THE Scottish Rugby Union was today believed to be discussing scrapping the Scottish Cup in a move that has put leading clubs on a war-footing.
The Evening News has learned that a meeting of SRU big-wigs has been called at which there will be a proposal to eliminate the highly-popular national competition.
Increasingly, though, it has suffered in profile at a time when the governing body
has continually focused extra attention on its two professional teams. Reasons for ending the cup are said to be based on lack of fixture space in the 2008-09 calendar, though this is strongly refuted by clubs.
Clubs view moves by the SRU in trying to force them to reject the idea of playing on the same weekends as Scotland are in action as heavy-handedness. Next season is particularly hectic internationally with three Autumn Tests planned in addition to Scotland having to entertain Italy, Ireland and Wales in the Six Nations.
At the nub of the issue, though, is understood to be the demand by the SRU for an expanding representative programme to be run by the governing body, including age-group ties and other fixtures for which sometimes players have to be rested, it is claimed.
A measure of the strength of feeling in the clubs at a time when many see them as having to tread water just to survive, may be found in the fact that, for the first time in at least a year, no invitation was extended to SRU staff to be present at the latest meeting of the Premier Division One Forum last night.
Division One Forum secretary Gavin Garden declined to comment on the SRU's absence. One source said it was because of fears SRU staff might come under pressure to blacklist any critics.
On the issue of alleged fixture congestion secretary Garden said today: "We understand there is a proposal, a draft being discussed today by the SRU Board which we may decide to oppose at the SRU annual meeting."
The deadline for motions to the June AGM is approaching and, while Garden felt unable to specify what it was the SRU Board was discussing, another source said: "The SRU see scrapping the cup as a way to free up weekends and having effectively friendlies on a regional basis.
"It has been pointed out that would mean some clubs meeting four times a season and, anyway, there will be time to play on international weekends using Friday nights. Also, where is the conflict between a club game on a Saturday and a Sunday international? Not to mention a 5.30pm kick-off, as is the case for an Autumn Test."
An SRU spokesman said: "The shape of our domestic competitions, including the league and cup, is currently under review, with the important views of club players and officials featuring heavily in our considerations.
"Until such times that Scottish rugby, through its member clubs, changes the structure, we will continue to make every effort to support and promote the current set-up to the best of our ability."
Garden also confirmed that disciplinary procedures thrown into focus recently by the appeals by Melrose against the bans – eventually upheld – on two of their players, which took three weeks to be decided, could be the subject of a motion to the AGM.
"This could be raised by an individual club," he said.
Last night's meeting heard submissions from Melrose and Boroughmuir, the club which instigated the citings and, again, the Evening News has learned that the final decision had to be deferred from last Thursday prior to the cup semi-final in which both players were able to turn out because a key member of the defence was said to be unavailable.
Some delegates had hoped for a response from the SRU to calls for clubs to be allowed to play in European second tier competition with Garden saying application had been made some time ago to an SRU performance advisory panel.
Supporters of the scheme claim more Scots being involved in cross-border competition would improve resources for the two regional sides but Garden said no information had yet been received.
"Priority is finding ways in which pro players can appear for Premiership clubs next season," he said.
The full article contains 721 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
