Minute of Annual General Meeting of the Scottish Rugby Union, held in the President’s Suite, BT Murrayfield, on Saturday 10 August 2019 at 10.30am.

Present D Bradbury (President) in the Chair I Barr (Vice-President), PG Laverie, C Rigby, GM Scott, A Little, M Gillanders, W Gardner, A Gray, AJ Forsyth, H Swankie, B Richmond, K Knott, J Halliday and R Hume (Members of the Scottish Rugby Council); J Jeffrey and IT Rankin (co-opted Members of the Scottish Rugby Council). CS Grassie (Board Chairman); LE Thomson and D McMillan (Independent Non-Executive Directors); M Dodson (Chief Executive), RM Howat (Secretary), DC McKay (Chief Operating Officer), AP Healy (Finance Director) - Members of the Scottish Rugby Board. JHR Wright, B Duffy, WG Dixon, AJM Lawson, DAD MacLeod and EA Crozier (Past Presidents) S Begbie (Director of Rugby Development), SJH Gemmell (Technical Director), S Bell (Director of Human Resources), T Scott (Head of Group External Affairs), GA Ireland (Head of Regulation), RG McGhee (Regulatory and Technical Executive), D Struth (Managing Director, ). Club, Associate Body and Associate Club area representatives comprising 122 individuals. There were also in attendance: G Thomson and J Anderson (Council Members elect); A Rae (Championship Committee Convenor); M Cavanagh (sportscotland); representatives of the auditors, members of the press and members of staff .

Distributed for - Meeting N otice of 11 Ju ne 201 9 (includin g Agenda) Meeting - Note on procedure at AGM - Minutes of 2018 AGM - Minutes of 2019 SGM - Scottish Rugby Annual Report - The 201 8/19 Championship Report

Apologies for GB Masson, JB Steven, GK Smith, FCH McLeod, IHP Laughland, RG Young, AM Hosie, GW Jack, AR Irvine, Absence JS Stevenson, I McLauchlan, RW Flockhart (Past Presidents); DM Hunter (Discipline Panel Chair). Clubs – Cambuslang, Cumbernauld, Dundee Morgan, East Kilbride, Glasgow Academicals, Gordonians, Hawick, Hawick Harlequins, Hyndland, Isle of Mull, Langholm, Liberton FP, London Scottish, Mackie Academy FP, Newton Stewart, Ross Sutherland, Strathendrick, Trinity Academicals and Wigtownshire .

Welcome and The President welcomed all present and confirmed that the Meeting was quorate, there being present Opening more than one third of the total members or representatives entitled to attend and vote. Comments The President invited the Secretary to intimate any apologies, which were as noted above. The President paid tribute to absent friends and those in the rugby community who had passed away during the p revious year.

Club The President intimated that club representatives must be members of the clubs which they represent. Representatives

Notice calling The President referred to the Notice calling the Meeting, which is filed with this Minute, and proposed the Meeting that it be taken as read. There was no dissent.

Minutes – 2018 The President confirmed that the draft Minutes of the 2018 AGM had been made available for AGM comment and that all amendment requests made prior to the Notice of the 2019 AGM had been included in the version of the Minutes in the papers made available in advance of this Meeting. The Minutes of the 2018 Annual General Meeting (held on 4 August 2018), copies of which had been distributed prior to the Meeting, were then unanimously approved, being proposed by the President and seconded by J Smith (Leith ).

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Minutes – 2019 The President confirmed that the draft Minutes of the Special General Meeting held on 22 March SGM 2019 had also been made available for comment. A request seeking the inclusion of a point of clarification had been accepted and an updated version of the SGM Minute had been included in the delegate papers made available in advance of this Meeting. The Minutes of the Special General Meeting (held on 22 March 2019), copies of which had been distributed prior to the meeting, were then unanimously approved, being proposed b y the President and seconded by K Quinn ( Marr ).

