‘EMBARRASSING DEFEAT TO BATH IN 1996 STILL GIVES ME CHILLS DOWN MY SPINE’

AS hard as he tries, Scotland rugby legend Scott Hastings can’t help but look back on captaining Edinburgh in their first competitive match with a heavy heart. It should have been a very special moment for the 1990 Grand Slam legend but, to this day, remembering the 55-26 European Cup defeat to Bath at the Rec on October 12, 1996, still sends a chill down his spine. The embarrassing loss set the alarm bells ringing for the 67-time capped internationalist as it dawned on him how far behind other countries Scotland were as the newly-formed clubs — Edinburgh, Caledonia Reds, Scottish Borders and Glasgow — played their first matches as professionals all on the same weekend. Whereas English teams such as Bath had reacted quickly to the changes brought in on August 26, 1995, that turned the game from amateur to professional, it was only five months later that the SRU agreed a blueprint for the future. The authorities in Ireland, France and England — indeed, all over the world — may have got their act together immediately but the SRU had dithered beyond belief with a major row over whether four new district sides should be set up or money pumped into existing sides such as Melrose and Watsonians. It was only at a stormy SRU EGM on February 8, 1996, that it was decided to go down the district route with Jim Telfer and SRU President Fred McLeod leading the calls for such a policy with the strength of their argument winning the vote by 178 to 24. ‘The minute the button for the introduction of professionalism was pushed in 1995 after the World Cup, rugby unions round the globe were quick off the mark and the money men got involved but, in Scotland, hands were pretty far off the button to begin with which, in hindsight, was a mistake and did huge damage,’ said Hastings. ‘That game against Bath in 1996 showed to me Scottish rugby was starting miles behind the English sides in the professional era who had stolen a march on us. It took us a good 10 years to simply catch up. Some may even say we haven’t caught up to this day.’ Hastings was 32 at the time, had a wealth of experience and been on the 1989 and 1992 British and Irish Lions tours. He knew the exact standards required to win at the highest level and didn’t think the early makeshift Scottish professional teams were anywhere near reaching them. ‘We were a bunch of amateurs thrown together at Edinburgh to take on a Bath side that had a head start on us in terms of professionalism. They knew it was going to happen and had been planning and, significantly, were already an established club with a fan base and their own ground,’ said 51-year-old Hastings. ‘It was the same problem for the Scots boys who played for the Borders and Caledonia Reds who all played in the European Cup that year and Glasgow who were in the Challenge Cup. We were all amateur players against guys who had the infrastructure in place to cope with professional rugby. ‘We all had four games each in the European Cup and, as far as I remember, the Borders were the only team to win a single one — which tells you all you need to know of the problems we faced,’ added Hastings.