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Never mind what the other sports think, this makes perfect sense. Some winter club rugby and autumn internationals would still be welcome, but there's no need to cram all the competition into the six coldest and darkest months...

As someone who sat and watched Edinburgh (u-14s I think given the number of handling errors) versus Glasgow in the freezing cold at Murrayfield on Saturday I can heartily concur.

Interesting topic this, kind of thing that is an election vote winner with the people, but realistically, men behind the scenes know its not feasible. It wouldn't be implemented as easily as Rugby League was when that changed from winter to summer. I think the argument would come from administrators and broadcasters. What would happen to the calendar? It would look horrendous.

You'd have the 6 Nations BEFORE the season (if it began in March) and the June Tests would have to move to December too. Then the tri nations would be playing internationals before the Super 14. But then the November internationals would have to move aswell as they would be 2 months after the season finished. It would be a nightmare.

There would also be claims (rightly so) from broadcasters that there would be 'too much to show', what with Cricket, Rugby League and Tennis (two of which take up channels for most of the day). To add Rugby union in with that would mean other sports losing out cash wise. And throw in a biennial football championship, and Rugby would be fighting for viewers and revenue from Sky et al.

"Aussies, Kiwis and South Africans must think we are stark raving bonkers."
Let's not forget that the Air New Zealand Cup is played in June in their winter in NZ, as is the Currie Cup in South Africa. They just don't have as much snow as us in South Africa.

I agree totally.Rugby is a summer sport,why we insist on playing it in the winter here in the UK escapes me.
Surely the unions must also realise the financial benefits of rugby being played in the lighter,warmer months of the year rather than in the darkest depths of winter.
Youngsters would also be more attracted to the game if they did not have to endure the cold and wet whilst playing and training.
I vote for no more mud baths and frozen fingers and toes.

John, I always knew you were a soft southerner from the central belt... Oh its a bit cold, theres a spot of rain. Boo Hoo. If God had not wanted Scotland to play Rugby in miserable weather he would have put the country in a better place on the map.
Anyway its character building for the juniors...

My only concern with moving rugby to the summer is those small clubs, such as mine, that cannot afford to water the pitches to make them playable. The state of my knees at the start and end of the season is already pretty shocking.

This is maybe a good idea, Jim Telfer wanted to introduce a summer season in the Scottish championship.
It is a problem with the snow, I am not convinced about the rain...
"Modern rugby balls may be "stickier" but they still slip when wet"
I visit Scotland quite often(my wife is Glaswegian), a fan of the Glasgow Warriors, attend as much as I can, Internationals and ML.
Last summers in Scotland (August) were torrential.
I remember some World Bag Pipe Championship with heavy, heavy rain.
My favourite walk close to my mother in law place is Pollock Park, so often taking my car to leave just after the Burrel collection, I was so amazed about flooded Rugby pitches in August.

Ok in France we are lucky to have dry pitches in the south, but I played the game in Senlis (north of Paris)the pitches there are muddy in winter, but my best memories are in the mud of the pitch of Rugby Club de Senlis.

I know, I know you are talking about the pro game, so ...

I made a mistake about my previous comment,
"I know, I know you are talking about the pro game, so ..."
It is about Rugby at every level, youth and amateur game etc..
Sorry for the misunderstanding.

I play rugby in Scotland in Prem 3 and it is so hard to motivate players for training, especially when you look out the window and think there is no way we will be playing on Saturday. I would love to train in the gym just now and play through the summer, I have never found the hard pitches a problem, and love the games at the start and end of season. I would love summer rugby and to comment that other sports wouldn't like it is pointless. I sat yesterday watching SKY and flicked from cricket to tennis to golf all day. We would all benefit from summer rugby but will the SRU ever agree to this, I don't know, maybe if they were being sensible.

Living in a rural area, i am wondering if it is safe to ask the players to drive to training.

I suggest that anybody who disagrees with summer rugby goes and watches a game of rugby league in July, barbecues outside the pubs, turning up in shorts and t-shirts, attractive rugby and grounds with loads of kids buzzing to play the game. Its no wonder super 14 is the most attractive rugby to watch, and i for one would not whinge about the pitch being a wee bit hard.

