THE successful franchise bids for Scottish Rugby’s Super 6 league (which will begin in the 2019-20 season) have been announced and Glasgow Hawks’ have been unsuccessful, meaning that there will be no clubs from Scotland’s biggest city, while there is three from along the M8 in Edinburgh, including two across the road from each other in Boroughmuir and Watsonians.
Dundee’s bid was unsuccessful meaning that there are no teams from north of the central belt, while Melrose are the only team from the Borders involved, after Gala and Hawick were overlooked.
The six successful applicants are –
Ayr
Boroughmuir
Heriot’s
Melrose
Stirling County
Watsonians
Meaning that the following clubs missed out –
Currie Chieftains
Edinburgh Accies
Dundee
Gala
Glasgow Hawks
Hawick
Well done, Mr Dodson, you got your six … but the hard work starts now
“I believe the advent of Super 6 is an exciting, forward-thinking evolution within Scottish rugby. I was impressed by the strength, quality, partnership and collaboration in the 12 bids, demonstrating the real potential for future growth,” said Sir Bill Gammell, who chaired the review panel which recommended the six successful candidates to the SRU Board.
An SRU statement said: “The bids were all assessed across consistent criteria which were: rugby, vision, governance, ground and facilities, partnerships and links, and financial sustainability, with consideration also given to the people behind the bid and its deliverability. The six successful bids were those considered to be the most robust and which best met the criteria.
“At the outset I’d like to thank everyone associated with the 12 applicants who worked so hard to put forward a fantastic selection of bids. It was a great response and evident that a great deal of time and effort had been put into them,” said SRU chief executive Mark Dodson.
“Given we had double the number of bids for the places available in Super 6, inevitably some of the applicants would lose out. The Review Panel gave each bidder a full, fair and equal opportunity to make their case.
“The six successful applications will, I believe, enable Super 6 to achieve our ambition to raise the standard of rugby at the top of the club game in Scotland and also create strong, sustainable franchises in their own right.
“The bids from the successful six clubs clearly demonstrated a shared vision for what Super 6 can become and highlighted the ambitions of these clubs to grow. This is the start of our Super 6 journey together and I feel we are well-placed to make it a success.”
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Meanwhile, Scottish Rugby President, Rob Flockhart, said that Super 6 should be viewed within the context of a wider reaching overhaul of the way club rugby in Scotland operates.
“This is an important component of our Agenda 3 Initiative aimed at improving the sustainability and quality of the club game in Scotland,” he said. “I congratulate all those who have been awarded a franchise. It has been a very valuable exercise for us and, I hope, for all the clubs involved, even if they did not succeed this time.
“It is immensely encouraging to see so many clubs interested in a Super 6 franchise and in developing the game.”
The SRU statement issued this lunchtime added: “Scottish Rugby will now form a working party consisting of members of Scottish Rugby and representatives from each franchise.
“The aim of this group is to ensure that all aspects of the Super 6 are covered, from rugby operations to commercial matters, in preparation for the start of the Super 6 2019-season.
“Work will also continue with the six unsuccessful applicants to provide both individual feedback through a series of meetings led by Mark Dodson and the opportunity to comment on the application process and the reaction from their respective partnerships.
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