Battle brewing at SRU over moves to reconstruct leagues

THE boardroom fireworks may have subsided at Murrayfield with the departure of chief executive Gordon McKie but there is another battle brewing for Saturday's annual general meeting of the SRU.

It surrounds the plan for league reconstruction, with the SRU having adopted a proposal developed through consultation over the past year by a working party to primarily cut the leagues from 12 to ten teams and ease congestion and regionalise league rugby eventually below the top 20 clubs.

It stemmed from a motion put forward at last year's agm calling for a new regionalised structure below two fully national leagues. That failed to hold sway, the SRU actually encouraging many clubs to vote against it claiming that it lacked sufficient thought and consultation. It came, however, with the promise that the SRU would pursue it this year and try to gain wider support.

They have done that and made a few tweaks and the scene seemed set for a radical new change to be rubber-stamped this weekend, one that would see a shift from six nationwide divisions of 12 teams (three 'Premier' and three 'National') to four (three 'Premier' and one 'National') in season 2011-12 and then a further cut to two national divisions of ten teams (Premier and National) in 2012-13, with East and West divisions, also of ten teams each, below and then a fully regionalised set-up of ten-team leagues.

However, Perthshire RFC have tabled an amendment calling for a halt after the first change, insisting that four national leagues must remain, and all bar Premier One remain as 12-team divisions. The amendment is said to be backed by 29 clubs.

Bob Falconer, Perthshire RFC president, said: "The amendment is principally to ensure that there is competitive rugby for teams that want competitive rugby; it's as simple as that.

"The proposal for year two is supposed to be about cutting travel costs yet Perthshire would be put in a west coast league because apparently we fall on the west side of the line drawn down the land by the SRU.

"How could anyone suggest Perthshire, 22 miles from the east coast, should play with Ardrossan, Irvine and Dumfries, is just ridiculous. We are well supported because while there are a number of clubs that don't want to be playing a high standard of rugby, and play as locally as they can, there are many like us who do want to be playing at as high a standard as possible and going to regionalised leagues won't allow that. Instead, we'll be in leagues where there is a significant gap between the bottom and top clubs."

Stirling County, newly promoted back to Premier One, were among the supporters of the amendment, but their club president Ray Mountford told The Scotsman that they had withdrawn support for it and would be backing the motion as it stands.He said: "We thought the motion itself was fine because we do feel we need the pyramid structure and don't have time for 12-team leagues, but we understood that Premier Two and Three and National one want 12-team leagues then fine. Who are we to say they can't. So we supported the amendment, but then when you look at the implications in the cup with 12-team leagues and ten-team leagues, we actually withdrew our support for the amendment."

Ian McLauchlan, the SRU president, yesterday issued a statement backing the motion and insisting the amendment if passed could threaten the whole reconstruction process as it would stop the move to 12-team leagues at some levels but leave it at others, so vetoing plans for a regional cup, shield and bowl system.

"The amendment seeks to retain the status quo for Premier Two, premier Three and National Division One at the start of season 2012-13, but this would have a huge impact on all of Scottish rugby.

"It would slow down promotion and relegation … cut across the universally popular concept of regional cup, shield and bowl competitions … make the season a month longer for everyone … (and] leave Scottish rugby as the last major union to switch from a linear league structure."

McLauchlan added: "We are confident that the proposal … not only meets the needs of the vast majority of clubs, but will move the whole game forward in some very important respects. It is important for the future of Scottish rugby that all clubs attend the agm and cast their vote."