In spite of the protracted embarrassment caused to the SRU by the disciplinary action which followed the last Bank of Scotland Pro Cup match, there will be no citing commissioner in place for tonight's match between Edinburgh and Glasgow at Meadowbank.
A Murrayfield spokesman said that in-depth discussions have taken place following the citings of the Borders' George Graham, which saw him banned for a month, and Edinburgh's Nathan Hines and Marty Leslie, both of whom were exonerated. However, officials are unwilling to rush into introducing a new procedure until all the implications are fully considered.
In the short term there would be difficulties in identifying the right candidates, since assessment of neutrality would mean that their associations with both the geographic areas represented by the competing sides and with the governing body itself would come into the equation, as well as the appropriate rugby and legal background.
In the longer term, however, what they must consider is the extent to which an exception from the existing disciplinary procedures for all domestic matches should be made for the professional teams.
With eight matches still to be played in this season's competition, the SRU will remain open to further problems of the sort caused by those citings until the system is overhauled.
lMatt Proudfoot is ready to embark on a mission to pull on a Scotland World Cup jersey two years after being told he would never play again at the top level, writes David Kelso.
The giant South African-born prop's breakthrough came yesterday when he was named in the Bulls squad for next month's launch of the southern hemisphere's Super 12 series and the former Edinburgh Reivers and Melrose player reckons his selection gives him the chance to play himself into Ian McGeechan's plans for the World Cup in Australia next autumn.
Proudfoot, who qualifies as a Scot through his ex-Clyde shipbuilder grandad, suffered a broken ankle seconds after coming off the bench for Scotland A against Samoa at McDiarmid Park in 1998. He failed to win his place back in the Reivers side and they freed him, saying he had no chance of playing high-grade rugby.
He said: ''I felt as if I was in the middle of nowhere, both physically and in terms of my career, but I was still confident I could perform at the highest level if given the chance. There was nothing else for it but to head home to South Africa.
''I started playing again for the Falcons last year, then moved to my former team, the Leopards, and that has been the springboard to my involvement with the Bulls.
''If I can earn a regular place in the Super 12, then I can cope at international level.''
Ironically, a possible international chance for the prop could come in Scotland's two-match series against the Springboks in June.
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