How did the furlough process come about?

“We’ve been looking at this situation really closely for a large number of weeks and I think our first look at this was to say how do we protect as many jobs as we possibly can in Scottish Rugby and how do we make decisions that are least impactful on people’s daily lives and wage packets but more importantly takes the same strong action we need to get ourselves through this difficult period to 1^st September.

“We did a massive series of financial models and we took our time to understand exactly what our cash flow position looked like and initially our view was that we felt through a process of deferrals we should be able to be in a position to give a snapshot of where we wanted to go.

“It became clear as the Autumn Test schedule was in doubt that we had to start thinking about making those deferrals into cuts. I think in my point of view and others was that those deferrals were always going to be ending in some kind of pay cut but we made a decision very clearly in the last board meeting that we were going to go ahead and protect our position until 1^st September.”

What support has there been for clubs?

“The first thing we did was before we started looking at the employees of the business, we looked at the clubs. As soon as we realised the impact of COVID-19, we put together a Club Hardship Fund of £500,000 that was immediately put aside for clubs that found themselves in a difficult position because we knew that some clubs would find themselves instantly in a problem and other clubs would find themselves rediscovering problems for as long as time went on.

“I felt that was the right thing to do but in tandem with that we accelerated a further £900,000 of club payments from May into April so we could help the clubs with their cash flow.

“Once we put that message out to clubs and then started to look at the organisation itself and how it could take itself forward until the real pinch point which could be 1^st September.”

What is the latest update with regards to the upcoming rugby season?

“I think the Summer Tour looks almost impossible to take place now. I think the level of impact the virus has had – certainly in Europe – has made that very difficult to envisage and the longer the uncertainty goes on the more difficult it is to understand exactly what we are going to do in the autumn.

“We’ve taken the decision not to put our Autumn Test tickets on sale yet because we don’t think it’s an appropriate time to do that while people are thinking about their jobs and their own security and secondly we want more clarity about what those games will be and when they will be able to take place.”

Will the current season be completed?

“I think each individual body is looking at their own tournament and how it can be completed, how they are going to assess next season and how quickly they are able to start rugby in case they can’t finish this season’s tournament. It’s a difficult thing now and I sit on a number of those bodies along with my colleagues Dominic [McKay] and Robert [Howat] and Ian Rankin from the council.

“We spend a lot of time looking at models in which we can try and finish the season but we need to gauge when it is safe to do so. We can’t just start playing immediately again as the players need a pre-season and need to be re-conditioned and we’ve got travel issues as well.

“There are multiple problems so every time we look at one component of this particular calendar to complete you find that it is undermined by other information from the government or the medical officers.”

Does that mean a more collaborative and cohesive approach needs to be taken?

“What has been really pleasing about this is the level of co-operation we’ve got with the home unions but also a new dialogue is emerging with SANZAAR. I think we’ve got to see that this is clearly a crisis and we’ve got to make sure we look after our employees and look after our clubs. We need to make sure Scottish Rugby is in a shape that we can get over this bridge to the point where the virus subsides and we are still intact and we can still function. As well as the crisis, there is also an opportunity to use this period where we have to reflect more fully on the game as a whole and the game from a global perspective and look at how can we best restart and recalibrate what we’ve currently got.”

How do you come to the decision to furlough the players?

“We’ve had a good conversation with Rugby Players Scotland (RPS) and the players have been at the forefront of our thoughts along with our off-field staff. It’s important that we understand what they are going through at the moment as they were playing for a competition and they were readying themselves for the end of an international tournament as well.

“We’ve taken a long time to think about what the best solution would be for them and we believe because there will be no rugby played for the foreseeable future that it was best to furlough all our playing staff.

“I think it gives them certainty. It gives them an opportunity to rest and an opportunity to recover which you would not normally get in a Rugby World Cup year or indeed in any other season. It gives them a straight stretch where they can actually go back and spend time with their families and recharge mentally and physically. When they come out that furlough period and into games again we can then put them through a pre-season training session which can get them in peak fitness for the coming matches.

What is your message to the Scottish Rugby community?

“Our message is always about what we can do best for others. There is a lot of noise and advice given by people on what we should ought to do. We’ve had to sit down and think what is best for Scottish Rugby, its employees and its stakeholders. What my message would be to them is don’t panic.

“We are sensibly handling this from the centre. We are looking at this from a proper perspective financially and doing this with compassion. We are trying to make the most intelligent solution possible that gets everyone safe and everyone to the point where the virus subsides and we can safely start rugby again domestically, professionally and internationally.

“The priority is our people, our clubs and the game itself. We will do the right thing.”

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