THE revelation this weekend that neither the Scottish Rugby Union nor the Welsh Rugby Union intends to donate to motor neurone disease (MND) charities any of the proceeds from the match for the Doddie Weir Cup in Cardiff this weekend should not have surprised anyone.

At no time since the extra Wales v Scotland match was announced back in January has anyone at the SRU or WRU said they would be raising money for Doddie’s charity, and the big man himself has been happy to promote the match simply to raise awareness of MND and the need for research into this dreadful disease.

Remember that Weir, who played 61 times for Scotland between 1990 and 2000, has already raised more than £500,000 to help fund research, but he and everyone who has any awareness of MND knows that much, much more money needs to be found to pay for research – I remind you that the UK Government was forced into a humiliating admission in April that they were not putting £52 million a year into MND research as then Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had claimed but actually only £4.6m – or half the price of an army tank to put it in perspective. And Hunt is now Foreign Secretary partially doing the sums for Brexit, heaven help us…

I am totally in favour of what the match will do in terms of raising awareness about MND and I hope that Doddie gets the personal acclaim he truly deserves for his courage in confronting his condition and raising money to find a cure that he, sadly, will not benefit from.

It grates, however, that the SRU in particular are giving nothing from their income for this match which will be substantial given their share of the television fees at least.

It is something of a public relations disaster for the SRU and WRU, who will both be seen to be profiting from the undoubted goodwill that extends to Doddie across the global rugby community. Even something like £10k or £20k each would be a gesture – and the SRU, don’t forget, keeps telling us how their finances are improving so the Murrayfield bosses shouldn’t hold back.

It comes as yet another PR setback for the Murrayfield blazerati. What with the Keith Russell case, the multiple governance issues, the Super 6 controversy and the row over the new mini-stadium at Murrayfield – to be fair Edinburgh Council is as much to blame for that as the union – it would be no exaggeration to say that the SRU management are a trifle clodhopping when it comes to PR and the image of rugby in Scotland. The two unions should have foreseen at least some public distaste over the fact that they are not handing over any of their profits – and the match will be profitable because the existing ticket sales and the BBC television fees alone will ensure a profit before any sales of hospitality are taken into account.

I am well aware that people buying tickets online were offered the chance to donate £1 or £2 to the ‘My Name’5 Doddie Foundation’ and the Welsh Rugby Union’s Charitable Trust which is also being supported by the fixture. I trust that everyone who bought their tickets in this manner did so. But what about the companies selling hospitality and travel packages? Are they giving any of their profits?

The match is not a sell-out though the £25 and £35 seats are apparently all gone – there were plenty tickets available in the £45 and £65 bracket when I checked on Sunday. And no wonder at those prices – throw in travel and parking costs, food and drink and maybe an overnight stay and a car full of fans from Scotland is looking at the best part of £700 to attend the match.

So what can be done? In the absence of leadership from either the SRU or WRU I am suggesting something quite revolutionary – let’s all ignore them and get some direct people power going.

For instance, I hope the players take the lead and donate a proportion of their match fees from Saturday’s game, while anyone like myself who is watching at home should make a donation to Doddie’s Foundation. It’s easy – Text DODDIE to 70970 to donate £5 or text DODDIE to 70191 to donate £10. You can also make a donation via the Foundation website https://www.myname5doddie.co.uk/donate.

If every fan going to the match in Cardiff on Saturday would sacrifice a pint or two and donate one fiver text to the foundation, I am sure a six-figure sum could be raised. Or how about those in the hospitality boxes having a whip round and giving Doddie some serious cash?

So come on all you real rugby people out there – forget the greed-laden denizens of the unions’ boardrooms, let’s all of us club together to help Doddie Weir and his magnificent cause.