Schools rugby: SRU upbeat despite cup withdrawals

THE Scottish Rugby Union says that the Scottish Schools Cup is continuing to grow despite a number of withdrawals from the opening round of the competition.

In the Brewin Dolphin under-18s Cup, a total of 16 schools pulled out of the preliminary round earlier this month, while three schools withdrew from the new under-16s cup. However, the SRU stated that 13 of the senior teams and all three of the junior sides had dropped into subsidiary competitions launched this season to create more games for schools who believed their 1st XVs not to be strong enough, or unlikely to benefit, from facing the country's strongest schools.

The remaining three under-18s withdrawals, Galashiels Academy, Selkirk High School and Hamilton College, do have real concerns over a lack of players. This is the first year since the cup was launched in 1983-84 that Galashiels Academy, five-times winners, are not involved and Bill Noble, head of PE, said he is concerned about a fall of rugby players in the Borders town.

"The decision to withdraw was not taken lightly because the Scottish Schools Cup has always been a special competition for the school," he said. "But we simply didn't have enough players, particularly front-row players. There are fewer people playing rugby in the school than there used to be. We are having a meeting with clubs in the town this week to discuss the issue and will be meeting with youngsters to try to find out if this is a widespread problem or trend. It may be a sign of the times, but we're concerned about what the lack of players might mean for the future of rugby in Galashiels."

According to a recent report, football is now a more popular participation sport than rugby in the Borders. Another nationwide factor in player shortage is the new 'Are You Ready to Play Rugby' safety policy written by orthopaedic surgeons and launched by the SRU where front rows aged under 16 can no longer play for under-18 teams. Other players can, but only if they pass strength tests that show they are mature enough.

Boroughmuir High School, who also involve players from James Gillespie's, St Thomas' and Firhill, cited that policy as a reason behind their cup exit. Rugby co-ordinator George Watson also stated that, despite not being among the SRU's three full withdrawals, they had not shifted to a lower competition. "We were due to play up at Buckhaven," he explained, "but we couldn't get a team together and so had to withdraw. We have a number of under-16s who are good enough to play for the 1st XV, but they have not been through the strength tests and we don't know when they can do them.We have cancelled our 1st XV fixtures for the foreseeable future because we have problems with the strength of our squad."

Citing the rise in playing numbers of 14,000 in the past three years, the SRU stated that the competitions were growing and that they expected withdrawals after the summer as schools determined the strength of their 1st XVs, knowing that they could drop into lower-tiered events.

The SRU spokesman stated: "We're delighted by the continued progress of the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Schools' Cup which sees more teams and young players taking part every season. The number of schools regularly playing the game has risen from 184 in 2008 to over 240 in 2010 and, while it's disappointing that three schools have withdrawn from the competition, there are still 11 more teams taking part in a competition that features 224 teams."