President's The President reflected on her highlight s from the previous year, including an excellent day at the Report National League Cup Final hosted by Stirling County, Silver Saturday at BT Murrayfield and the annual Club Awards. She looked positively towards the future for Scotland Women who had a new coach, new sponsors and a new broadcast deal. This had been the first season with the new Regional Development team in place under the new regional model. The President had attended a number of local roadshows around Scotland and been encouraged to see how clubs operated so effectively in their communities. Special mention was made of all the volunteers who gave of their time because of their love of the game, as well as in respect of Council colleagues and Club representatives on the various forums. The work being carried out by the Board in securing external investment indicated an exciting period ahead, as did the governance review being carried out by Sir Bill Gammell and Norman Murray. Just as important was to encourage young people to try rugby and to develop their skills. Boys and girls from 273 clubs and schools had played regular, competitive rugby through the Schools & Youth Conferences, with the brightest young players progressing through the Regional Academies. The President concluded by thanking Gregor Townsend and the Scotland team for their efforts and wished them well in the forthcoming Rugby World Cup. She also thanked all the volunteers and staff for their support of grassroots rugby.

Scottish Rugby The Board Chairman, Colin Grassie, indicated that he wished to address the meeting on a number of Update significant matters affecting Scottish Rugby. He had four key messages: 1) Scottish Rugby was now operationally debt-free 2) The rugby world was changing and Scottish Rugby needed to adapt accordingly 3) Lessons had been learned; and 4) The forthcoming governance review presented an opportunity to reposition Scottish Rugby for the modern era. C Grassie expanded by saying that the period of the Union being affected by a significant debt burden – cash debt had peaked at over £23m - was now over and a new period of investment in the game lay ahead. Turnover was up £3.9m (to £61.1m) and the best net year end cash position for over 25 years had been recorded as a direct result of balanced and sustainable financial management. The reduction in debt combined with further surpluses and the improvement in the net cash position would allow more flexibility and the opportunity to further invest in the game. The club and professional games were intrinsically linked; both needed the other, especially given the modest size of the population and the commercial broadcast markets on which the organisation relied. There was a need to work collaboratively as a to maximise the strength of unity and to encourage growth in partnerships across the world. C Grassie noted that the rugby world was entering a period of unprecedented change, with the first Rugby World Cup to be held in Asia, new investment in the English Premiership league, the Six Nations and Pro14 in negotiation with major new commercial partners and the Scottish game as a whole being on the verge of a generational opportunity. Serious investment in the game was now a reality. C Grassie then reflected on the previous 12 months, saying that parts of 2018 had been painful; key lessons had been learned and the Board had fully implemented the recommendations of the review carried out by by Lesley Thomson QC – one of these being the appointment of a new HR Director and talented individuals in other areas. The mistakes of the past had not been forgotten, but it was time to look ahead.

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Turning to issues of governance, C Grassie advised that Sir Bill Gammell and Norman Murray had been commissioned by the Council to review governance, business and operating structures. They would report to the Governance Working Party under Gavin MacColl QC, who would consider their report and make recommendations to the Council and Board as appropriate. He paid tribute to the Dunlop Report, which had been hugely insightful, but the scale and complexity of the organisation was now way beyond what it had been in 2005. The future rugby landscape would also be very different. C Grassie concluded by congratulating the Scottish Rugby representatives on the World Rugby Council, M Dodson, L Thomson and J Jeffrey, in particular J Jeffrey on his election as chair of the 6 Nations Council. He thanked all the volunteers, administrators and match officials, all of the staff, his fellow Board members, the President - who was a magnificent ambassador for the game - and especially the Union’s stakeholders, the clubs. Chief Executive’s Report The Chief Executive, Mark Dodson, was then invited to present his report. M Dodson began by looking back to 2011, when he took up his role. He noted that at that time, there had been no room to use debt as a means to create growth (with the debt at £14.4m and the revenues stagnant). Turnover had been £33m and there had been no Autumn Test broadcasting deal. The national team had been ranked 13 th in the world, the Women’s team were an afterthought and the Sevens team had never won a World Series tournament. The two professional teams had been underfunded, were not close to competing for silverware and crowds at their games were around 2,500 per game . The pathways were neglected and fragmented, and there was no high performance framework in place. He compared this to the results which had just been posted, noting that turnover had increased to £61m, Scottish Rugby was debt free for the first time in a generation and a broadcast, equity and media rights deal was under negotiation which would change the landscape of the global game. The national team was ranked 7 th , having risen as high as 5 th in 2017. The Women’s team had 10 contracted players, a new high performance structure and a new coaching team. The Sevens team had won two tournaments and had a clear pathway for players and coaches. Glasgow had sold out Scotstoun for every game for three years and Edinburgh were about to enter a new era with a purpose-built stadium. There had been massive investment in coaching and a strong Academy set up. and the Scottish/Welsh Cross Border Tournament would provide sterner challenges for senior part-time professional players and would be televised each week by the BBC. M Dodson went on to say that there was, however, no room for complacency and not everything was as healthy as it could be, particularly on the field. M Dodson noted that further increasing turnover would allow for an increase in expenditure to support the game. Any surplus generated was re-invested through debt reduction, capital expenditure and increased investment in rugby. Everything earned was spent on rugby, with no shareholders and no dividends. He looked forward to the Rugby World Cup in Japan and noted the investment in Old Glory DC. He then turned to the domestic game and the new Rugby Development team, with its focus on sustainability, participation and performance. This was against a backdrop of falling player numbers across all Tier 1 nations and a shift in participation away from team sports. More accurate details of player numbers would be available through the new SCRUMS database - with latest results to be published in September. These were predicted to show a decline in numbers. There was also a changing global landscape in the professional and international game. Negotiations were ongoing between the 6 Nations Unions and potential investors which could generate unparalleled investment and be the catalyst for developing further income streams. This would mean changes in the way Scottish Rugby operated, but would safeguard the game for many years to come. M Dodson concluded by saying that although the professional and amateur games continued to diverge this was the time for everyone to work together and to celebrate the future of our game .

