Rugby: McGeechan against quick-fire test option

By WYNNE GRAY

Should Scotland be allowed to use a tour of New Zealand to develop their rugby, and does New Zealand benefit from such tours?

These questions emerge after the Scots' paltry success rate on this tour and it is no surprise that coach Ian McGeechan believes there are advantages for both nations.

He is ideally placed to put a perspective on the issue after his long involvement with Scotland and the Lions. He is now in the middle of his ninth tour of this country.

Professional rugby and the World Cup have altered international touring schedules, but McGeechan is adamant that an option of a quick-fire, two-test trip did not fit.

"It is no good to us or New Zealand," he said.

"The response from the provinces on this tour must be good for New Zealand rugby. This is where we are putting something back into your rugby scene. Look at the East Coast and Nelson, where they had not had international games for a while.

"It also aids us as we are able to bring established players and use them round some of the exciting next group we are trying to bring through.

"You are giving a lot of players different experiences and the tests are still there.

"We believe it is not the best to travel halfway round the world just to play two internationals."

Cynics would say that just shows the Scots are canny with their cash, and while McGeechan would nod wryly at that concept, he is looking at the big picture. There were no greater number of matches for his top players, he said, while the benefits were being given to the next tier.

"To say anything else, even from New Zealand, would be short-sighted. The key thing is that rugby keeps developing.

"There is the old adage that the healthier the roots, the happier the tree, and that would apply from this tour, for the provinces and Scotland."

There were incentives for lower-division provinces as they tried to maintain their NPC teams against the drift to the big unions and the lure of Super 12.

Did Scotland face a loss of respect, though, if they went through New Zealand with rare victories?

"It is always going to be a struggle for a country like ours which has a smaller player base and lack of resources. That does not change," he said.

"There has to be some sympathy in the fixtures list because we are carrying two teams. What use would it have been bringing 25 players for two tests?

"The professional game favours bigger countries, but we are still rated as a top-eight country and as long as we get the results where they matter and feed the roots of our rugby programme, it will not jeopardise our game."

He insisted the Scots had played only one poor half of rugby on this tour, against the Vikings. However, that may be putting a rosy glow to their progress after the erratic work against Nelson Bays.

How then, did he react to the perception that he and Jim Telfer, the director of coaching, seemed to have been the only people Scotland turned to for guidance. Did it not show a lack of depth and development of coaching expertise?

"What you mean is they have come back to the bad old pennies again," he joked.

Scotland had also used current manager Doug Morgan and Richie Dixon for other brief stints, but they had made other choices in their careers.

"And I did not anticipate coaching again, but after the Lions' tour to Africa in '97 I enjoyed it so much that when I talked to Jim, I agreed to have another go. I just won't grow up, it keeps me young."

McGeechan is contracted through to coach Scotland at the next World Cup, by which time he expects his assistants, John Rutherford or Hugh Campbell, will be primed to take over.

"Someone took a flyer with me 15 years ago when I did not have any great experience and now in the professional era, we are trying to give others a strong base from where to start."

McGeechan's contract with Scotland precluded him from applying to coach the Lions on their tour to Australia next year. That job is expected to be filled by former Auckland, and now Wales, supremo Graham Henry.

As someone coaching in the Six Nations, Henry was the most able candidate, McGeechan said.

For now, McGeechan is looking to hatch some surprises in the two tests with the All Blacks.

As a man with vast experience of New Zealand as a player, then as a coach, he has probably seen more of the country than many locals.

His only regrets are that he has never visited Milford Sound - or found victory over the men in black.