Brian Kennedy, the owner of Guinness Premiership club Sale Sharks, has urged the Scottish Rugby Union to concentrate on encouraging the development of elite players rather than simply investing in wholesale grassroots rugby.

Brian Kennedy, the owner of Guinness Premiership club Sale Sharks, has urged the Scottish Rugby Union to concentrate on encouraging the development of elite players rather than simply investing in wholesale grassroots rugby.

Kennedy, the Edinburgh-born multi-millionaire who stood down from the SRU board recently to concentrate on restructuring Sale, has also added his voice to those who believe that the governing body should take steps to create another professional club, alongside Glasgow and Edinburgh, for the benefit of the sport in Scotland.

Speaking from Majorca, Kennedy maintained that he was generally optimistic about the future of Scottish rugby, but his comments will re-ignite debate about whether two pro teams is sufficient in a country with more than 5m people.

"Andy Robinson has brought a lot to Edinburgh and Sean Lineen has done well at Glasgow, but although the SRU's financial position has improved, I think it is important that we have a situation where there are more than just the two pro organisations," said Kennedy.

"I have no problem with the situation where the two of them qualify automatically for the Heineken Cup, but two is the absolute minimum, and if the money aspect can be sorted out, I think it would be healthy to have another team.

"The other area which concerns me is making sure we invest in the youth academies and expand our scouting network so that we catch every single youngster who is eligible to represent Scotland. It is not so much about investing at the grassroots, as putting the cash in place to do everything we possibly can to help those elite players who have been identified as stars of the future.

"Of course, not every promising teenager is going to make the grade at the highest level, but if you unearth 10 youngsters and you can turn one of them into a superstar, then that seems a worthwhile process to me."

Kennedy was in France last week, watching his club tackle Perpignan in a pre-season fixture, contested under the IRB's controversial ELVs Experimental Law Variations, which could have a profound effect on the game, and are threatening a split between the northern and southern hemispheres.

But, as yet, he remains unconvinced as to whether the new regulations will enhance rugby.

"If you look at the Tri-Nations, it has often got a lot more pace and movement and can look more entertaining than the matches played here, but you have to remember it would make a big difference if you could guarantee playing all your matches on firm, dry pitches, which will never be the case in Britain," said Kennedy.

"So we have to be careful before rushing to implement wholesale changes. Let's just see how they work in the Guinness Premiership this season, before reaching any conclusions. After all, there is a big difference between the south of France in the middle of summer and the north of Scotland in February."