Adoption of the The President not ed that the Financial Statements for year ending 31 May 201 9 had been circulated in Financial advance of the meeting as part of the Annual Report and she invited any questions on the Accounts. Statements for

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year ended 31 E A Crozier ( Cartha Queens Park ) noted the drop in commercial income and asked whether this would May 2019 be addressed? A Healy (Finance Director) advised that the main reason for the drop was a reduction in the 6 Nations sponsorship income but that this was likely to improve. D Ward ( Grangemouth Stags ) asked for clarification on what was meant by ‘debt-free’? A Healy responded that while there were debts on the Balance Sheet the ‘debt’ referred to was cash debt. Working capital changed month to month but the average position was positive. There being no further points the President proposed adoption of the Financial Statements. K Richardson , Linlithgow , seconded their adoption and the Financial Statements were duly a dopt ed.

Championship The President invited A Rae, Championship Convenor, to present the Championship Report but in doing Report for so noted that A Rae would be standing down after 6 years and thanked him for all his hard work. Season 2018/19 A Rae noted that the report had been circulated in advance and proposed that it be taken as read. He thanked the competitions staff and the volunteers who sat on the various Competitions Committees. He gave special thanks to the Championship Secretary, N Crooks, and A McCulloch of the Reserve League Committee. In leaving, A Rae noted that the rules had been relaxed considerably, especially at the lower end of the game, but warned that endless relaxation was not sustainable as there was always a need to develop players; especially in the front row. He concluded by welcoming D Belmore’s appointment as the new Championship Convenor. The President invited questions to the Championship Report. There being no questions the President then moved adoption of the R eport . This was approved by acclamation.

Election of The Secretary advised that the following representatives had been elected to serve on the Council: Members of Premiership : Gordon Thomson ( Aberdeen Grammar Rugby ) elected for 3 year term 2019/22. Council Glasgow North Regional League : W Gardner (Uddingston ) re-elected for a 3 year term 2019/22. Referees : K Knott ( Highland Rugby Referees Society ) re-elected for a 3 year term 2019/22. Schools : J Anderson ( Merchiston Castle School ) elected for a 3 year term 2019/22. Women’s Forum : R Hume ( Heriot’s Rugby Club ) re-elected for a 3 year term 2019/22. The President welcomed the new members to Council and thanked departing elected members P G Laverie and J Halliday for their service on Council .

Membership The Secretary intimated that there had been one application for full membership, from Banff RFC . The Applications nomination was put to the Meeting and approved unanimously.

Any Other The President advised that in advance of the Meeting clubs had been asked to indicate any items they Business / wished to see addressed under Other Business. The wording of the questions submitted and answers Questions from given at the Meeting were as follows: Clubs Edinburgh Area Associate Clubs (J Evans): “What are the detailed numbers around adult individuals playing competitive (Regional and National League) rugby – by detailed, I mean:  Adults playing at least 5 games a season for a competitive team (split male and female); and  The change versus last season and versus 5 and 10 years ago. I see no reference to this in the Annual Report.” The President responded: “I would you refer you to the comments made by the Chief Executive earlier in the Meeting during his address about the collection and analysis of data from SCRUMS and publication of results in September”.