What? No! cold is good for you and keeps you cool while you run, summer is horrible, sticky and BO becomes the deciding factor on whether to go into a ruck. Plus i played summer rugby in canada and in 4 games we had more injuries than in our 20 game domestic season, due to playing on concrete, actually worse concrete has a bit of give to it. Frozen ground is fine you just get cut up and it's like a free ice pack, dry ground is a concusion everytime someone lands on you. As well as a cold morning cutting through a hangover much better. Who cares about the fans, if they want to be warm, watch beach vollyball, if you want to watch sport suffer in silence. Anyway i love the wet tug of war games it's half the fun. But most importantly we live in Britain warm is for girls and foreign types.

Mud, glorious Mud!!! Come on guys, Rugby in the summer??? It'd be like Wimbledon at Christmas...

Having said all this... I played my last few years of rugby down here in Gibraltar/Southern Spain/Portugal, where most of the time the pitches were like corrugated iron. Not great for the front row, marvellous for the girls - it gave fast-moving running rugby, but the scrapes when you went down... ouch....

I was brung up though in the mud of East Anglia's pitches, and I can't really imagine the game without it!! :-)

Chris J

Oh!! I forgot to say... summer is of course for sevens... us front row run the line and drink and swear while the girls dance about a bit with a ball... a perfect summer's day :-)

Players have been calling for this change for sometime now. Really dont know why the SRU is so stubborn. I play in the regional leagues in Scotland and it is very frustrating when you go from playing fast, free flowing rugby in September and October to barely getting out on the pitch in January to train nevermind play.
Rugby in itself is already a "character builder" as some seem to suggest, however most of us play for the enjoyment of the game. Its hard to enjoy a game when you cant feel your hands or feet.
As for the pitches being too hard to play on, well the SH teams dont seem to mind that too much considering they currently dominate world rugby.

All good points for the game at a certain level, I am a secondary school teacher and have also played [professional rugby. At the top level this is a valid case however we are forgetting the school children who have to play on the not so well maintained pitches that do not have sprinklers.

We had to postpone many ganmes at the start of September due to the ground being too hard for the kids to play on.

The last thing we need is for kids to play on the rock hard pitches get themselves injured and be put off playing rugby for the rest of their lives.

I remember as a mini rugby player, kids crying from the cold. I didnt see them rushing back the next week to play. I play in the back row and have played games where i have run around for the whole game and come in with my toes blue, and that is no exaggeration. It seems to me that the opinions on here are from players and coaches who want summer rugby and the old guard who clog up our game with their opinion of 'It wasn't like that in my day'.

Lets move with the times, more fans, more players, better rugby and a Scotland team who might be able to attack as well as defend

I can't help agreeing with you that by having a winter break it would make for a better season. I play at a fairly decent amateur level and every season we have at least 4 or 5 games postponed for either flooded or frozen pitches. The last part of the season is broken up with free weekends where we schedule the postponed games. Surely if we had a 4 week break we wouldn't need to have these free weekends where you can end up playing pointless friendlies or the rearranged fixtures anyway.

I am sitting here looking out of my window now toying with the idea of whether or not to make my way through the ice and snow to the astro pitches we are using to train on as our pitches are like an ice skating rink, in the safe knowledge that our game on Saturday will be called off anyway...all a bit pointless really surely!!

I agree with changing professional leagues to a summer league. Schools and clubs are irrelevant as people don't pay to watch them.
Couple of points:

1) We uould need to shorten our season to coincide with the length of super 14 season so both southern and northern hemisphere teams could still tour.

2) it's never going to happen as collectively there are not enough clever people in charge of rugby to sort it. They can't even sort a reasonable fixture list.

Nice theory though.

Rugby is a great game and what makes it so great is the tactical astuteness of the players involved. Changing the season to make it whereby you play in 'easy' conditions almost ruins the game. It is indeed fantastic to watch an exhilarating, free-flowing running game such as the game is in the southern hemisphere however, the diverse nature of the season allows people to truly appreciate the talent on the pitch. Agreed, no-one wants to watch it in the cold or by the same token play/train in the freezing weather, but you must take into consideration for the juniors playing the game that they have the right to be diverse in their sporting lives. Take Danny Cipriani for example. A great rugby and cricket player. Would he have had the opportunity to excel in either sport if the two clashed? Don't mistake me though, I do agree, there is nothing better than watching a game of running rugby how people say it is 'supposed' to be played. But others would also say that rugby is a winter sport played at its best in wet, muddy conditions. It is a topic that could be argued either way and either way, it is a great game!

John I have enjoyed your blogs and agreed with most, but not this. I will hold my hand up and admit I am a card carrying member of the front row union. I've always hated pre-season training with it's hard pitches, non stop sprint sessions and unrelenting heat. (I should never have moved down south.)

