Rugby: Clubs are raising the bar

As one former internationalist put it: "This has been the season where rugby in Scotland finally went professional in the fullest sense because clubs are finally being encouraged to raise the bar every time they take the field as opposed to being little more than tolerated by Murrayfield authorities."

The same individual cited the crowd of 2000 which watched Currie against Ayr and the fact a touring Japanese A side will shortly visit Malleny Park for a fixture which enhances the status of the Scottish Hydro-backed Premiership as reasons underlying his upbeat assessment.

It gets better: Iain Storrar, Head of Business at Edinburgh Audi, who sponsor Melrose rugby club, says: "We are very, very happy with our involvement and the fact we are 99 per cent down the road of doing another deal after dipping our toe in the water for a year says it all really.

"Our sponsorship took us into a territory that was quite hard to penetrate in a good working atmosphere and, although it is always better being associated with success (Melrose finished third in the Premiership and reached the Cup Final) the overall profile was good for anybody wanting to get exposure."

SRU President Jim Stevenson has covered thousands of miles attending fixtures over his two-year tenure and, while he stops short of endorsing the Premiership as totally within the performance-end of rugby, a clear signalling of the new 'hands-off' stance adopted by Murrayfield in leaving the top clubs to conduct their own affairs is evident in his attitude to player payments.

"Each to their own and if clubs want to pay players, fine. In saying that, how do you put a price on the contribution by volunteers without whom rugby in Scotland would struggle?" says the hard-working Stevenson.

In other words, balances need to be struck especially when it comes to attracting – and retaining – players from overseas and youth development.

According to Ian Barnes, retiring Premier Division One delegate, there are some outstanding examples of this.

"Currie have got it right and at Ayr they bring in 15-16,000 every home game through intelligent marketing, albeit in a fairly affluent town, said Barnes, pictured below.

"Stirling, too, will get promotion next season with a solid structure behind them and Hawick punch above their weight in financial terms."

Both the last two named clubs will be back in the top flight next season when, although Barnes wouldn't go into specifics in being bound by a confidentiality code as a Scottish Rugby Council member, the Evening News revealed last month that two leagues of 12 teams will be created to play each other once. Then, the top eight will break off into an elite division with the next four facing the leading four from second division. The remaining eight teams would make up the final group with a total of 18 games determining champions and three other teams to compete in the British and Irish Cup. This, say both Barnes and Stevenson, has been a major breakthrough.

Barnes goes further, insisting: "The introduction of the B&I Cup is what has established Premier Division One in the performance (as opposed to community) game.

"A glass ceiling has been removed and it is my belief that Graham Lowe (the SRU's new performance director from New Zealand who is preparing a report) accepts that.

"With an annual turnover of 3 million compared to an SRU turnover of 30 million, the clubs have a big role to play albeit this income is from varied areas such as sponsorships, bar revenue and gate receipts and their anomalies that the figure includes Melrose Sevens.

"A line in the sand has been drawn between clubs with different criteria and ambitions.

"There is now an acceptance that Premiership, national and regional league outfits look after their own business although a gangway remains for those, like Lasswade, who are trying to climb."

Against this background of Premiership acceptability, major changes have been negotiated, none more important, surely, than an agreement that national academy players will be available for all domestic league matches in 2010-11.

This was hinted at in the Evening News recently by Marcus Di Rollo, the new Watsonians coach and one of a number of ex-internationalists attracted back to the Premiership.

Confirmation is provided by Barnes at the end of a campaign in which his Edinburgh Accies outfit were relegated while the likes of Lewis Niven, Tom Brown, David Denton and Alex Blair were regularly unavailable due to training with representative squads. The fact their successors at age-group level – Currie had four members of the Scotland under-20 squad including hooker Alun Walker, who was my player of the Premiership season – will all be around in 2010-11 can only make the Premiership even more competitive.

Already it is possible to hear players and fans alike licking their lips in anticipation.

Roy Comfort, chairman of the Forum of Scottish Rugby Supporters, says: "It was a cracking season with a lot of excellent games that really showcased the best of Scottish rugby. The fact six teams were still in contention for the championship just weeks from the finish testified to the high standard of rugby being played.

"As for player development, cross-border competition – in the shape of the club internationals and the B&I Cup – helped take the playing, fitness and conditioning to new levels and to provide a better platform from which to close the gap with the professional teams.

"In the continued absence of a third pro team, if the B&I Cup turns into a Magners League Division Two that would be no bad thing at all for Scottish rugby."

Former Watsonians coach Bruce Aitchison would like to see a smaller league feeding into a district competition along the lines of New Zealand's NPC but was responsible for giving exciting young talents its head in 2009-10.

"A mini Scottish NPC could be achieved by merging Currie, Boroughmuir and Watsonians for part of the season to represent Edinburgh South and letting Stewart's Melville, Heriot's and Edinburgh Accies form Edinburgh North. Extra space in the calendar could be found by removing the Cup which wasn't what it once was.

"Regarding the season past, Premier Division One still had a bit of an identity problem in knowing exactly what was expected of it but there were plenty of successful aspects."

These included Jamie Forbes, a precocious talent at Watsonians of whom Garry Scott, at 47 the oldest player in the Premiership, says: "The talent is out there, though, and it has been a pleasure to be part of a team that has seen Jamie Forbes come out of school rugby and perform well while two other young stand-offs, Matthew Scott of Currie and Melrose's Scott Wight, have really impressed.

"These lads have no fear and it has been great to witness from close up.

"The gulf compared to the Magners League remains massive based on friendlies conducted against Edinburgh, as well as Newcastle.

"I haven't see the Premiership advance too much in terms of physicality but it gets increasingly better on the technical element.

"Players are speaking about the game much more and gaps in defences are harder to find even for some of these youngsters fresh out of school with no fear."

And on the subject of schools, Ian Barnes is emphatic they offer strong evidence that rugby continues to have much to offer.

"Things polarised a bit last season with community-based clubs like Currie, Ayr, Melrose, Stirling, Hawick, Gala, Melrose, Biggar and Lasswade doing well, but the schools will adapt. In fact, an increasing number of schools are recognising professional rugby as a worthwhile career in its own right and parents are reacting by trying to place their children in a way that gives them the best chance of making the grade if the basic talent is there.

"That is another reason why I am optimistic about the future as well as the strides that have been taken in making the Premiership better and stronger."

Meanwhile, freed of responsibilities at Premier Division One level – he was replaced as Accies coach by Simon Cross, following relegation – many see Ian Barnes as excellent SRU Presidential material in the making and possibly after incumbent Ian McLauchlan completes his term?

"Absolutely no chance. The last thing on my mind," was Barnes' response when the suggestion was put to him.

Stranger things have happened, though, and, after the effort he put in to shape arguably the best Scottish club Premiership of the pro era, surely it would be fitting reward?