Edinburgh Area Associate Clubs (J Evans): “What split of the debt reduction (which is welcome) is down to the BT injection of cash?” The President responded: “Sponsorship funds from BT have been a very welcome funding source to the organisation over the last five years. The increase in Scottish Rugby revenues over this period, however, has been across all income streams – Ticketing, Broadcasting, Commercial and Pro Rugby, Grants, and Other – this is in line with the strategy of maximising revenues to allow increased investment across all levels of the game. Specifically, the BT funding facilitated a number of additional

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rugby investments including the enhanced investment in the Academies, and the introduction of the Club Sustainability Fund, significantly enhancing the Minor Works Grant. Debt reduction forms part of the balanced and sustainable financial management strategy of the organisation - reducing the interest burden and the ongoing cash debt level. This reduction has been achieved in addition to the enhanced investment in the game through increased revenues across all areas of income and is not linked specifically to any one of these income streams.”

Haddington (K Wallace): “Why do the SRU have no clearly visible strategy, shared with the member clubs, with progress reported against this strategy at the AGM and in the Annual Report?” The President responded: “In Scottish Rugby’s 2015/16 Annual Report (p41) the “Journey to 2019/20” the strategic plan was outlined in full, focusing on five key areas:  Winning Teams,  Revenue & Asset Growth/Sustainability,  Developing Talent,  Growing the Domestic Game, and  Sustainable Clubs. This year’s Annual Report outlines Scottish Rugby’s progress on this strategic plan on page 59 with updates across the five specific areas.”

Haddington (K Wallace): “Why did the Nominations Committee go beyond the normal two plus three years for Messrs Grassie and Thomson, as per good governance guidance, and mandated for Council members? Why were potential governance review findings pre-empted by this move? Why are there no restriction of terms on co-opted members?” The President responded: “The Board have reappointed Lesley Thomson and Colin Grassie on recommendation from the Nominations Committee. This took account in particular of the desire to maintain continuity at a time when the organisation is involved in potentially significant investment transactions and a governance review which may lead to recommendations for change. There is no barrier in the Company’s Articles of Association to independent non-executives serving for more than 6 years - the UK Corporate Governance Code - the benchmark code of practice for the UK’s largest companies - does not preclude this either. That Code allows for the Chair to continue for a period of up to 9 years from the initial date of appointment. The UK Sport Code for Sports Governance allows for up to 12 years. These appointments by Scottish Rugby operate within these parameters. The Board needs to continue to operate effectively throughout the period the Gammell Review is conducted and afterwards once the outcome of that review is known and the implications are considered. Whatever the outcome of the Gammell Review may be, Sir Bill Gammell is still to report, so there can be no question of pre-empting any findings. In referring to co-opted members it is assumed this is a reference to co-opted members of Council. Their terms of office depend on the underlying appointment to the body concerned. Performance in post is evaluated annually by the Nominations Committee.”

Haddington (K Wallace): “What were the total number of registered senior players last season? This key statistic is absent for the second year in a row in the Annual Report, and has been repeatedly asked for in Forum meetings. In addition, what percentage of reserve team fixtures were unfulfilled?” The President responded: “I would refer to the comments made earlier about the data from SCRUMS.”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “In the aftermath of the employment tribunal’s decision in the matter of Keith Russell, what action was taken by the Union against the employees of the Union who were responsible for the wrongful dismissal of Mr Russell? Why was the unabridged report of Lesley Thomson not published? Has the Board stopped the practise of having former employees sign Non-Disclosure Agreements?” The President responded: “I would refer you to the joint statement made by the Council and Board in September last year and the remarks made at last year’s AGM. Various actions were identified and have been implemented, as commented upon earlier today. Ms Thomson’s report was an internal

