PERSISTENT suggestions that Scotland might have to cut its professional rugby tier to two teams have been rejected by the governing body which has committed itself to maintaining the three sides it supports at the moment. The verdict counts as a reprieve for the Borders team, which is the smallest, newest and worst supported of the sides and therefore the most vulnerable.
The decision taken yesterday by the new executive board does, however, represent a change in direction in two respects: first, effectively ending the commitment to expand to a fourth team either in Caledonia or London when the money is available and, secondly, effectively ending the previous executive’s refusal to move the professional teams to wherever the funding would support them.
The financial side is the biggest headache for the Scottish Rugby Union, which has also committed itself to continuing to spend on the community level of the game. Mike Keohane, the corporate affairs director, said the teams had to be properly funded so that they could be competitive in the Celtic League and European competitions.
“The thinking is that if the international team is to be successful, these side have to be the foundation of that success and we have to fund them accordingly,” Keohane said. “The challenge for us now is to find ways to bring in extra money through sponsorship, government, the lottery, franchises or wherever else it might be available. At the same time we have to look carefully to see where money might be saved so that we can spend what we have on improving the performances of the teams. There is no point in doing this unless we are going to do it properly.”
The understanding is that the three teams will have a combined budget of between £8 million and £8.5 million for next season, which is not significantly more than is being spent on them at the moment. However, there is a strong feeling that administrative and other costs can be cut so that more is available to strengthen the playing squads. The overall cost will still be well down on last season when the total budget was £9.75 million.
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“Our our three professional teams are central to the development of Scotland’s international teams,” Fred McLeod, the interim chairman and chief executive, said. “To that end, we must demonstrate a clear commitment to our professional tier.”