'Shamateurism' finally booted out by rugby's top brass. SRU ready to set out a play for pay deal

on the first page of the Laws of the Game.

It declares:''The Game is an amateur game. No-one is allowed to seek

or receive payment or other material reward for taking part in the

Game.''

For too long now, great swathes of the game have paid only lip-service

to that first, guiding principle. The game has become besmirched by

hypocritical shamateurism.

The blind-eye posture adopted by the administrators -- a stance that

would have put Lord Nelson to shame -- has allowed the game to become

prey to the likes of media moguls Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Packer. The

International Rugby Football Board was, and perhaps still is, in

imminent danger of losing control of the sport which it administers.

Yesterday, at a momentous Murrayfield news conference, the Scottish

Rugby Union provided its answer to the questions posed by the #350m

Murdoch TV rights deal in the Southern Hemisphere -- a deal which has

acted as spur in the headlong rush towards unfettered and unregulated

professionalism -- by announcing that it was to embrace the concept of

professionalism with contracts for as many as 50 of Scotland's top

players.

The promise is of, as yet, unspecified amounts of cash which could be

around the #35,000-a-season talked about in Scotland, but unlikely to

match the #130,000, one-year deal which All Black captain Sean

Fitzpatrick said yesterday he has been offered by the New Zealand RFU,

courtesy of the Murdoch war-chest.

The SRU position was outlined by SRU International Rugby Football

Board representative Freddie McLeod, and it takes the form of the

submission which the Union will place before the IB when it meets in

Paris for three days at the end of the month.

There is little doubt that the Scottish blueprint, or something very

close to it, will be adopted as policy by the board, which has had its

deliberations on the amateurism issue brought into sharp focus by the

Murdoch deal and by the hazy proposals for a global rugby circus

bankrolled, it is said, by Murdoch's arch rival, Kerry Packer.

McLeod declared yesterday: ''There is clearly a situation where there

is a desire to move towards a professional game, or at least a game

where there is a payment for playing in addition to all the other

benefits already available. It would appear from the information that we

have been able to glean so far that this is directly proportional to the

status of the particular nation in world rugby.

''For example, it is clear that New Zealand is advocating a totally

open professional sport whereas at the other end of the scale, countries

such as Argentina and Japan would much prefer that the sport remain

totally amateur.''

He added: ''The Scottish Rugby Union is greatly concerned that the

meeting of the Board in Paris later this month might not come to a firm

conclusion and is perceived to be fudging the issue again. It is

strongly recommended that positive proposals are put in place with

enforcable controls, and that these should be implemented as soon as

possible.''

On those already in employment, he added: ''Inevitably players will

now require to be under contract and this will undoubtedly present some

difficulties. Many existing employers will not accept that an employee

can have two contracts.

''Additionally, those in the services and the police force would not

be permitted under any circumstances to enter into a second contract

which has onerous commitments. There will have to be two contracts, one

for those already in employment and the other for those who are not.''

The SRU envisages the international squad, and perhaps even the A

squad -- around 50 players in total -- would be put under contract by

the Union. They would then become eligible for payment which would be

routed through a trust fund administered by the Union.

The contracts would be ''graded,'' with not every player receiving the

same amount. In addition, the players would still be able to earn money

from off-field activities such as personal appearances as is the case

just now. However, they would have contractural obligations to promote

the game on the Union's behalf.

Paying the players will obviously place a financial burden on the SRU.

However, to some extent, the hand of the SRU -- and all other unions --

has been forced by the realities of the game worldwide where illicit

payments are rife.

McLeod said that if the SRU position is adopted as policy by the board

later this month, all areas of sponsorship would have to be re-examined.

''We have to review our whole commercial strategy. There are only a

limited number of additonal sponsorship opportunities available and we

are going to have to look at all aspects. We are going to have to --

regrettably in some people's mind -- look at the jersey.

''It is a source of revenue in some sponsors' minds if they have a

name on the jersey. We have to look at boot deals and look at how that

could be more individually beneficial to players, but controlled through

the Union.

There is the possibility that the decision to pay international

players could have a knock-on effect at club level. This was something

which McLeod acknowldged and he said: ''We have to take the clubs with

us because the clubs at the end of the day are the union.''

He was unable to put a figure on what internationalists might

earn:''The figure of #35,000 has been mentioned -- not by me I hasten to

add -- and all that I can say is that the figure will be nearer #35,000

than the #130,000 mentioned in New Zealand.''

The SRU, he said, would pay only what it could afford. It would be

folly to do otherwise.

THE BLUEPRINT

* The word ''amateur'' to be removed from the law-book.

* International squad players and, perhaps, A team players, placed

under contract to the Union.

* Players to be paid as yet unspecified amounts, but in line with what

the Union can afford. #35,000-a-season more realistic than the #130,000

which top New Zealand players have been offered by the NZRFU.

* Contracted players will have to carry out promotional work on the

Union's behalf.

* Grading players with rewards commensurate on status.

* Players still able to earn additional cash for off-field activities.

* Three categories of player -- professional, semi-professional and

non-professional.

* Possibility of international jersey sponsorship.

* Career advisory service for retired internationalists.

* All earnings through Union administered Trust fund with accounts

submitted to International Board.

* Professional situation at district, provincial and, even, club level

deserves examination on global basis.

* Players found to be earning outwith official Trust funds face ban.