Murrayfield’s Mr Nice Guy still has to prove he can solve our big problems
The firsT time i i nterviewed Mark Dodson was three years ago i n an Auckland hotel, just before scotland l ost to england at t he 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
That defeat led to the national team failing to qualify from the group stage for the first time in their history. it was an all-time low for scottish rugby. Yet, perhaps not a bad time for Dodson to take over as chief executive of the srU. After all, surely, the only way was up from there?
ever since those early days he has come across as an enthusiast who has tried manfully to transform the game in this country.
it’s a task he continues with grim determination but the question must still be asked: Will his best ever prove good enough to improve the fortunes of the scottish game?
When we met at Murrayfield yesterday for our latest one-on-one, he talked a good game — as he always does.
Quite rightly, he trumpeted how he had helped reduce the srU’s debt to a record low of £11million. Of how he plans to set up district academies all over scotland and the ways he hopes to i mprove grassroots rugby.
A semi-pro league of eight teams is also on the agenda. it’s an idea that deserves more support from the rBs Premiership t han it is currently receiving.
he was honest enough to admit he would love to see a third professional team created in Aberdeen, but that may not happen unless some big oil companies help contribute to the long-term cost that, Dodson claims, could reach £35m over a five-year period.
There is no question that the chief executive — as his job demands — has the best interests of scottish rugby at heart.
however, what is of concern was a head-in-the-sand approach to some crucial issues that have troubled scotland supporters of late.
for example, it was hard to believe, or fathom, that he had made no attempt whatsoever to buy out the final year of Vern Cotter’s contract so close to the 2015 rugby World Cup. Allowing the New Zealander to stay with Top 14 outfit Clermont Auvergne for one more season, up until this June, has to be a mistake.
When he finally arrives on these shores, Cotter will be under pressure to put together a team to compete in a t ournament which, l et’s not forget, Dodson has targeted winning.
No wonder the srU have arranged four, rather than the usual two, World Cup warm-up matches — away to ireland and france and home and away to italy — next summer to give the new man more time with his squad.
What was also concerning was the way he tried to dismiss the report f rom Alistair Gray, which was exclusively revealed in Sportsmail yesterday, to i mprove scottish rugby. Dodson claimed not to have studied Gray’s proposals closely but he could certainly do worse than inviting him in for a meeting at Murrayfield to speak with him first hand.
The plan from one of europe’s leading management consultants to sell and lease back Murrayfield from the City of edinburgh Council to help fund that third pro team in the Granite City, or at the very least to cut the eight-figure debt, i s an i dea that should not be dismissed so easily.
Keeping an open mind is something that Dodson has to do over the next few months as his reputation and the credibility of scottish rugby i s on t he l i ne following such a poor six Nations and the farcical nature of Cotter’s elongated appointment.
Those who have lined up to predict doom and gloom for scottish rugby of l ate — i ncluding World Cup winners sir Clive Woodward and Lewis Moody — are of no little substance i n the rugby world. Proving them wrong takes more than j ust determined words of denial, however.
Whether he likes it or not, given the extended build-up, Cotter is now being looked upon as the saviour of scottish rugby.
Therefore, there will be huge pressure on him to hit the ground running when he takes over for the summer tour to the UsA, Canada, Argentina and south Africa.
Dodson has certainly put all his faith in the Kiwi — a man who, despite having an impeccable record as a club coach in france, has never coached an i nternational team before.
it is a gamble we all sincerely hope pays off. And that Dodson’s most important appointment since he took over three years ago gives us all something to smile about sooner rather than later.
What is of concern is a head-in-the-sand approach to some of the crucial issues