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review and for legal reasons, including data protection laws, could not be published, as was explained at the time.”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “a. At the 2016 SGM formed a new company, which SRU entity owns this company? b. The Directors of the three Companies set up after the SGM, Saltire Rugby Holdings (company number SC570837), Limited (company number SC570841) and Edinburgh Rugby Limited (company number SC570847). The Directors are named at Companies House as the CEO Mark Dodson and Robert Howatt General Council and Company Secretary. Good governance would indicate that other non-executive Directors should be appointed to give cover, clarity and comfort to member clubs who ultimately gave permission for these Companies to be formed. Is it the intention of the Board to appoint further interdependent Directors, if not, why not? c. At Companies House all of these Companies are listed as dormant, is that the current situation?” The President responded: “The SGM in 2016 did not actually form any new companies but in any event the Financial Statements for 2017-18 and 2018-19 make clear that the new entities which were formed are all wholly owned subsidiaries of Scottish Rugby Union Limited. I would refer you to Note 7 in the 2017-18 Financial Statements and the same Note in this year’s document. The companies are dormant and been dormant since they were formed – as confirmed in the Financial Statements and at Companies House. Hence non-executive directors have not been appointed to them. The position at formation was decided by the Board, and it will be for the Nominations Committee and Board to decide on who should be corporate officers, if those subsidiaries start to trade.”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “Is it the intention of the Board to sell any of its (The SRUs) interests in 6 nations, pro 14 or EPCR and if so, what percentage of the sale value will be distributed to the non- professional club game? For clarity, is it intended to distribute the capital from any sale in these International Bodies to the Domestic Game?” The President responded: “There are various continuing negotiations in connection with some organisations in which Scottish Rugby has interests. The detail of those negotiations and potential transactions remains confidential and we cannot comment further at the moment. Should these result in additional monies for Scottish Rugby then the Board will, in conjunction with the Council, carefully consider, how those should be applied for the good of the game in Scotland as a whole.”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “Does the board share the concern of many clubs that any new investor will exert undue influence on those bodies?” The President responded: “Any potential future investment will be carefully assessed, and due diligence undertaken. Scottish Rugby will ensure the parameters of any potential investment are clearly defined .”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “How many domestic reserve games were unfulfilled in season 2018/19 and how does that compare to the previous season?” The President responded: “There were in aggregate 146 unfulfilled domestic reserve games in 2018- 19 and 190 in season 2017-18. We do have this data broken down by league and will write to the club with those additional details.”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “What plans are in place to recruit, train, develop and retain referees in Scotland? What budget has been allocated to this?” The President responded: “Please see page 42 of the Annual Report. The quantity and quality of the match official workforce in Scotland is increased through training courses and continuous personal development sessions. These courses and sessions are delivered regularly by society trainers and department staff to trainees and match officials and are budgeted for. The recruitment, development and retention of referees throughout all levels of the game is currently being reviewed as part of the Pathways review project. This pr oject aims to produce clear pathways into refereeing (as well as

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playing, coaching, and volunteering) in addition to developing a new range of qualifications and workshops. We aim to communicate the new pathways to stakeholders in November.”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “Will unabridged reports be made available to the stakeholder clubs from our international representatives setting out what they have achieved in the last 12 months?” The President responded: “No. International Representatives provide regular reports to the Board and to the Council as part of routine business. The Nominations Committee reviews international representatives’ activity each year.”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “The position of Chairperson of the International Representatives sub group is a matter devolved to the SRU Council. Why does the CEO hold that position?”

The President responded: “This is not actually something devolved to the Council. The sub-group is chaired by the Chief Executive because of the need to ensure effective co-ordination of policy and decision-making across a number of bodies .”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “The Dunlop Report established the Governance system under which we presently operate, yet there appear to be no parity in the length of terms of office that non-executive directors hold and Council elected board members. Why is this?” The President responded: “I refer to the answer given earlier. Council elected Board members’ terms of office are subject to the operation of the Bye-Laws and election rules which regulate the period in office on Council. Independent non-executive terms are governed by the Articles of Association which do not impose the same limits and have not done for many years. I would note that various aspects of governance have changed since the Dunlop Report including the change in the length of President’s term of office from 1 year to 2 years and the merger of the role of President and Chair of Council.”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “Why are Council and Board minutes not published and circulated via SRU Council representative, with commercially sensitive material referenced but edited?” The President responded: “Council and Board minutes are detailed and refer to a number of confidential and other matters, as the questioner will be aware. Council has nominated four individuals to the Board and they provide regular reports back to Council on Board activity, in accordance with our governance structures. The Board and Council have taken the view that this is sufficient and that publication of minutes is not necessary or appropriate, reflecting the practice over a number of years.”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “As we have an internal Communications team, why have the board retained the services of “the Big Partnership”, an external organisation doing the same job? What has been the extra cost incurred by this external appointment and what is their remit?” The President responded: “Scottish Rugby, given the scale of our operations, works with a range of external specialist suppliers across audit, stadia, engineering and other functions including communications. Scottish Rugby has retained the Big Partnership for a number of years and uses its services on a case by case basis on proactive and reactive matters when additional support is considered necessary.”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “How many external consulting companies have been employed by the SRU over the last 18 months and how much in total have they been paid?” The President responded: “From time to time external companies are engaged to provide specialist input to various matters across the organisation, in a similar manner to many organisations of this size – examples of this would include tax compliance, specific marketing pieces, IT compliance and maintenance, rugby development projects and national rugby performance. The costs form part of the relevant departments’ budget. Commercially confidential rates and specific engagements would not be disclosed.” Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “What is the combined salaries of the three highest paid employees of the SRU over the past financial year? (excluding players and coaches)”

