Just few of the other players left at home this time out are: Ruaridh Jackson, Graeme Morrison, Hugo Southwell, Moray Low, Chris Fusaro, Ryan Wilson, Alex Dunbar and Johnnie Beattie. If the new guns – in the loosehead and centres particularly – bed in successfully, some of these guys may struggle to return come the autumn. Conversely the likes of Fusaro, Dunbar and Wilson should count themselves very unlucky not to be going.

The potential is there for a young exciting backline although there is plenty of familiarity and experience too. Whether Robinson would actually field a backline of Laidlaw, Weir, Visser, Scott, Ansbro, Brown, Hogg remains to be seen. We are more likely to see Evans or Lamont on the wing as Brown is the only fullback other than Hogg and Cusiter and Blair are both in the squad as scrum halves. Good to see Grove and Ansbro back in the mix alongside the young gun Scott. De Luca will no doubt prove a controversial selection as always.

This is of course Tim Visser’s first call up; Tom Brown, Tom Ryder, Ryan Grant and Rob Harley are also uncapped. The last four-named were among the Scotland A squad who put England Saxons to the sword 35-0 at Netherdale in February, while Visser, the 24-year-old Dutch born winger, will qualify for Scotland through the three-year residency rule on 12 June and will thus be available for selection for the Tests against Fiji and Samoa.

22-year-old Tom Brown, a product of North Berwick RFC and the Edinburgh Academy, who has also played club rugby for Currie, admitted: “It was a pretty tense day yesterday wondering if the call might come and when it did it was pretty overwhelming but I’m really looking forward to it.”

Welsh, Weir and Scott have a single cap each but this tour is a clear opportunity to earn a few more.

“One quarter of the squad has yet to start an international but we’ve seen from the manner in which Edinburgh and Glasgow have finished the domestic season that there’s confidence that we will be looking to build on” said coach Robinson at the announcement

Without further ado, here are the players due for a bruising down under:

Backs – Joe Ansbro (London Irish), Mike Blair, Tom Brown (both Edinburgh Rugby), Chris Cusiter (Glasgow Warriors), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh Rugby), Max Evans (Castres), Alex Grove (Worcester Warriors), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors), Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh Rugby), Sean Lamont (Scarlets), Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby), Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby) and Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors)

Forwards

John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors), Geoff Cross, Ross Ford (captain) (both Edinburgh Rugby), Ryan Grant, Richie Gray, Dougie Hall, Robert Harley, Alastair Kellock (all Glasgow Warriors), Scott Lawson (Gloucester), Euan Murray (Newcastle Falcons), Ross Rennie (Edinburgh Rugby), Tom Ryder (Glasgow Warriors), Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester), Richie Vernon (Sale Sharks) and Jon Welsh (Glasgow Warriors).

Unavailable through injury: Kelly Brown (Saracens), David Denton and Lee Jones (both Edinburgh Rugby)

Rested: Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh Rugby)

Management:

Head coach – Andy Robinson
Assistant coach – Scott Johnson
Specialist coaches – Massimo Cuttitta and Duncan Hodge
Fitness, strength and conditioning – Neill Potts and Huw Jones
Team manager – Gavin Scott
Team operations co-ordinator – Kirsty Mackay
Medical – Dr James Robson, Dr Jonathan Hanson, Paul McGinley and Stephen Mutch
Analyst – Ciaran Beattie
Media – Graham Law
Baggage master – John Pennycuick

Squad departs: Thursday 24 May

Matches:

Tuesday 5 June v Australia in Newcastle, NSW, kick-off 7.30pm local (10.30am BST)
Saturday 16 June v Fiji in Lautoka, kick-off 2pm local time (3am BST)
Saturday 23 June v Samoa in Apia, kick-off 3.30pm local time (3.30am BST).

The trial, approved by the IRB Council at its Annual Meeting in Dublin on Tuesday, will commence at the start of the next season in each hemisphere (August 2012 in the north and January 2013 in the south) and will be applicable to both international and domestic competition.

Aspects of Law approved for trial include limiting the time that the ball is available at the back of a ruck and the positioning of taking a quick throw-in. In addition to the suite of five Laws approved for global trial, three additional trials will operate during 2012.

A trial extension of the jurisdiction of the Television Match Official will be introduced later this year (as has often been discussed on this site), while the number of nominated replacements in Test Rugby will be increased to eight for a trial in the November window.

