SRU must be bolder at scouting in England

SCOTTISH hearts should sink to hear Alan Tait claim the SRU are ‘a bit frightened to upset English clubs’ when they try to recruit dualqualified young players from south of the border. The SRU employed Tait as part of the Scottish Qualified Programme to pinpoint talent. He scouted the north of England while fellow exScotland player Ian Smith covered the south. Their contracts ran out in the summer and were not renewed. Among those Tait convinced to switch allegiances was Sale Sharks hooker Ewan Ashman, who has caught the eye of Scotland coach Gregor Townsend after some fine displays at Under-20 level. But he was left frustrated at too much SRU bureaucracy in his way. ‘Too many people, with too many opinions,’ he said. Tait was always up for a challenge as a player and knew it was never going to be easy to deal with the English clubs. They don’t want their players to switch allegiances to Scotland or any other nation and not just for the good of the England national team. They get a cash rebate from the RFU set against the £7million salary cap for every English qualified player in their squad. They also want to keep as many of their players as possible at their club during international breaks as cover. They fight hard to stave off any approach from the SRU but that doesn’t mean they should throw in the towel. Tait may no longer be involved in recruiting players from England but the SRU must sharpen up their act to ensure approaches continue.