

They may all be looking to inspire interest in Glasgow to help fill 50,000 seats at Ibrox when the Commonwealth Games rolls into town in just two years, but Scottish rugby would be the main beneficiary if the excitement for throwing rugby balls over the weekend grew in the months to come.

For Scottish rugby to improve significantly, and seriously hope for a return among the top six nations in world rugby, the oval ball has to become a more familiar presence in schools and neighbourhoods across Glasgow.

So, to that end, the pioneering work of the world sevens series, and the various community events across schools and clubs in the lead-up, has the potential to unearth a more real success in Scotland’s largest city than any sevens tie could.