The global trial has been sanctioned after an unprecedented evaluation process that kicked off with submissions and recommendations for 20 potential amendments from Member Unions and has culminated with recent trials of amendments to seven aspects of Law as a package at dedicated playing environments in Cambridge and Stellenbosch.

This evaluation process is in line with the remit of the Laws Amendment Process approved by the IRB Council in December 2009.

Unlike previous amendment processes, the process of selection, monitoring and evaluation has been steered by an independent Laws Representative Group, comprising technical representatives from each of the 10 Tier 1 Unions covering elite and community Rugby and representatives of the IRB Rugby Committee.

Extensive evaluation of the Cambridge and Stellenbosch University trials undertaken earlier this year determined that each of the seven amendments could have a positive effect on the Game or clarify existing areas of Law and therefore a recommendation was made to the IRB Council via the IRB Rugby Committee to approve a global trial of all seven amendments.

The five Law amendments to be trialled globally are:

1. Law 16.7 (Ruck): The ball has to be used within five seconds of it being made available at the back of a ruck following a warning from the referee to “use it”. Sanction – Scrum.

2. 19.2 (b) (Quick Throw-In) For a quick throw in, the player may be anywhere outside the field of play between the line of touch and the player’s goal line.

3. 19.4 (who throws in) When the ball goes into touch from a knock-on, the non-offending team will be offered the choice of a lineout at the point the ball crossed the touch line; or a scrum at the place of the knock-on. The non-offending team may exercise this option by taking a quick throw-in.

4. 21.4 Penalty and free kick options and requirements: Lineout alternative. A team awarded a penalty or a free kick at a lineout may choose a further lineout, they throw in. This is in addition to the scrum option.

5. A conversion kick must be completed within one minute 30 seconds from the time that a try has been awarded.

In addition to the global trials, the IRB Council approved three specific additional trials:

1. A trial to extend the jurisdiction of the TMO to incidents within the field of play that have led to the scoring of a try and foul play in the field of play to take place at an appropriate elite competition in order that a protocol can be developed for the November 2012 Tests.

2. A trial has been sanctioned for the November 2012 Test window permitting international teams to nominate up to eight replacements in the match day squad for Test matches. In line with current practice at domestic elite Rugby level, the additional player must be a qualified front row player.

3. An amendment to Law 3.4 (Sevens Variation) to enable Sevens teams to nominate up to five replacements/substitutes. Under the revision, which will operate from June 1 2012, a team may substitute or replace up to five players during a match. Approval has been granted on player welfare grounds to recognise the additional demands on players and squads owing to the expansion of the HSBC Sevens World Series where there are three blocks of three events on consecutive weekends.

None of these do anything to affect the area of the game that causes the most controversy at the moment: the scrum.

However the Council also approved the referral by the Laws Representative Group of one potential Law amendment (that was successfully trialled at Cambridge and Stellenbosch) for further consideration by the specialist Scrum Steering Group alongside the ongoing review of the scrum.

The amendment that will be considered by the Group relates to the engagement sequence and will see the referee call “crouch” then “touch”. The front rows crouch then touch and using outside arm each prop touches the point of the opposing prop’s outside shoulder. The props then withdraw their arms. The referee will then call “set” when the front rows are ready. The front rows may then set the scrum.

“We have a collective responsibility to ensure that the Game is as enjoyable to play, officiate and watch as possible at every level while player welfare is of paramount importance,” said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

“Rugby is currently in good health with participation growing around the world, but there is collective responsibility to ensure that a structured process can be implemented to allow for global analysis and to monitor trends relating to the shape and character of the Game as it evolves.”

“The approval of five aspects of Law for global trial is the culmination of the Laws Amendment Process which was agreed by the IRB Council in 2009. The journey to this point has been exhaustive and collaborative and has involved full stakeholder consultation and I would like to thank Member Unions for their buy-in and commitment to the process from the outset.”

“The Laws Representative Group were encouraged by the outcomes of the initial trials in Cambridge and Stellenbosch. The next step is a global trial with full buy-in and which has been approved by Council on the basis that the amendments can have a positive effect on the playing of the Game.”

“The global trials are not fait accompli. It is essential at the end of the global trial process that decisions made are in the best interest of Rugby worldwide,” added Lapasset.