Come December all the flash harry lightening quick players were all slowed down to a speed I could better cope with plus I simply loved the satisfaction of playing and getting caked in mud, knowing there was a hot shower and dry clothes waiting for me. I've retired due to injury now and I even prefer watching local games in atrocious conditions as it gives more atmosphere to the occasion.

Another problem would be that school holidays would muck up the season for kids who get dragged away on holiday, more players would be unavailable due to weddings which seem to take place predominantly in the summer. It's easier to structure a game around a more structured time of year.

I have had the luck of playing both NH and SH rugby and personally all the points that have been touched upon in terms of better rugby, more practicality, increased enjoyment etc etc etc are all true.

The UK doesn't really, on the whole, have major issues with solid grounds during the summer as we simply dont get the sort of heat over prolonged periods of times to really create solid ground. Whereas, the amount of games that get cancelled around the UK over december and january is simply rediculous.

It would be interesting to see how the calander would get restructured on a profesional level, but it is something that is going to need to be looked into. Ruling it out is silly. However, money talks in this game so it will never happen which is very unfortunate.

As a current player in Scotland I can say that every player you speak to agrees with summer rugby. The question is what will the clubs do about it? It is good that someone as prominent as John Beattie is raising this issue, but there needs to be a real groundswell of support to get things moving.

The SRU commented "It is the clubs' championship, and if there is a consensus, the clubs could put a motion to the agm on the issue." which to me is as good as daring the clubs to do something, but there is a lack of leadership from within the clubs.

I think the answer to the problem is a season that starts in late winter or early spring and ends in early November, but nobody is willing to raise support for a change in the season so we’ll stay as it is.

What will John Beattie do to get support in the Scottish clubs for his idea and if people as big as Jim Telfer couldn’t make summer rugby happen will it ever happen?

george 1979

wanting to slow the game down to the front rows pace is ludicrous, just because you are slow doesn't mean everyone else should be. Crowds dont stand up and cheer when a fat prop stumbles forward 2 yards before flopping on his belly, but they do when a team put a load of passes together and send a player flying through a gap.

dcrugbymad01

Danny Cipriani may have been a good footballer instead, how has his cricket helped him with his rugby, it maybe on the cricket pitch that he honed his tackling technique, your point is also daft.

Players want summer rugby, nobody can travel just now, games are off, training is a shambles and indoor facilities cost the clubs. Summer rugby would have less negatives than positives and if you disagree you are either an old duffer who is holding the rest of us back or a prop, known for not having much going on between the ears.

John,
I agree whole heartedly about the summer rugby issue. Just on a safety point is makes sense to change the mini's season. The adults season will eventually change as the youngsters progress through the age groups to the adult game.

I currently coach mini rugby in darkest ayrshire, we have lost about the last 6-8 weeks of coaching due to weather and the holiday period.

A suggestion from our ex president, who is an RDO with one of the councils, seems quite sensible..

1. Organise local mini 'leagues', max 10 teams over P4-P7. eg A Glasgow & West league of West, Hawks, Hillhead, Cartha, Paisley, Glasgow Accies, Clydebank, GHA, Greenock, Helensburgh. No points would be awarded for wins - this would be more 'festival' style events - at mini's it should be about playing the 'game' not winning the game.

2. Season runs mid August - mid/end Nov and March - June.

3. Games could be arranged outwith the usual sundays eg on a Friday night in June, with the clubs being able to host barbecues etc - more fundraising opportunities to support the mini's - promoting the social side of rugby.

4. End of season Year tournaments held at the clubs. Eg P4 from League would all play at say West, P5's at Hawks, etc.


Having the mini's season slightly outwith the adult season would release some adults into coaching roles at the minis.

It is seriously time for change.. having 8 - 11 year olds out in the pouring rain on a midweek night is not the way to grow a sport...

I get that the spectators want to stand around in shorts drinking beer....but really, Rugby Union a summer game....hang your heads in shame.
Oh to hell with it, let’s just scrap union all together and throw our caps in with league.
Let’s face it with all the new rules, referring style and the clear imperatives of the powers that be, the modern game is a pale shadow of what it used to be, so making it a summer game will finally allow the southern hemisphere authorities to achieve the desired aim of removing forwards from the game completely.
Then we could all settle down to a nice 80 minutes of 15 or 13 players lining up opposite each other and seeing who can tackle the best.....no need for taking the meteorological conditions into account, rucking, mauling, scrumaging and the like.....oh that would be rugby league then!
Yes I may of just past 40 and yes I might have been a forward but at least I can still remember when the game really was for everyone – big or small and also that on the miserable days of mid winter the forwards skills could come into play.
When I was young you would rather poke your eyes out with rusty needles than watch rugby league...it was considered: boring, negative and tedious, whilst union was a swashbuckling, rapier like game full of entertainment. It seems to me that the reverse is true today
So let’s go to summer Union, 13 a side and do away with the last vestments of: The Scrum, The Lineout, The Ruck and The Maul……a nice warm game of free flowing rugby league.

