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Rugby Union

Edinburgh-SRU row "damaging" Scottish rugby

10/07/2007

Former Scotland captain Andy Nicol has said Edinburgh Rugby's decision to resign as an associate member of the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) is potentially "very, very damaging" to Scottish professional rugby.

Edinburgh owner Bob Carruthers yesterday withdrew his team from the SRU after a dispute over funding.

And Nicol, speaking on the BBC's Reporting Scotland programme, said the decision could reduce the number of professional teams north of the border to just one – Glasgow Warriors – when as recently as 1998 there were four.

"It's been a very sad situation for a few weeks now but it's obviously come to its head today," Nicol said.

"That's very damaging for Scottish rugby and it's an untenable situation really for professional rugby in Scotland."

Despite assertions to the contrary from the club itself, the SRU claims Edinburgh will not be allowed to retain its professional status because it must belong to a union, according to International Rugby Board (IRB) regulations.

As a result of Edinburgh's withdrawal, the SRU has stripped the club of its membership to the insurance scheme for players who sustain injuries in training or in games.

However, Carruthers claims that Edinburgh will remain a professional outfit, arguing the move "doesn't have any bearing whatsoever on Edinburgh's right or ability to play professional rugby".

"We were already playing professional rugby before we were members of the mutual association of clubs," he said.

"It's only a convenience and the secretary wanted us to join; now we've left."

One possible knock-on effect is that Edinburgh's players may not join up with the Scotland World Cup squad when the team reconvenes later this month.

As many as 12 players – the majority of whom are top-name first-teamers – could conceivably be withdrawn from the Scotland squad because of the row, depriving head coach Frank Hadden of substantial resources for the Scottish World Cup campaign in the autumn.

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