The EMC Tests will see Scotland face New Zealand, South Africa and Tonga in (depending on the summer tour) a series of matches that could make or break Robinson’s reign at Murrayfield. More dismal results in an arena televised by the BBC (as opposed to 3am in Samoa when only sad cases like us will be paying attention) will only increase the public pressure.

Conversely, good results against Australia and South Africa have been counted in Robinson’s Plus column in recent years when the Six Nations has shown little cheer. I would say that the summer tour and the autumn will be Robinson’s chance to show what his aims are with his new (own) coaching set-up. If they aren’t clear or successful, it could be time to make way…

The world’s number one ranked team, Rugby World Cup holders, conquerors of the universe, wearers of only one strip and lovers of silly dances (the All Blacks), will visit Murrayfield on Sunday 11 November with a 2.30pm kick-off.

The Springboks, ranked third in the world, who Scotland beat on their last tour in 2010, will take to the Murrayfield turf six days later (Saturday 17 November, kick-off 2.30pm)

The series will conclude against Tonga – the hard-hitting Pacific islanders who stunned France at last year’s Rugby World Cup – on Saturday 24 November with a 3pm kick-off. The venue for this one is still to be confirmed, though the match is likely to be played away from Murrayfield, so Pittodrie may once again be a likely candidate.

Scottish Rugby’s Chief Executive Mark Dodson said: “We are delighted to announce our fixtures for the EMC Tests and firmly believe that these games will excite the interest of our fans.

“We’re also very pleased that we have secured a two-year broadcast deal with the BBC which will ensure ongoing maximum exposure across their extensive broadcast platforms and that’s good news for Scottish Rugby and our partners.”

Barbara Slater, Director BBC Sport, said: “We’re delighted to be broadcasting Scottish Rugby’s autumn test matches though to 2013. This gives viewers further opportunities to enjoy live top flight rugby union on the BBC.”

Details of ticket prices will be announced shortly.

Robinson is likely to keep faith with the majority of the squad involved in this year’s Six Nations, with soon-to-be-qualified try machine Tim Visser certain to travel, and expected to be the only new face in the squad. Visser’s inclusion was always going to come at this stage given his club form, and he will probably replace injured Edinburgh team-mate Lee Jones.

Alasdair Strokosch will come back into contention after missing the latter half of the Six Nations, giving Robinson more options in the back-row, where Richie Vernon is also set for a recall as David Denton recovers from an ankle ligament injury.

Question marks have been raised over the form of veteran prop Allan Jacobsen in recent months, and for that reason, Jon Welsh is likely to travel following his impressive performances for Glasgow, and his international debut against Italy. There has been talk in some quarters of ‘Chunk’ being rested for the tour, so Ryan Grant may find himself on the plane.

One area where Robinson may be forced into experimenting, and bringing in a new face, is at lock. With Jim Hamilton suspended and Nathan Hines retired, Glasgow lock Tom Ryder would seem favourite to come into the squad, with Rob Harley’s versatility adding a fourth second-row option.

Behind the pack, Robinson is somewhat short on options, with Rory Lamont and Nikki Walker long-term injury absentees, and Visser not available for the first match against the Wallabies. Joe Ansbro‘s return to fitness and form is a timely boost, and he may well fill the number 12 jersey with Nick De Luca again outside him. Max Evans and Stuart Hogg would provide the other back-three options.

What of the likes of Hugo Southwell and Simon Taylor, though? The pair have been in form and it looks, on paper, a squad bereft of experience, especially behind the scrum. Southwell was awarded London Wasps’ Players Player of the Year, and could offer something different from or perhaps in tandem with the mercurial Hogg.

Whatever Robinson chooses to do, it is sure to be a tough examination of his coaching ability, and of his players, as they aim to put right the results that have seen Scotland plummet to 11^th in the world rankings.

To a certain extent those feelings would be justified – two missed penalties and a conversion would have been very handy indeed on the scoreboard – but Sean Lineen and the team should be incredibly proud of how they have bounced back from last year’s poor season. For a while there the West coast men were actually doing what Edinburgh failed to do – campaigning on two fronts. And while their Heineken Cup run ended at the pool stage and they narrowly missed out on an Amlin place, their league form continued.

Perhaps though there has been an over emphasis on defence this season and you imagine incoming coach Townsend might want to work more on unleashing the undoubted attacking talents that will be at his disposal, men such as Alex Dunbar, Stuart Hogg and DTH Van Der Merwe. Neither Weir or Jackson outshone the other yesterday although Weir has the edge over the course of the season. Cusiter was outstanding though, and again we were scratching our heads as to why line breaks or quick ball are not a problem in the dark blue of Glasgow but seem to vanish when he gets into the dark blue of Scotland.

