Schools and youth rugby looks set for a radical change next season if rumoured plans to restructure the under-18 sector get off the drawing board.

It is understood the former Scotland coach, Frank Hadden, is the key figure in moulding the new model, which is part of Scottish Rugby's investment in schools rugby.

At the heart of the new ideas being discussed is a structure designed to give the better players top-level competition on a more frequent basis and to try, once again, to integrate schools and club rugby, all which will be funded by a share of the BT largesse.

There is little doubt that schools and club rugby need to be looked at, if only to avoid the number of mismatches that have occurred over recent seasons and palpably so in the Brewin Dolphin Cup. That has come about because a number of leading rugby schools have travelled along a semi professional route in the pursuit of excellence, by adopting best practice in areas such as skills coaching, understanding defence, strength and conditioning and proper diet.

The rise to the top by some schools has not gone without criticism, notably in the area of player recruitment or 'scholarship award' as this practice is more correctly termed. Critics say that without several leading players attracted to the top rugby schools, there would be a much more even playing field.

"Scholarships do make a difference" says Mark McKenzie, the director of rugby at St Aloysius College. "If there were to be any new league-type system introduced then would that entail a cap on scholarships?" he adds.

McKenzie believes that the direction in which schools and youth rugby is travelling is one which may lessen rather than increase participation. "The days when you could put guys out with a ball and ask them to play are long gone. We can't deny that numbers are going down. School players are technically so much better now. They're stronger and they spend more time in the gym. At St Aloysius the boys are now buying into better strength and conditioning programmes but it's not for everyone." said McKenzie.

St Aloysius have been the most successful side in Glasgow this season and would be candidates to be in one of the upper tiers of any new league system. It is believed that what is being discussed is a tiered structure in which individual schools and clubs would be able to opt in at whatever level they deemed appropriate subject to satisfying certain conditions such as fostering rugby in earlier years.

Whatever system emerges, and it seems likely that one will be in place by next season, change is needed in Scotland if schools like clubs several decades earlier can benefit from the a competitive league system.