Scotland locks horns with English clubs

Another ugly club versus country row looms

English clubs are on a collision course with the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) over the release of Test players for Scotland's game against Australia at Murrayfield on November 6.

The hastily-arranged Wallaby fixture - billed by Scottish bosses as "a celebration of the opening of the Scottish Parliament" - falls outside the 'international window' put aside for the November Tests, and therefore clashes with Round Eight of the Zurich Premiership.

Premier Rugby, the umbrella group that represents English top-flight clubs, have taken an unequivocal stance on the matter.

"There will be no compulsory release of players and the match in question will have to be played using only home-based players," Premier Rugby boss Howard Thomas told the Scotsman newspaper.

"We haven't made this a three-line whip, but we expect clubs to play their full-strength sides that weekend.

"We have commitments to our sponsors, broadcaster and others and they have a right to expect the best.

"We can't allow the club game to be killed off because there is too much international rugby going on."

Scotland now look set to face the might of Australia without the likes of Tom Smith, Jason White, Ben Hinshelwood and Stuart Grimes - a prospect that left coach Matt Williams less than amused.

"It's a disgrace," he said. "English clubs won't release their players for a match celebrating the opening of the Scottish Parliament - do the people of Scotland need me to comment on that?

"I'll leave every Scot in the world to draw their own conclusions.

"I find it sad that there are fine young men who will be denied an international cap and the chance to play at Murrayfield against one of the best teams in the world."

Wales also have a fixture on November 6 - against South Africa in Cardiff - but Thomas has stated that Premier Rugby only has a proplem with the release of Scotland internationals.

The rationale behind this stems from Premier Rugby belief that Scotland's fixture with the Wallabies was confirmed too late to qualify as a fully sanctioned Test - or, in other words, after the 'window' was shut.

But Scotland can take strength from Wales' recent run-in with Toulouse where new Wales captain Gareth Thomas is currently plying his trade.

Toulouse - along with Clermont-Auvergne (Stephen Jones) and Narbonne (Gareth Llewellyn) - raised a similar argument, stating that the late addition of the South Africa fixture to the international calendar did not give them sufficient notice.

However, after the involvement of the IRB, Wales resolved that argument in its favour.

World rugby's governing body has always been clear that a club must release a player once he is called up for international duty, unless he is injured.

If those rules are again applied, then it is likely that Premier Rugby will be forced to back down.

Should a player not be released for an international match, he is then banned from playing for his club side during that period.