Their defence has been in the top two of the league – Leinster is the other – and they are very hard to break down. This was illustrated starkly on Saturday when Dunbar was binned on behalf of the team for repeated ruck infringements, and yet Leinster only managed an extra 3 points during that spell when you might expected that have been their move for the throat of the match.

Not only that but in that spell just before half time they were camped on Glasgow’s line for nearly all of it, pushing for penalties, tries and penalty tries. Glasgow clung on, but there is a determination to their play that is not as manic as Edinburgh’s scramble defence. After withstanding the scrum storm, they turned the ball over and cleared. The RDS was a little shell shocked. At half time Leinster were only 9-3 up, and this was markedly different to the pool fixture in Europe, by which stage they were out of sight. What happened to the bonus point by 35 minutes lark?

Glasgow came out expecting a strong response but they were more than up to weathering a Leinster team beginning to tire and make errors at the end of what has been an intensive season. They also earned penalty chances, but Weir was unable to capitalise. Sexton on the other hand was more effective from the tee and Leinster’s lead kept creeping away. You never doubted Edinburgh’s ability to score late tries when they needed to, but Glasgow build their game on keeping the scorelines close and taking that one vital chance.

Ica Nacewa though proved that he was the arch-exponent of taking his chances though, cutting through the defence and sending Kearney (Dave) over for the score that was to prove decisive. Suddenly the kicks all added up and Glasgow needed at least 3 scores to get a win.

Al Kellock’s men don’t quit though and they did indeed score two tries in the last ten minutes including a Dougie Hall run-in at the corner and a skillful wee grubber from Jackson that Hogg pounced on. Glasgow believed they might still have a chance, but even both of the conversions (Jackson got one) wouldn’t have earned them a win.

Sadly the clock thought otherwise; they were already in the red. Game, and season over.

Nearly men, again. All this with a referee in George Clancy who at times seemed blind to Leinster’s indiscretions but keenly aware of many of Glasgow’s. However, the debate about both Clancy’s quality and the use of non-neutral (in terms of home union) referees is one for another time, as well as the one about whether teams that are perceived to be inferior (whether Italian, Irish, Scottish, Samoan etc) are refereed as such. I will say this: the referee could have done more to police Leinster – Cullen in particular made a thorough nuisance of himself when he came on – but he did not lose Glasgow the game.

Ahead of the semi-final against the reigning European champions, the Warriors coaching team have made five changes to the XV that claimed a 24-3 win over Connacht in the club’s last ever match at Firhill six days ago.

There is one switch in the backline, where Chris Cusiter replaces Henry Pyrgos at scrum-half. Everyone else retains their places with DTHVDM seemingly having lost none of his scoring instincts during a lengthy lay-off, and Stuart Hogg looking to go up against one of the form 15s in the world in Rob Kearney.

The other changes come in the front five, Ryan Grant, Pat MacArthur, and Mike Cusack forming an all-new front row and captain Al Kellock restored to the boiler house. This also means Glasgow have a very handy replacement front row sitting on an already strong bench.

Head coach Sean Lineen told www.glasgowwarriors.org: “We’ve picked 23 men who we firmly believe have it in them to achieve a special result for Glasgow Warriors.

“We’re expecting the intensity and pace of the game to be Test level, and that’s where the combined efforts of the starting XV and a strong bench can really come into their own.

“It’s especially the case for the six front row guys that they’ll all have a significant role to play, and we’re in the fortunate position of having half a dozen lads who are performing to a high level, never mind the likes of Gordon Reid, Finlay Gillies and Ed Kalman who have also shown up well.

“The players have trained really well all week – there’s an obvious hunger and determination there which stands us in good stead. We’re all well aware of just how tough a match this is going to be, but we’re focussing on ourselves and what we have to do to win.

“We’ve shown character, ability and tenacity to get ourselves into the semi-finals. The challenge now is to bring out those qualities in even bigger quantities to beat the best team in Europe.”

Glasgow Warriors are running a Fan Zone in Dublin for supporters attending Saturday’s RaboDirect PRO12 semi-final against Leinster at the RDS. The Fan Zone will be located at the Ballsbridge Hotel on Pembroke Road, around a 10 minute walk from the stadium (www.ballsbridgehotel.com).