The time has come for a serious discussion on the alternatives available to the present playing season. I have never been an advocate for summer rugby but at a time when we are being exhorted to grow the game the subject MUST be discussed. Trying to get players especially mini, midis and youth players to turn out to train in some of the extreme weather conditions prevalent this season is ridiculous. Also we must try to grow the game relative to encouraging supporters to turn out. As I said on another post I am a committed club rugby supporter but as I grow older I am now unwilling to stand in freezing/wet/gales conditions to support my club.

Move the sevens season to August and let's be playing 15 aside in April and May when we will be playing rugby above the ground instead of through it. I know there are lots of reasons which can be thrown up against playing into the spring/summer eg holidays, club grounds required for other sports, harder grounds (can always water a ground but you canny suck it up) but other summer sports have some of these problems too.

LET'S AT LEAST DISCUSS THE ALTERNATIVES AND NOT DISMISS THEM OUT OF HAND

Let the professional teams and internationals be played through the winter. This would give the amateur club players and supporters the opportunity to support their chosen clubs i.e Glasgow , Edinburgh or whatever. Just a thought.

I'm a spectator only so i'm having a stab in the dark here but could a split season be one approach to beat the much discussed player burnout?

I wouldn't play in july or august as i agree with peeps above who say it mixes with the school holidays a bit to much but avoiding jan and early feb i could see being a major advantage (international players cant complain their tired for 6N). Not playing during December risks losing out on the xmas period which would be a good time for the big spectator events at twickenham and wembley (from a commercial point of view that is). I personally don't give a rats about watching rugby in awful weather so not all spectators are softies!

To those who hold onto the notions of old, things must evolve to a certain extent so don't resist so hard but don't hold back to much or the game will be dragged too far by commercial arms which lets face it is the way the world works!

Rob Proctor

You may be over 40 but your comments are more like a 4 year olds. There is no need to get rid of any of these parts of the game, scrums would be safer as less slipping, lineouts would be slicker as ball and players drier, rucking and mauling would be much quicker. I think you need to put your toys back in the pram.

All the games I look back on fondly involved firm ground and sunshine on my back, not rain, snow, freezing conditions etc.

Show me a human being who would rather stand in the cold shivering rather than the warmth and relatively dry summer and i will show you an eskimo.

I think I've agreed with all your previous blogs but not this one.
Summer is a time when many people go on holiday, get married (or get invited to weddings) or attend a host of non-rugby outside commitments. Armed with a (costly) season ticket I'd be less than impressed if I couldn't attend summer games because of such other commitments.
Rugby Union is already being turned into 15 man Rugby League by dint of the stupid rule changes in recent years. Lets not go the whole hog and follow them into the summer as well.

I am so pleased your blogs are now receiving international air time - never mind one's view, you certainly get the debate going!

I had the (dubious) pleasure of training with you for one session back in the 80's... in the winter - my brother played with you at Accies and he dragged me down one night. You scared the heck out of me then, I wouldn't have liked to see you charging around in the dry! Never did I think a nutter like you could transform into such a literate, thought-provoking journo...

Of course you are correct, nobody likes change, but things move on. I guess the only other nation that would offer some resistance would be the folks of South Island in NZ, where it rains almost as much as Drymen!

Anyway, please keep putting up all this thought provoking work!

Thank you so much Mr Beattie, I have been bleating about this for an ice age.

One day children will be gobsmacked that football and rugby were played through the winter instead of the summer.

It's a stupid idea and always has been.

We must do what is right for us. I have been whinging for ages that we should have stolen a march on football in Scotland and shifted the rugby season to the summer to boost gates and involvement. Now it seems that they are way ahead of us, especially frustrating as I’d thought that rugby was a flexible game, able to learn from the mistakes and excesses of football [salary caps etc...].

I was told that we can't have summer rugby in Scotland because of the Magners League, specifically the Irish and a deal they apparently have with their various sporting associations to play gaelic football through the summer instead of football and rugby.

