Foreign influx is a slap in the face for Scots

Bringing in foreign talent is a short-sighted approach to hunting for success.

It’s a while since Michael Bradley left Edinburgh to be replaced by the South African, Alan Solomons.

In his time at the club, Bradley had made a few ‘interesting’ signings from various corners of the rugby-playing world including Georgia. But Solomons has been very clear about his source of players.

Few could question his pedigree as a coach. He’s had success in the Southern Hemisphere and with Ulster, although his short tenure at Northampton was noteworthy for the wrong reasons.

At Ulster he began by turning to his native homeland to strengthen the playing roster and now at Edinburgh he’s doing exactly the same, bringing over both playing and coaching staff.

One has to wonder what his brief is from the SRU’s Chief Executive and Director of Rugby-in-waiting. If it’s about short-term success, perhaps Solomons is approaching it the right way.

He’s bringing in players who have a proven track record with him and, to be fair, Edinburgh’s results have improved. But is this a good long-term strategy and what is the reaction in the dressing room amongst native Scots?

Scott Johnson’s academy template will take time to deliver results, but is the short termism at Edinburgh the right approach for the longer term health of the game? I don’t think so. Much has been made of the dearth of Scottish-born coaches coming through.

For Solomons to recruit his assistant at the Southern Kings is another slap in the face for anyone aspiring to coach at the higher levels of the game in Scotland.

What’s more, the continual procession of South Africans into the squad can’t be good for amateurs with ambitions of playing pro rugby, let alone those on contracts in the Edinburgh squad.

But, there again, has winning become the most important thing for Edinburgh at the expense of the development and longer term health of the Scots game? It would appear so.

Call me old fashioned, but I don’t approve of ‘project players’ who come and live in Scotland for three years just to win an international cap for a country of their second choice because they know they won’t be selected for the country where they belong.

And I don’t like the influx into Edinburgh of foreign players. I’d rather see them lose but at least have a pipeline of Scottish qualified youngsters coming through.