For those unable to make the trip, there is a special screening of BBC ALBA’s live coverage at Waxy O’Connor’s on West George Street. Three big screens in the city centre bar will be showing the game, snacks will be available at half-time, and Warriors players will be in attendance to take in the action with you (Under-18s can attend the screening provided they are accompanied by an over-18).

It could be Glasgow’s last game of the season, but they have been cussedly difficult to beat all year and will hoping to cause a potentially cocky Leinster side problems again.

Glasgow Warriors Team: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Federico Aramburu, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Chris Cusiter; 1 Ryan Grant, 2 Pat MacArthur, 3 Mike Cusack, 4 Richie Gray, 5 Al Kellock (capt), 6 Rob Harley, 7 Chris Fusaro, 8 John Barclay
Replacements: 16 Dougie Hall, 17 Jon Welsh, 18 Moray Low, 19 Tom Ryder, 20 Henry Pyrgos, 21 Johnnie Beattie, 22 Ruaridh Jackson, 23 Peter Murchie

Saturday 12th May (k.o 7.35pm, Live TV Coverage on BBC Alba)

Jones, 23, who scored his first try for Scotland in the RBS 6 Nations Championship match against France in February, has a fractured right shoulder blade, while 22-year-old Denton, who made his debut off the bench in the EMC Test win against Ireland last August, has damage to his left ankle ligaments.

Scotland team doctor James Robson said: “Lee suffered the fracture in the Heineken Cup semi-final loss to Ulster last month.  Injuries of this nature typically resolve over the course of six to eight weeks, so he will not be available for the tour.

“David sustained the ankle injury in the final game of the league season against Treviso last weekend and subsequent scanning of the joint revealed damage to the ligaments. [He] will not require surgery but will now embark on a prolonged period of rehabilitation which will rule him out of the summer tour. His estimated return would be between eight to ten weeks.”

Hamilton was given a yellow card for punching London Irish hooker David Paice. Following what seemed to be a sneaky push on Paice during loose play there was some fisticuffs between the two, and the pair continued their antagonism on their respective paths to the bin with Paice doing a fair bit of yapping. Jim being the no-nonsense sort of character he is took umbrage, and the ensuing mass brawl (that saw the Big Stroker, Ansbro and Shingler mixing it up with the rest of them) left Dave Pearson no choice but to make the departures permanent.

(via Rugbydump)

Following a disciplinary hearing, both men have been banned for 7 weeks which means Jim won’t make the plane.

Finally, Scotland winger Simon Danielli is set to retire from rugby, as basically his body seems to have had enough. Danielli’s club Ulster has confirmed this afternoon that he has been forced to hang up his boots due to a back injury which has plagued the winger throughout this past season.

Danielli made a try-scoring full international debut for Scotland against Italy in 2003, ahead of that year’s Rugby World Cup. He went on to win 32 caps for Scotland, playing in two World Cups and scoring eight tries and he also played ten times for the Scotland A team including in their passage to the 2006 Churchill Cup Final in Canada. His last Scotland A game was the 35-0 victory over England Saxons at Netherdale in February 2012.

Speaking on the announcement of this news, Danielli said: “Representing Scotland has been the pinnacle of my career and I have so many great memories and friendships from these days, from all the amazing match day atmospheres at Murrayfield and the intensity that international rugby brings, to the fantastic tours I have been lucky enough to be a part of.”

The Scotland tour party for next month’s three Test tour will be announced next Wednesday (16th May).

With Jones and Danielli out, Robinson may consider Tom Brown as another small pacy back, but Joe Ansbro will also be back in the mix. A big loss during the Six Nations, Joe could potentially appear on the wing, although I’d rather see him in the centre. The absence of Jones almost guarantees that a certain T. Visser will be in the party too…

In the second row, Tom Ryder and Grant Gilchrist are probably the stand-out candidates to fill in (assuming he goes for 4 second rows) but Fraser Mackenzie could be another option if he has recovered from the injury that kept him out of the Six Nations, as could Tim Swinson of Newcastle/Glasgow. Mackenzie might be short of form though. Perhaps another option is using Harley in the second row.

Indeed that might be a way to get him or others on board as even without Denton (or Kelly Brown) there is still a terrific battle ahead for however many back-rowers Robinson opts to take. Similarly, picking Barclay as a 6 or 8 where he has played recently might be a way to get Fusaro into the squad while those slightly further up the pecking order are unavailable. And we know how well Fusaro does under those sorts of circumstances.

