Post-covid silver lining will see our kids shine

Short-term pain, longterm gain.

Scottish rugby fans have heard this before about various schemes and appointments.

So far, this “jam tomorrow” promise has yet to bear fruit. But Jim Mallinder, the SRU Performance Director, thinks it could well be the case in the game’s Covid-defined future.

It’s unclear what shape the international and professional game will take going forward. What is obvious, however, is that the pandemic has decimated budgets.

While this has curtailed Glasgow and Edinburgh’s ability to make big-money signings, the silver lining should be increased game-time for young Scottish players previously denied such chances by expensive foreign imports.

This was a major factor in last week’s announcement that final-year academy players will train daily with the pro teams, so they’re more ready to step into any breach created by international call-ups. “The Covid19 pandemic has made us look at our game,” said Mallinder, who took up the reins in January.

“We will have to assess our budgets moving forward, and we will have to look at the size of our squads.

“At the moment, we’re not sure of the number of players we will need because that will depend on the season structure. “But one thing is pretty certain. We’ll need to rely a lot more on our young academy lads, our young Scottish players, and hopefully give them more opportunities at pro level.”

Asked if that could adversely affect results in the near future but benefit Scottish rugby in the long run, Mallinder admitted: “It certainly could be that moving forward.

New Glasgow supremo, Danny Wilson (inset), has lured Scotland man Richie Gray back to the Warriors after eight years away

“I think it’s pretty good in terms of my position. Speaking to some of the academy staff, we are quite excited about some of the players we’ve got in the system.

“I thought we were really competitive in the Six Nations Under-20s, so I know we’ve got a good group there moving forward.

“It’s good we’ve also got a few players moving up from down south who are going to join the pro teams as well. “Hopefully we can make that academy as strong as we possibly can, which will ultimately strengthen our pro teams.

“I am very keen about getting our best players playing at the highest-possible level.” Danny Wilson, another new appointee who took over

as Glasgow Head Coach last month, is singing from the same hymn sheet.

He said: “There are two times of the year when you have got all your internationals available for you in Europe, the derbies and the bigger games. Then there’s the other times – depending on the international calendar – where you haven’t got them. “When Glasgow are successful, it is what they have built underneath that supports the periods when you haven’t got your main boys available to you.

“That is the future we need to build to be successful in those periods.

“Will that happen overnight? No, because, at the moment, we probably need to recruit one or two more for that. “Likewise, we need to make sure our academy system and relationship with the Super 6

teams is producing the type of player that allows us to be strong in those periods.”

One big-name signing former Scotland forwards coach Wilson has made was in luring fans’ favourite, Richie Gray, back to Scotstoun after eight years away with Sale, Castres and Toulouse. He’d hoped to work with him in dark blue, but Gray twice declined invitations to join the Test squad.

Wilson said: “Richie will come in with a vast amount of experience.

“He can be one of those players who passes that on and helps the younger players in his position, and the forwards generally.

“I thought we would have worked together during the last 12-18 months with Scotland. But, for a number of reasons, that didn’t happen.

“Now I have that opportunity and I am looking forward to it.”