Scottish Rugby Union end partnership with London Scottish

The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) Board on Monday has announced its decision to end the development partnership with London Scottish after just four months.

The partnership was intended for SRU to send their best emerging talent to play in the English Championship in order to boost their development. However, Murrayfield chiefs felt the tie-up did not pan-out as expected and hence they decided to end the partnership, a decision which has left the English club furious.

The decision comes at the back-drop of a report in yesterday's Sunday Times claiming the SRU had withdrawn from the partnership due to apprehensions over the "business model and commercial viability of Scottish".

"The Scottish Rugby Union Board has ended the Development Partnership we had been operating since January," the SRU said in a statement released earlier today.

"After a period of review and reflection (at the end of the season) the Scottish Rugby Board decided not to deepen the relationship with London Scottish further as the performance environment in place was not sufficiently developed to offer the player pathway we had envisaged.

"It is disappointing that despite the best efforts of both parties we have been unable to progress the player development pathway as we had both hoped. We will stay close to London Scottish and remain supportive of their strategic ambitions."

London Scottish president Rod Lynch did not hide his disappointment at the decision taken by the SRU. He reiterated his confidence in the English RFU Championship being the right place for talented and young Scotland players to gain experience of playing professional rugby.

"It would be an understatement to say we are disappointed.

"To have something like this dropped in our lap one week before pre-season training starts has an obvious financial and operational impact on us. We will now have to scramble in the market for replacements.

"We maintain that the English RFU Championship is the right place to introduce Scotland's talented young players to the rigours of professional rugby, within the exile Scottish family.

"The increasing co-operation, with coaching support from Sean Lineen and Roddy Grant, and young players on loan from Scotland, seemed an exciting foretaste of what was to come. Instead, Scottish Rugby, and the talented young Scots who want to play for their country will be the poorer."