How about Strokosch / Harley, Fusaro / Rennie, Barclay / Ryan Wilson? And you’ve still got Richie Vernon, Johnnie Beattie and Roddy Grant to play about with too. Tough choices, especially given the pressure to see things turned around at international level after Edinburgh and Glasgow have returned the feelgood factor that the Six Nations shattered.

We’ll find out who has made the grade next week.

UPDATE: As Al says below, the Waratahs midweek match is off due to their Aussie squad commitments. Scotland team manager Gavin Scott said: “We have had confirmation from the Waratahs that due to injuries and the requirements of the Wallabies squad they would be unable to fulfil the fixture.

“We have looked into alternatives but, unfortunately, nothing else fits into our tour schedule.”

The Scotland playing party will now be 28-strong.

The tour dates are as follows:

Tuesday 5 June v Australia in Newcastle, NSW, kick-off 7.30pm local (10.30am BST)

Saturday 16 June v Fiji in Lautoka, kick-off 2pm local time (3am BST)

Saturday 23 June v Samoa in Apia, kick-off 3.30pm local time (3.30am BST).

Finding a suitable home for Edinburgh has been long overdue. Before settling at Murrayfield, Edinburgh’s peripatetic approach had seen games played throughout the capital, at Easter Road, Myreside, and Meadowbank, with moves to Sighthill, or an expanded Tynecastle also mooted at times. Such a track record is suggestive of a leadership unable to grasp the need to put down roots. A stadium is part of the brand, and an appropriate move for the team would be a statement of intent and an opportunity to build bridges with sports fans in the East.

That a new home is needed is plain. Murrayfield is far too big, and playing at the National Stadium undermines the individual identity of Edinburgh Rugby. Recent European games demonstrate that there has always been a serviceable appetite for pro rugby in the city, with supporters laying down a marker when Toulouse came to town, however it is also likely that many people turned up then because they knew they were guaranteed a good atmosphere. To grow as quickly as they should, Edinburgh need a smaller, more intimate venue that will allow an pulsating atmosphere to be regularly reproduced, and expected, at every home game.

Where that would be is now the question. All stadiums already mentioned are unsuitable in their current condition; Easter road and Tynecastle are arguably too big, with congested fixture lists, Myreside is too small. Meadowbank is dilapidated; however, this allows a rare opportunity to tailor any redesign to Edinburgh’s requirements.

With only one stand and a running track separating the stand from the pitch (and a general 1970s vibe) Meadowbank is not satisfactorily prepared. Potential is there, however, being not too far from pubs in Abbeyhill and adjacent to main roads. For Meadowbank to become suitable, it would need investment in hospitality and parking, a couple of new stands, and an overall capacity of around 10,000, reflecting current potential Demand for professional rugby. This should not be out of the question.

That the ground is central is also a plus point. Welsh clubs and Cardiff in particular have experienced declining crowd numbers, coinciding with a move from their traditional homes to impressively built out-of-town locations. It seems notable that the Dragons are opting to redevelop their existing ground at Rodney Parade. The three powerhouse Irish provinces have also committed to city centre locations, recognising that if the ground is relatively inaccessible, the club is too.

It is also important to get the funding right, something that Scottish Rugby has not always done – that central funds were not applied for during the redevelopment of Murrayfield in the mid-1990s is often highlighted as a big mistake. The most impressive venues in France have large council input, whilst the Department of Sport in Northern Ireland has recently invested £14.7 million in a new Ravenhill. This is enlightened, and recognises the role that rugby plays in the community and also the positive Economic benefits that an attractive, well-funded team may generate. Any new stadium should come with council backing.

That a well-known supermarket may be involved in the talks is not necessarily a bad thing, though. Most fans would prioritise above all a club that invests in the future. As long as there is a clear and credible stadium-plan that fits into the growth strategy of the club as a whole, it is unlikely that anyone will get too precious about naming rights, or land deals with private investors.

Other teams have made their moves a great success, moves which mostly came about due to perceived increased demand; Leinster’s crowd has grown from 3900 during the first Celtic League season to 12,500 season ticket holders alone today. This advancement was built around team success, retention of internationalists, good youth programmes, but also a stable structure. In 2007 Leinster signed a 20 year lease at the RDS, signalling commitment.