But amateur players deserve better. Serevi ended his playing career at Melrose and lamented that so many pitches were lying empty on a glorious day. Why? Because we're trying to make kids play through the winter? If the bait isn't tempting, the fish won't jump.

Calendar Year 2010:
February to April = preseason + Spring Block
The ideal way to start any season is club rugby: 3 preseason and 9 competitive fixtures in the domestic leagues and the european cups. After 3 friendlies, the squad are ready for competitive fixtures. After 9 competitive fixtures, the players are ready for Six Nations duty.

May to June = Six Nations + Summer Break
5 fixtures apiece with a one week break halfway through [6 weeks], followed by a 2 week break in June.

July to September = Summer Block
Clubs push for honours with 12 league and cup fixtures.

October = Autumn Block:
Domestic play offs and European Cup semi-finals + finals
Calendar year builds towards a climax as domestic and European titles are settled, while World Cup/ touring squads are selected.

November = World Cup/ Lions Tour
The season ends on a high, with the best players in the world competing for the ultimate honours.

December to January = Winter Break
[ahhh... that’s more like it]

John - I think it is always a great idea to have a debate - especially when sitting in a warm house when looking out over a snowy landscape. Although for one of the few times I'm actually finding myself disagreeing with you.
One of the things which I think is important is to ensure that the game is played at the top level with the same rules and at the same time of the year as at the grass roots.
At my club we always struggle to get players in August, September and October with a struggle to get those same players training in June and July. This is because they work in farming! and we live in the middle of a number of farming communities.
If we turn rugby into a summer sport we would only be able to run 1 side and not the 2/3 sides we currently do. We also have a number of players who play cricket in the summer and rugby in the winter - me included.
How many games are cancelled in a season - 1 or 2. Lets administer the game better rather than changing anything too fundamental.

LittleRew, not too sure which part of the country you are in but i am in Bristol (not reknowned for ridiculous weather) and we have already had 4 games canceled this year so far, we had 6 last season and 6 the year before that.
if you look at more rural locations in Cornwall or the North of England (Cumbria/ Northumbria) then the numbers are even more.
As for not having enough players in the summer, the idea would be that over time, because the new generation of players are not put off by the weather, they stick with it and therefore in the long term there would actually be more players playing the game so more teams.

I also coach the game at a junior level and one of the main reasons for fall out is due to the weather and conditions rather than not enjoying the sport.

Its freezing and here in Scotland we'll be lucky to play many fixtures at all in the whole of January. An enforced Winter break which will cause problems for leagues and ruin school seasons. For pupils in their final year at school and having progressed to 1st XV level, losing matches is devastating: old rivalries have no finale and what should be one of the best years of your sporting life is an anticlimax. So from all said thus far I agree with you John.

I also argue strongly that Youth and School Sport must mirror the professional season - didn't we all want to pick up a tennis bat after the finals day at Wimbledon?

If Pro Rugby moves to Summer, if Club Rugby moves to Summer, so must Schools. Schools have these terrible things - exams! I am also a Crcket nut and Schools Cricket is totally undermined ny endless exams and the best years of a cricketer are undoubtedly after school life is over. Also what would youngsters do in the winter months we would be moving from. The Playstation and XBox have done enough damage to our cuurent generation. Wii Fit can only do so much and is not the social tour de force of our great game.

Can you envisage another sport moving in the other direction? Nor can I! All sports at the elite end compete for the gifted athlete, if everything is played in the better weather how will young people gain enough time and experience in a sport to know that this is truly their chosen sport.

Investment in facilities is the key. Games should not be off due to waterlogged pitches - better drainage is needed. Every major city should have an indoor sporting venue such as Toryglen in Glasgow that is not solely for Football but multiuse. Better Covers would improve playing chances in light snow and fairly cold temperatures and finally Baltic weather like now? The Judo Mats are the place to be!

Great Blog John - Keep up the good work.

Great Blog.

I think the problem has to be broken down:

From a playing perspective it appears to be a no-brainer. The only counter-arguments appear to be from front rows or older players which I can understand, but I feel they would adapt to the change.

The draw-back seems to be the practicalities of making it happen. We would have to take a prelonged break from rugby in the season that we switch, and there are all kinds of things mentioned in previous posts such a holidays, farmers etc.

However I would like to see every effort made to make this actually happen because I think players enjoyment and skills would go through the roof. Playing numbers would increase and bigger crowds would turn up to watch. These things are the most important aspects of the game.