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The President responded: “This is not information which we are prepared to make available. It is not usual business practice, may create unnecessary speculation and create confusion with information which is already provided as part of statutory reporting requirements. ”

Cartha Queens Park (E A Crozier): “In my capacity as a Past President, I was given an undertaking that a Past SRU Presidents Honour Board had been given capex approval in the work that was authorised in 2016 as part of the Bar and infrastructure improvements within BT Murrayfield. With the Board to be placed within the Presidents Suite or at the entrance to I made reference to this in my President address to the Clubs at the 2016 AGM. Can I respectfully request when is this going to be carried out?” The President responded: “We are currently making a significant investment in BT Murrayfield’s facilities within our suites. We note Mr Crozier’s request for an update on the Past President’s Honour Board and this will be taken forward as that work continues.”

GHA RFC (R Jericevich): “How much money have the Scottish Rugby Union invested in the new 3G Facility at the Greenyards (Melrose RFC)?” The President responded: “Scottish Rugby were approached to partner with Scottish Borders Council in their project to deliver a new 3G artificial surface at the Greenyards, the home of sevens and a global iconic site in Scotland. The contribution agreed is up to £100,000 for 4 years.”

GHA RFC (R Jericevich): “If Scottish Rugby’s investment in the new 3G Facility at the Greeenyards (Melrose RFC) was not awarded from the Annual Club Sustainability Fund, then on what basis is the SRU awarding this funding and how do other member clubs access Facility Funding outwith the Club Sustainability Fund?” The President responded: “Scottish Rugby’s partnership with Scottish Borders Council has been brought about by a direct approach from the Council to partner in the project, and following a series of discussions and negotiations, agreement was reached. This is also intended to be part of a wider and deeper partnership. As noted, this was a unique opportunity involving a number of factors including the location, the involvement of other parties, the timing, and the subsequent expected increased use and playing opportunities presented. Scottish Rugby is open to such approaches from any other local authorities who are looking to invest significant sums in facilities from which rugby can benefit, and would look at each case on its own individual circumstances and merits.”

Questions from The President then invited any further questions from the floor. the floor P Thomas ( Currie ) noted that the Chairman had said in his report that the Gammell Report would go to the Governance Working Party and asked for a reassurance that the report would be published in full to the clubs. The President responded that the report would go to the Governance Working Party and a decision would be made at that time regarding publication. P Thomas encouraged the Board to ensure openness and the President advised that this was a decision which would be made in conjunction with Sir Bill Gammell. The Chairman of the Board added that the review would be received in a final form and would be accepted as such. He noted that he was comfortable with P Thomas’s comments on publication. D Ward ( Grangemouth ) asked what lessons had been learned by the President, Secretary and Chief Executive following the Thomson review. The President responded that the lessons had been learned. The Chairman added whilst it would not be right to reveal confidential information it was recognised that following due process was very important. W Faulds ( Falkirk ) asked whether the decision to withdraw a substantially altered Motion at the SGM had set a precedent. The President responded that there was no precedent set, that any proposer of a Motion had the right to withdraw a Motion which had been fundamentally altered.

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P Thomas ( Currie ) asked whether a separate set of Competition Rules had been developed for Super 6 as there were concerns regarding the crossover between Super 6 and the Premiership, particularly regarding the deadlines for player registration with Super 6 starting a month after the Premiership. M Dodson said that he would respond directly on this point at a later date

Meeting Close The Meeting, which had commenced at 10.30am, closed at 12.08pm with a vote of thanks to the Chair.

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