Many are tempted to dismiss stadium plans by saying that anything that happens will only occur two to three years down the line, but thinking from a long term point of view is essential for building success on the pitch. If Edinburgh Rugby is to be a serious proposition, then a move to something the fans can build into an intimidating fortress is needed. Everyone knows that Murrayfield is only a contingency venue – but could be a handy backup for big European games – and that the team and the fans need to occupy somewhere else they can call home.

Only once a decision is made can Edinburgh continue to maximise the momentum off the pitch that the team are building on it.

Article by Andrew Armstrong

3rd May

The final two legs of the IRB Sevens series and it is exciting to be playing at home in Glasgow followed by a short hop down to London. The series is on debut in Glasgow and it is fitting city for sevens. As sevens continues to grow as a sport it is only right that it comes to the centre of the universe.

Have I mentioned that I’m from Glasgow?

It has been impressive to watch Scotstoun stadium change from a 5,000 seat athletics venue to a 15,000 seat rugby stadium. The temporary stands are nice and close to the pitch and I have no doubt that the atmosphere will be special. With plenty of entertainment on the back pitch and around the leisure centre it promises to be a cracking weekend.

Undoubtedly the weekend would be made considerably more enjoyable by a strong Scottish performance. We have probably underachieved this season but we are working hard to correct that for this tournament. Although we are well supported across the globe the support we receive in Scotland is on another level. Coupled with the addition of Jim Thompson and John Houston to the squad we have an excellent opportunity to make it to the cup quarter-final. This isn’t a foregone conclusion. We have a tough group, comprising of Wales, South Africa and Russia. Having played these teams this season we know what to expect. We have run Wales and South Africa close but are yet to beat them. Let’s hope the Glasgow support can make all the difference.

Certainly training has gone well this week. Having met up on Sunday evening, we were all ready to take to the training field on Monday morning. It made a massive difference that we had no jet-lag to combat, no journey to run out of the legs. Jim Thompson had the exertions of a weekend with Edinburgh in the Heineken Cup Semi-Final to overcome. Otherwise we were ready to go. And Monday’s training was a reflection of this. John and Jim bring a great attitude to training and having been involved in sevens previously they were quickly up to speed.

7th May

Everything had been building well. We had taken on France in a training game and looked sharp. The civic reception at the city chambers had passed without too much boredom. Scott Hastings had kept his speech short – a delight for those in attendance. My fiancée had organised a Winning Scotland Foundation evening at her work. Four of us went to give our support. These evenings have potential to be tedious and drag on. But this was light-hearted and entertaining. There was even a gourmet chef practically force feeding us all sorts of wonderful food. Finally, we had negotiated an entire week in Glasgow without any rain. All the omens were good.

But the outcome was the same as previous tournaments. We were leading against Wales and South Africa with little time remaining. But we couldn’t close out either game. This was even harder to take as the support we received was incredible. We were desperate to give them all something to cheer. Day 1 finished with a convincing win over Russia. But we had wanted to compete in the cup quarter-final. And we had let two glorious opportunities slip through our fingertips.

The only acceptable outcome now was to win the bowl. Kenya were our first opponents. Somewhat of a bogey team we were easily the better side. But we made hard work of it. I have no doubt that the Glasgow support played a huge role in our victory. There was a passage of play in the middle of the second half that lasted for minutes without a stoppage. Minutes in sevens are like an eternity. Play swung from one end to another. Struan Dewar was close to scoring in the right-hand corner. But we conceded a penalty and Kenya hoofed it downfield. Michael Fedo broke and was yards away from the left corner. Again Kenya turned it over. Yet they couldn’t escape their own half and the ball was turned over. Scott Riddell looked up to pass to Andrew Turnbull but Turny was exhausted. We all were. But then the crowd cranked up their support and the noise energised us. Eventually Turny managed to score, what turned out to be the winning try. We definitely owed the support for that one.

Unfortunately we didn’t repay them in the semi final. Spain are a useful team but one that, when we play well, we should beat every time. For reasons I have yet to discover, we failed to perform.

At our home tournament, we were defeated by Spain. We hadn’t even made the bowl final.

We were gutted. We had let our fantastic support down. We wanted to win some silverware for them but we came up short. However it was important we showed how much we appreciated their support, so we undertook a lap of honour. I wanted to apologise to every fan. But they were all great. They thanked us for our efforts and kept smiling, determined not to let one poor performance taint the fun they had had all weekend.

