Top academy talent to play Premier One rugby this season

A NEW DRIVE to improve Scottish club rugby will see the country's best young academy talent more embedded in the country's top 12 clubs and Andy Robinson's international management working with their coaches.

The successful bid by clubs and the SRU to introduce a split to the club season, which brings a new pool system into play after the first 11 games, has brought the release of 16 academy players linked with Edinburgh and Glasgow for that first tranche of the league programme. It is part of an agreement worked out through regular meetings last season between the Premier One coaches and Graham Lowe, the SRU's performance director, and Colin Thomson, the union's head of community rugby.

Ian Rankin, the former Edinburgh and Scotland A coach, now the rugby director at Dundee HSFP, believes the move will prove significant to club efforts to improve the quality and appeal of the club game. He also insists that it will enhance Scottish rugby's efforts to widen the net of players able to play professional and international rugby.

He said: "We had academy players involved at times last season, but they tended to be released on a Thursday night and sometimes had been beasted in training during the day and so weren't fit to train. That meant you couldn't bond them with the team or even be sure they'd be there, so many were standing idle on Saturdays, which was a total waste of talent.

"There is a lot more joined-up thinking now and the players will come to us on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and, barring injuries, be available for those first 11 games which means they will feel a much bigger part of the club and our clubs will benefit.

"It's been frustrating for everyone watching some of Scotland's best young players almost disappearing for a couple of years, sometimes for good, after being picked up by the academy or pro teams but not used.

"I know the guys need to work on their strength and conditioning, and become bigger, but they also need to play. That should happen a lot more for them now and I think the benefits for the players, the clubs and the pro teams will be significant."

Further evidence of the ‘joined-up thinking' comes this weekend as all the Premier One coaches head to Inverleith for a pre-season conference with Robinson, Scotland's head coach, and his assistants Graham Steadman, Gregor Townsend, Massimo Cuttitta, Steve Scott, Duncan Hodge and Niall Potts, the fitness coach.

Rankin said: "Andy has been very pro-active in communicating with clubs and what I like particularly, which goes back to what we're saying about the academy links, is that he encourages the belief that players can come through late.

"Many of us that have been involved in rugby for more years that we'd care to remember have seen players missed in their teens who then emerge, and we have to be able to develop them at a later stage, and not shut the door on them.

"I remember watching Kevin Utterson come to Edinburgh from the Borders after the merger and then go on to make his debut for Scotland when he was 26.

"We signed up James Fleming from Perthshire this time last year and he had not played any representative rugby at all, but was scoring tries for fun in the lower leagues.

"He came here and continued, scoring some tries that very few others could have managed, and he went on and played for the Scotland club side and now has a part-time contract with Glasgow. He's only 21, but he has come through and fully deserves the recognition he is now getting.

"The key to it all is having a good-quality club game and that is coming. Simon Webster came and played for us last season as he was coming back from injury and he was very surprised at the physicality of Premier One.

"Rob [Moffat] and Sean [Lineen] have always been very supportive and are regularly at games and in touch with club coaches asking who's coming through, which has helped communications.

"That is very important, but we also have to do our bit to improve as clubs and teams. "

He added: "To me it's all about ambition. We need to keep doors open for all of our players, whether it's to be professionals, to play for Scotland and grow the depth of talent Andy Robinson can choose from, or to win the league title or play for the Scotland club team.

"That helps to push the quality and the drive, and makes for exciting club rugby."