GLASGOW rugby is in need of a major revolution if it is to flourish, according to SRU director of rugby Jim Telfer, who also maintains that Glasgow District's failure to qualify for next season's European Cup might yet turn out to be the best thing that could have happened for the future well-being of the west coast game.
Telfer declared at the weekend that the union would take steps to ensure that Glasgow District was still exposed to ``meaningful rugby'' while Edinburgh, North and Midlands, and South of Scotland were on European duty - perhaps in the form of an SRU-funded tour - but he declared: ``Glasgow now has to take a real hard look at what it is trying to do.
``For Glasgow rugby to flourish, it needs a revolution and, to be fair, there are people in Glasgow who are keen for that to happen,'' he added.
Glasgow, and the areas which make up the SRU's Glasgow District, encompass the major population base in Scotland and, in spite of football still being the No.1 sport in many areas, the locality boasts thousands of rugby players yet under-achieves at senior club and representative level to a quite alarming degree.
``There has to be a culture change in attitude if this under-achieving is to be halted.
``The SRU has a major role to play in terms of making sure that Glasgow District still has meaningful games to play now that it is not going to be in Europe but, really, losing the play-off game might yet be the best thing that could have happened to them.
``You can look at it the other way and say that if North and Midlands had lost then that would have been the death-knell for North and Midlands rugby but it is important that a city like Glasgow begins to achieve its potential.
``Glasgow rugby really has to dig deep and determine where it is going. If they had won last week then, may be, they would have said that all of their problems had been solved and that would not have been the case at all.''
Telfer also believes that Stirling County's rightful place is with North and Midlands and not with Glasgow District at all.
Currently, most of County's senior players are with N & M but Ian Jardine, Kenny Logan, and Brian Robertson turn out for Glasgow.
``In terms of its population and the number of rugby players it has at its disposal, Glasgow really should be able to survive without Stirling County,'' said Telfer.
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