Grassie’s departure from the SRU was inevitable

Colin Grassie, chairman of Scottish Rugby, announced during the week that he is stepping down from his role at the AGM of the SRU in August, some 10 months before his term was due to end.

A sub-committee of the SRU board, the nominations committee, will begin a search for Grassie’s replacement.

Grassie enjoyed a fairly stellar career with Deutsche Bank, but his tenure as chairman of Scottish Rugby has been far from that.

During the last few years, the SRU’s reputation on the global stage has reached a bit of a nadir, culminating in a £70,000 fine and an apology over the CEO’s approach to World Rugby’s handling of Typhoon Hagibis.

Grassie has also been at the helm at a time when the CEO’s pay award has come under unilateral criticism from all quarters.

With Mark Dodson receiving just shy of £1 million when long-term incentive plans have paid out, the remuneration committee has to bear the brunt of that blame.

But Grassie is principally responsible for the governance of the game as chairman of the board, so is implicit in this, too.

His relationship with the CEO should have been a close one, and therefore he should have had greater insight and oversight of the culture of the SRU.

When Keith Russell took the organisation to an employment tribunal for wrongful dismissal, he won his case.

Further investigation discovered that there was widespread use of non-disclosure agreements to pay off employees and prevent them from revealing why they had been let go. Hardly something to be proud of. Grassie also extended Mark Dodson’s contract to the summer, 2023, an extension which had been offered to the CEO with two years of his existing contract still to run.

While the finances of Scottish Rugby may have improved over that period, the playing performances have been inconsistent, and the rift between the clubs and the SRU was growing rather than narrowing.

It seemed like a strange thing for Grassie’s board to agree to at that time.

The chairman has also overseen the failed governance review undertaken by Sir Bill Gammell and Norman Murray, which has simply served to highlight the lack of trust that exists between the grassroots of the game, and those who govern it.

So perhaps it is no bad thing that Grassie has stepped down early.

Scottish Rugby is facing a huge financial crisis, which is likely to escalate if CVC pause their investment in the Six Nations, and large gatherings continue to be prohibited into the autumn.

Sometimes it’s good to quit while you’re ahead.

But in this case, perhaps the chairman is quitting because there is little upside in sight.