TOMMY Hayes, the Cook Islands' fly-half who has been the lynchpin of Glasgow's Heineken Cup campaign, has been offered an extention to his SRU contract in an effort to ensure that he will remain in Scotland for another season.
Hayes, 23, met Murrayfield officials last week, before Glasgow clinched their Heineken Cup quarter-final play-off place against Leicester with the 30-15 victory over Ulster on Sunday.
He was a member of the Waikato provincial squad in New Zealand before arriving in Glasgow at the start of the European trail, and emerged as a key player in the victories over Ulster and Swansea, which guaranteed the city side a continuing interest in the tournament.
Yesterday, SRU contracts' negotiator Ken Crichton said: ''We met with Tommy last Friday and said that we were keen for him to stay, and he said that he was keen to do likewise. We have not put him under any pressure to make a decision, but we see him as a real asset to the Glasgow side.''
If Hayes decides that he has a future in Scotland, then he would be asked to play for a Premiership I or II side within Glasgow District. That would mean finding a club berth at Kilmarnock, West of Scotland or Glasgow Hawks.
Glasgow play Leicester at Welford Road on November 1 or 2 - the date has yet to be decided - but before then embark upon the European Qualifying Tournament campaign against Edinburgh at Scotstoun on Sunday.
Crichton added: ''We are very hopeful that he will be with Glasgow again next season.
''We have made him an offer which we think is reasonable and fair. The ball is now in his court, but we are hopeful that he will be with Glasgow again next season."
q Edinburgh, still elated from their European Conference victory over Perpignan on Sunday, have fixed up an additional match against the touring Tongans. The match, to be played at Goldenacre or Inverleith, will take place on Sunday, November 2, on the date set aside for European play-offs if Edinburgh had progressed that far.
q THE Scotland A and former Edinburgh Academicals' lock Scott Murray has escaped the chill financial wind which is beginning to blow through English league rugby, the latest example of which is the decision by second division Bedford to place eight members of their 35-strong squad on the transfer list.
The Bedford announcement comes hard on the heels of the transfer-listing of Bath's England winger Jon Sleighholme. Murray, 21, who joined Bedford from Academicals 14 months ago, when the former England man-ager Geoff Cooke took over as director of rugby and boxing promoter Frank Warren pumped in a large sum of money from his Sports Network Europe organ-isation, has been playing at No.8.
However, according to club spokesman Richard Hart, he will not feature regularly at lock because of the transfer-listing of Canadian Test player Norm Hadley.
The Canadian and the England squad back-row player Richard Angelsea are the two major victims of the cost-cutting exercise ordered by Warren.
Hart said: ''Scott remains very much a part of our long-term plans. The eight players who we have let go will be put on the transfer list.
q THE SRU have established a ticket hot-line for the Murrayfield matches against Australia and South Africa on November 22 and December 6. Bookings can be made using Visa, Mastercard or Switch. The number to call is 0800 731 6302.
q A proprietorial tug-of-war between Edinburgh and Caledonia over scrum half Derrick Patterson will be resolved at Murrayfield today, when representatives of the two districts will meet with officials from the Scottish Rugby Union.
Patterson, originally registered by Edinburgh for the European Cup, was one of three top scrum halves listed for the capital.
The suggestion that Patterson would play for Caledonia in the Heineken Cup came from the player himself and was readily taken up by Scotland's most northern district.
But yesterday Edinburgh's chief executive Ian Gibson issued a statement which read: ''Now that the European Rugby Cup games for Caledonia have ended, Derrick Patterson returns to the Edinburgh squad and starts training with them at Murrayfield tomorrow.''
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