SCOTSMEN AGHAST.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 2 July 1927, Page 7

SCOTSMEN AGHAST.

HUGE TRANSFER FEES. The secession of R. M. Kinnear from t-he amateur Rugby ranks to professionalism for the Wigan. Rugby League Chib, for a £1250 bonus and a business appointment, has been a nine daws’ wonder in Scottish sport. In fact,’ Scotland will go on talking about- it- for -some time yet. Kinnear ,is not the first Scottish internationalist to “go over.” A Laidlaw. Hawick, played against Ireland in 1897. and joined Bradford the following year : A. W. Little, also of Hawick’ played against Wales in 1905, and in that year went to Wigan; and G. Douglas, Jedforest, played against Wales in 1921, and later joined Batley, writes “Lauriston” in the “Athletic News.”

The difference between these cases and that of Kin-near is that they were Border players—and in Border Rugby there has always been a large artisan element -supposed to lie particularly susceptible to North of England- bland-ishments—-whereas Kinnear is a cities’ player horn and bred, a product, in a football sense, of the game in the schools.

It may be difficult offhand to bring home to British readers, and even more particularly to Welsh- followers of the game, the subtle difference between an Edinburgh or Glasgow Rugby player an-d a Borderer. The point" is this: In the cities the game was played for many years by boys and men .belonging to what one might term, without stressing class distinctions. the better classes. When Ileriot’s School took up Rugby as the school game they broke through a hairier. Their lead lias been largely followed in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and Rugby is now the game of a large section of the lower middle classes. This -section has been in the past to a. certain extent a feeder of professional Soccer.

DISTINCTION AND DIFFERENCE. One of the arguments used! in connection with the conversion of the secondary schools to Rugby has been that Association football pointed more or less to a professional career in- the game, whereas Rugby football was free from professionalism. The seriousness of the position, as it appears to the Scottish Rugby community, is that a cities’ player, by “going over,” lias broken the ice There must he -potential Kinnears in the recently recruited ranks of the Rugby game in Scotland, and the fear has been expressed- that, where Kinnear has given the lead, others, may follow. Indeed, it is a fact that other players than Kinnear have had- evidence of the interest of North of England Clubs. . . , Incidentally, it may be pointed out tlvta Kinnear might, when taking the plunge, have done so in the richer Association game. When lie was a hoy at school: ho nlaved Rugby for his school on the S-aturdav mornings, and Soccer for ajunior club in the afternoon. _ He could have had his place m the j ranks of the Queen’s Park, and his I presence in at least one important nrofessional club in the "West of Scotland would have been welcomed. On the other hand, had he chosen to remain in Edinburgh he could have had his opportunity of developing either at Tynecastle with Hearts of Midlothian or at Easter Road with the Hibernian Club.