DAVID SOLE

After a glorious summer, the rugby season kicks off in earnest next weekend with both professional teams in action. It is also the final season before Mark Dodson’s Agenda 3 kicks in and the uncertainty that has surrounded this has only increased over the summer. Edinburgh and Glasgow have had mixed pre-season campaigns. Richard Cockerill’s capital side lost narrowly to Bath at home, but defeated Newcastle Falcons on the road – a result that will have undoubtedly pleased the Leicester man in charge of the capital side. Dave Rennie was disappointed, however, at Friday’s capitulation to Northampton Saints after a thrashing of Harlequins at Perth – particularly because Rennie’s team was close to full strength against Saints. Cockerill hasn’t made too many changes to his playing squad and is relying mainly on the group of players who demonstrated that they could perform well last year. He has a good group of youngsters and, having had one season under the tough coach, they should be well placed to kick on this season. On the other side of the country, Rennie hasn’t made any marquee signings either. Although the mostsignificant change to his squad will be the loss of Finn Russell to Racing 92 in Paris. Rennie too, is blessed with a good ‘home-grown’ group of players, but the loss to Northampton will have been a bit of a sense check to the squad and a marker that perhaps they cannot afford to rest on their laurels after four excellent seasons in the Pro14. Domestically, the club game is still struggling to understand how it will be structured next year, in particular, where the ‘club’ XVs of the Super 6 franchises will play. Dodson’s dictat was that they would enter National League 1, but after an AGM which did not go all the SRU’s way, there is now to be consultation before a final answer is arrived at. The interesting development with Welsh and Irish clubs, who have created a competition for their ‘A’ teams, must also surely feature. Dodson himself will have had an uncomfortable summer, following the Keith Russell affair which still seems to be rumbling on. The SRU’s ‘spin machine’ has been in overdrive in attempts to deflect attention from the bad news that surrounds this issue and the uncertainty over Agenda 3. At least there appears to be some semblance of due process and consultation in the offing which will hopefully lead to some sort of clarity in regards to what happens next. But for now, attention can focus back on the rugby at the start of a World Cup year. There is much to play for and it will be good for fans to get behind two teams with a heap of potential. Bring it on!

There’s much to play for at the start of a World Cup year