Rugby Union: Scotland rugby revamped

Scottish rugby chiefs have revealed a major revamp to the sport’s professional structure.

Glasgow Caledonians and Edinburgh Reivers were officially relaunched in their fresh guises as Glasgow Rugby and Edinburgh Rugby and will compete under their new banners in the Heineken European Cup and Celtic League competitions.

SRU marketing supremo Phil Anderton said: ‘‘Previously, we had the pro teams operating in an amateur environment.

‘‘We wanted to find out why 150,000 people wanted to watch last season’s autumn internationals, yet only 1500 fans were turning up to see the Reds and Reivers.

‘‘It became clear that the supporters couldn’t relate to the teams and found the whole set-up contrived and confusing. They didn’t know who was playing where and in what competition so we had to change the situation.

‘‘In planning this initiative we had three main goals. Firstly to drive up attendances to give the players the audience they deserve. Secondly, to work as closely as possible with the amateur club game and thirdly, to assist our professional sides to become a force in the highly competitive leagues and cups in which they play.’’