And it looked like they were having great fun. I really enjoyed the fact that we were changing in the leisure centre – a short walk from the stadium at Scotstoun. This gave us an opportunity to mingle with supporters as we walked back from each game. Win or lose they were in fine spirit, asking for photos and autographs. This proved a good way to overcome the disappointment of losing, and to revel in the joy of a victory. Disappointingly it did not work as a suitable form of recovery. We still had to plunge in to the ice baths after each game. In fact, our new protocol involved ten minutes in the ice at the end of each day. We then had to return to the hotel before we could shower to let the cold penetrate deep within our muscles. It then took us the rest of the evening to warm up.

Emotionally I’m not sure I’ve warmed up yet. There was real optimism that our home tournament was going to be the turning point for this team. We were going to make the cup quarter finals. However, as with the previous seven tournaments we failed. Fortunately we still have one more shot at it. Aboard the plane to London there is a sense of unfinished business amongst the squad. I hope the hurt of letting our home support down will be the catalyst we require to eventually break in to the top eight.

In recent Scottish rugby history there have been too few heroes. If one were brutally honest it could be stated that Scotland have had a dearth of world-class talent in the last decade or so. Now we have some new, exciting, marketable players in Richie Gray, Stuart Hogg and Tim Visser. This is a relief, because the SRU could not just keep wheeling out Gavin Hastings for every single marketing opportunity.

However, in the period where Scotland were poor, one man stood out as a fan favourite. Chris Paterson scooped more caps than anyone else and he did so with the love of a nation.

At one point the world’s most accurate kicker, Paterson was never the most physical, the most athletic or the most dangerous, but he was capable of some beautiful rugby and he had spirit. If there is one thing a glory starved support appreciates, it is spirit.

Now, though, as he retires and others are told to seek their fortunes elsewhere there is something strange happening. Edinburgh and Glasgow have signed some players that will command large wage packets like the Lamont brothers, Welsh pair Rees and Yapp and All Blacks MacDonald and Atiga. The season has been good so there is a bit more cash, but these signings have all but burned that up.

See, the experienced players moving on from the pro sides are moving on because they have been around a while and after so many incremental increases in wages any new deal would cost more money than before. It is therefore much cheaper to get in new players for much less.

It all boils down to money. If the SRU were prepared to offer astronomical wages to Richie Gray while Barclay and Rennie sign on for much more than they were on before, then budgets evaporate pretty quickly.

How does one recoup the money lost? Obviously everyone crosses their fingers and hopes that Edinburgh and Glasgow can double up and recreate this season’s form next term. However, there needs to be something done on top of that. There needs to be more marketing.

Today the SRU unveiled a new role – one too bewildering to have a title yet, in an age where the SRU are already struggling to create titles for Scott Johnson and Sean Lineen – which Chris Paterson straddles. He will be a Coach/Ambassador.

The SRU hope to cash in on Paterson’s popularity. On top of this, though, they cannot justify such an ambassadorial position without getting more from him. He trained as a teacher when he was younger so coaching seems logical. They just need to net him some shiny new drills from New Zealand, the kind Gregor Townsend is so fond of.  They need to get Paterson some coaching qualifications from somewhere.

So more money is scraped from the treasury and Paterson is sent on the Macphail Scholarship alongside another long established DO. They travel out beside two players already earmarked for stepping into the pro games.

This is where the Macphail initiative falls down. They have the funds to send four players to develop, four players who could become able to face the pro game with a push. Instead they send two players already deemed good enough and a coach who is from New Zealand and who is already deep inside the SRU coaching system. On top of this Paterson is sent to learn “how should you watch a game as a coach?” and to learn about long-term and short-term plans.

Could he not learn about that in Scotland? The fact that he is not sends a message that there is absolutely no confidence in the way coaches are trained in this country. With changes already coming in in that department would money not be better spent on that fundamental?

In the end the SRU can trot out as many popular figures as they want, but there are two areas they need to work on desperately. They need to ensure that they have as many quality young Scots players coming through as possible, with highly developed skill sets (which would mean that players from the English Championship are not heralded as coups) and the national team need to markedly improve their results.

I believe in the changes Robinson and Lowe are implementing with the bringing in of exciting young internationals, and I am hopeful for the future. However, with the Macphail Scholarship and some of the signings from England’s lower reaches they have snubbed Scottish youth. They have misplaced their enthusiasm and will spend a fair bit of money in the process.