Nothing beats a good old fashioned game of rugby in the pouring rain, and ending up with kit covered in mud. Its a bit of cold weather, who cares!

Saintjock, where is this attitude coming from?

Where did I say I wanted to slow the game down? I simply want to keep it as it is, subject to the seasonal variances that teams tactics need to adjust to. You on the other hand want to speed up the game out of the reach of the slower player. Why not just go and play league?

My point was made from the viewpoint of the lower echelons of the game up to the semi professional ranks, a wide spectrum that I played across in my playing career. Do what you want with professional rugby, however rugby union below the professional level is still a sport that can cater for all shapes and sizes and speeds, you don't want that. Shame.

10 things that will be lost in the summer:

1. The smell of your mildew covered boots emerging from a Tescos carier bag after a weeks worth of stagnant hibernation.
2. The look on your mam's face when she opens your bag to find your bloodied and muddied kit to do the washing the day before training.
3. Putting on heavy damp jerseys still smelling of mud straight delivered stright from the Launderette.
4. Freezing cold showers in the darkened muck floored cowsheds we call away changing rooms.
5. The majestic sight of steam rising from a bald headed prop.
6. Aquaplanning from the 22 for your only try of the season.
7. Pulling skin tight rain sodden shirts off the front five.
8. Trying to drown the opposition on waterlogged pitches.
9. The ball riding horizontal rain into touch rather than over the crossbar.
10. Watching your winger develop hypothermia while the forwards keep it tight in the wet and wild of a coastal fixture.

Your point is a good one. Personally I play cricket and Rugby would lose between the two unless Rugby changed to a Sunday. May be better for grass roots especially the kids. Not sure my knees would take the impact of the hard ground although the last three summers have had a lot of rain so conditions would have been perfect.
"I would keep it simple, start the league in Feb, take June and July off, come back into it in August, and finish by Christmas." I think this would work best. Plus better for training without the need of floodlights all the time.

Rugby is played in winter and Cricket is played in Summer - simple. Rugby league (UK) should be played in winter as well!!!

I've been fortunate to have played the last 10 years of my rugby in Eastern Canada - ground like concrete, 30deg + weather, 120% humidity, requirement to have the game played in quarters rather than halves to accommodate water breaks to avoid dehydration.

I LOVE IT!!! Fast, talented players at all levels with the ability to execute on plays because they can actually hold the ball.

I LOVE IT!!! barbecues and beers on the sidelines, sitting in bars in the open air postgame, watching the sun set.

I LOVE IT!!!! When I was a single lad I loved the girls teams on the sideline wearing bikinis - I'm not so sure if they do that anymore, don't seem to notice since I got married...

Injuries... in Scotland I played against Greenock at Fort Matilda (where the rain never seems to stop) when I had a cold and broke my jaw by going in for a stupid tackle. In Scotland I thought I was going to drown a couple of times at the bottom of rucks; the only thought I can remember having was "you can drown in an inch of water" repeating over and over in my head as I tried to turn left or right to get air. In Scotland I remember having 5 of our school team (aged 12 and 13) walk off the field in the cold, 2 of whom were later diagnosed as suffering from MILD HYPOTHERMIA which really doesn't sound right - 12 and 13 year old kids getting hypothermia for the love of the game...

It seems the best (or even responsible ?) thing to do is reward the kids that would have been brave enough to go out in atrocious and potentially unsafe conditions. Give them summer sunshine to play rugby in.

Regarding injuries on hard ground. I've torn my ACL which I could potentially put down to the hard ground, I've been sorer after games overall I think due to their being no "give" in the ground so more muscle tear / ligament strain.

Let's stand up for rugby - it's got the legs to outlast other summer sports, even if the cricketers get a lovely colourful set of uniforms to play in. As to scheduling issues with no sports in the winter - I reckon we could persuade darts and snooker to fill the void. also - isn't football played over winter?

One more thing if the season would potentially get too long and interfere with other plans why not reduce the size of the leagues and have a cup and league comps run separately?

A logical compromise would be to simply move the club season earlier in the autumn, so it starts in early August and finishes just before Christmas before everything gets too muddy (that would make an excellent new seasonal tradition), then have the "international season" starting in February after a month of rest and training camps - with the Six Nations followed by the newly located "spring internationals" in April. No more arguments about "international windows" either!

It would avoid clashing with the already overcrowded sporting period between May and July then (football cup finals, wimbledon etc)

John, if all you wanted was a BBQ we could have arranged that for you today at Millbrae and perhaps we could have had some rugby! The sun was splitting the trees man!