Are Scottish Clubs retaining enough players?

The latest Scottish rugby related news was today’s announcement that Richie Gray, one of Scotland’s brightest prospects, will move to Sale at the end of the season. Sale already have two members of Scotland’s World Cup squad in Alisdair Dickinson and Richie Vernon. Max Evans recently made the move from Scottish club rugby to play for Castres in France, and the concern is whether these moves reveal a difficulty for Scottish pro teams in retaining their most talented and high profile players.

There are some players integral to the Scottish team who have remained loyal and stayed in Scotland throughout their careers, but there does seem to be a trend in the direction of the careers of young players who have had a great impact when introduced at International level. Scotland have been successful in terms of retaining key players such as Mike Blair, Chris Paterson (for the most part), Allan Jacobsen, Graeme Morrison and John Barkley over the years, but as mentioned there does seem to be a trend in which once players gain recognition and status at International level they are quickly lured overseas or down South.

The trend I am talking about is one in which a player joins the pro ranks in Scotland, and works his way up the ladder gaining a call up to the Scotland squad. Many of the players who have done this and impressed once they have reached the International scene, have moved on and decided to play their club rugby in another country. In many scenarios it is as if the Scottish pro teams have acted as a stepping stone for players, and if this continues it is a very worrying trend.

Looking at specific players who have climbed the Scottish pro ladder and moved on once they have gained International status, there are many examples. It is not so much the fact that players leave, as this will always happen, but it is the value of the players who are starting to leave, and the fact that they at the height of their career at the time which is concerning.

There are lots of examples, too many to name, but there are certain players who outline what could become a problematic trend. Big names such as Euan Murray, Kelly Brown, Nathan Hines, Richie Vernon and Richie Gray are all forwards who come through Scottish pro rugby and moved on in their prime. In the backs there are the Lamont brothers, Hugo Southwell, Rory Lawson and Max Evans. There are many members or players of the fringes of the Scotland squad who are now playing out of Scotland, but ones named are all significant names and vital members of the squad.

We cannot expect to retain all of our players in Scotland, but it is important some of the core of the International team remain home bound. If we are to compete with the top Nations then we must compare ourselves to the top Nations. Looking at the rugby Nations ranked above us, with the exception of Tonga and Argentina as they do not have professional rugby teams, most are all successful at keeping the majority of their top players in their country.

The question which needs to be asked is why are some players deciding to leave? I struggle to believe all these decisions are purely financial, so what else is there, and can anything be done? Do players see the Aviva Premiership and Top 14 rugby as more challenging than the now named RaboDirect Pro12 League, and as competitions which will allow them to compete at a higher level week in week out? On the flip side we don’t see many top International players outside the Celtic countries and Italy play in the RaboDirect Pro12 League.

I mentioned that Nations ranked above us are fairly good at retaining players, but Wales seems to be going through a similar problem to Scotland at the moment. Many of their top players are leaving their National district teams to play abroad also, so does the League need to be looked at more closely? It could be argued that teams in the RaboDirect Pro12 League  also have the Heineken Cup and potentially the Amlin Challenge Cup in which they will come up against stiffer competition, but is this enough?

The English Premiership is full of tough matches every week, but can the RaboDirect Pro12 League boast this same statement? I feel Scottish pro rugby clubs need to have more tough matches more regularly, and I also feel they need to play English teams more often. If some players knew these changes were to be made would they agree to stay in Scotland? These changes may not be possible right now, but they need to be looked into happening and be attempted, as Scotland cannot afford to lose too many top players to clubs in other countries.