Iain Fullarton, the former Scotland lock forward, and ex-Wasps captain Paul Volley swell to six the clutch of experienced Premiership players added in recent weeks with the help of a new £1.5million funding package secured by former Scotland backs
Chris Rea and Kenny Logan.
That duo have been working with businessmen across the globe in recent years to successfully attract new funding to Scottish rugby, but most of which the SRU has shown a reluctance to accept.
Nick Evans, the club's general manager, was keen to remain clear of controversy and praised the SRU's commitment to half-funding the London Scottish youth academy. Now running for 18 months and with Rowly Williams, the skills coach at Wasps, the manager, it is beginning to bring through players – Matt Heeks recently joined the senior squad after captaining Scotland U20s in their recent world championships.
Whether it will ever fully replace the network of 2,000-plus qualified young Scots on the database of the old Scottish Exiles system, which the SRU and member clubs voted to scrap two years ago is another issue, but with a new outreach programme and coaching clinics it is starting to build a new Scottish community in the south.
The efforts of the 1st XV to progress back up through the leagues and reassert a presence for London Scottish as a serious club provides the beacon around which such work has a more attractive point, however. Evans is reluctant to talk about the days when Scottish again take on the best in the land, but stated that the new plans were bursting with ambition.
He said: "This is about taking London Scottish back to its roots of being a Scottish club in England which attracts exiles as players and supporters, and ultimately produces Scotland internationalists of the future.
"We have 221 players from the past who have done that and some, like Gavin Hastings and Michael Campbell-Lamerton who went on to captain the Lions, so continuing to build the club while retaining our Scottish core is hugely important.
"Getting back into Premier One is a massive project, so we're not talking about that right now, but National One is realistic within the next three years and that's the plan; it's achievable with our current ground facilities, infrastructure and local audience.
"We averaged between 1,500-2,000 for crowds last season, with more than 2,500 at the pre-season friendly with London Irish, and the season before we had 3,500 for the game with Richmond, who we played again this year on Calcutta Cup day, so there's clearly a market for it locally and with exiled Scots."
At the moment, while the club is in National 3 of the English league system, fringe players and those coming to the end of their careers are being attracted by a club on the up, but the SRU's recent decision to step back from what London Scottish believed to be an agreement to send south fringe pros from here, and provide some financial support to strengthen the relationship, may come back to haunt them if 'Scottish' continue their ascent.
The SRU is clearly concerned with keeping spending within tight controls, and continuing to reduce the overdraft, and state that they will revisit involvement when the club is higher up the leagues. But such is the support now growing around Richmond – a number of high-level investors are involved in Rea and Logan's recent funding package and Roehampton University are now offering young players bursaries – the SRU may struggle to find a way in the future.
As well as Heeks, Ian McInroy, Callum Grant, Mark Douglas, Scott Hadden, Rob MacPherson Smith, a youngster on exchange from Natal, and Rowan Brown, brother of Scotland back-row, Kelly, are all current Scots on the books at Richmond. Evans added: "We are working hard at investing in the community and academy to set up a structure that will produce Scottish players and give the club a real Scottish identity.
"We are an exiles club and we do encourage all nationalities, but in terms of the relationship with Scotland we want to continue to get back to our traditions.
"It's a long-term investment, and the SRU is helping with the academy. We've always maintained an open dialogue with the union and will continue to work with them to achieve our ambitions."
The SRU's decision to step back from involvement with the 1st XV squad may turn out to be a minor spat easily overcome or something more far-reaching, but as we watch the laudable ambition of a proud, reviving 'Scottish' club in the English capital one must hope that any potential to benefit the wider Scottish game is not missed.
The full article contains 843 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
