McGeechan open to change

Scotland’s new director of rugby Ian McGeechan maintains he has an “open mind” as the sport prepares for one of its biggest-ever shake-ups.

The Scottish Rugby Union have been accused of failing to adapt to the onset of professionalism and criticised for relying on its three ‘super-teams’ - Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Borders – to the detriment of the club game in recent years.

Genesis, the leading strategic management consultants who undertook similar initiatives for the Irish Rugby Union and the Football Association of Ireland, have been brought in by the SRU to liaise with the grassroots of the game, a process which includes an open day at Murrayfield on February 8.

With new coach Matt Williams introducing a whole host of changes at international level, including the controversial move to only pick players playing their rugby in Scotland, McGeechan admitted that – after a disappointing World Cup – the game now has a chance to work towards a better future.

“We have an opportunity to look at things and change things,” reflected McGeechan.

“Genesis are involved and they will be looking at how the game is viewed.

“What it needs is an open mind. If anybody in the system wants things 100% their way then it won’t work. I have got an open mind, I am not coming from anywhere in particular.

“If we are of a mind, right the way through our game, where we say ‘our game is at a point where it needs to change in how it is structured, viewed and presented’ then it will come out a much stronger sport.

“It is about the Scotland team having the best opportunity of performing in a very, very intense, competitive environment.”

McGeechan and his predecessor as director of rugby, Jim Telfer, have long been fans of rugby in New Zealand.

And McGeechan again drew on the way the sport has had to evolve in the southern hemisphere country with the onset of professionalism.

He added: “New Zealand in many ways, geographically and economically, is in very similar circumstances.

“Like New Zealand we are on the periphery. We have to travel and that is why often you have innovation and not being afraid of it.

“I think it is one of the strengths Scots have, is that we are prepared to innovate and change – and never more so than now.

“We have accepted that professionalism has to be part of our game. But our structure starts from an amateur base.

“If we don’t have those links strong, then we’ll never make rugby the best sport it can be in Scotland.”

In a wide-ranging discussion of the way forward for rugby in Scotland, McGeechan also touched on proposals to implement multi-sport leagues for young rugby players during winter months, a possible end-of-season play-off between the top club sides in Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and ways of strengthening the sport at school and University level.