The Scottish Professional Rugby Players' Association (SPRA) last night launched a withering attack on the Scottish Rugby Union over their handling of the closure of Border Reivers.

Set up to protect players' interests, the organisation could not represent them as they should at Scottish Rugby Council level because they have been unable to identify a delegate who could sign up to that body's code of conduct.

However, two days after the closure was announced, SPRA officials met Reivers players after which they issued an emotive statement demanding that the governing body's hierarchy - who met Reivers players and staff before making public their decision on Tuesday - visit Netherdale to explain themselves again.

Their main message was that players believe the SRU set them up to fail this season, by giving them insufficient support. The statement also questions the qualifications of board members to pass judgment on the team's future, lack of marketing, and whether every effort was truly made to save the team.

However, players may also be wondering why the SPRA had not been acting on their behalf before and while the review process was taking place, instead of engaging in a dispute over a matter of principle.

Meanwhile, serious efforts to save the team were being driven through Scottish Borders Council. With Bob Carruthers, the main financial backer of Edinburgh's pro team who made a bid to buy the Reivers franchise, in attendance, councillors passed a motion condemning the SRU action.

They also pledged to approach both the Scottish Executive and the International Rugby Board seeking support for a plan to re-establish the team. Again the puzzle is why, when it has been clear since the SRU threatened to axe a team a year ago, this is happening now? The council made noises about supporting the team then, but nothing subsequently happened.

Steve Bates, the Reivers coach whose grim week included attendance at the funeral of the father of a close friend on the day the team were closed, also met his players yesterday, thanking them for their efforts and encouraging them to remain competitive until the end of the season.

He, too, believes more could and should have been done to save the side and that the rugby case for their survival was clear-cut. Indeed, he had not anticipated closure until last week's SRU board meeting, after which the silence from directors made him fear the worst.

However, he admitted to doubts that any bid to save the team would come too late. "Some of our guys have already accepted contracts elsewhere, so any sort of rescue package would have to take that into consideration," he said. "We'd have to move extremely quickly to pull it together."