Scotland - White ready for the Boks

White promises to lead by example against Boks
RUPERT ALLCOCK

SCOTLAND captain Jason White has promised to lead by example from the first tackle against South Africa until tje end of the World Cup.

The Edinburgh-born forward returned from a serious knee injury sustained last autumn against Romania to enjoy the 31-21 victory over Ireland at Murrayfield last week.

Now he is looking forward to the final warm-up Test against South Africa on Saturday, and the beginning of the World Cup campaign a few weeks later.

Scotland begin their campaign in Saint-Etienne with a match against Portugal on September 9. And 29-year-old White maintains that the only way he can think and act positively is by getting matches under his belt.

"I have obviously got to try to give a lead to the guys and that's both on and off the field," said the Sale Sharks blindside flanker. "The best thing I can do is to play well for Scotland, so hopefully I can continue my rehabilitation coming back from injury and then play well when it comes to the 80 minutes out on the pitch.

"You have got to get on the pitch and play together and injuries will always happen in a contact sport like rugby. No matter what happens you have got to go in hard and the only way to win is really by taking the game to these teams."

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden named his 30-man squad for the World Cup on Tuesday and the surprise inclusion was 20-year-old uncapped Glasgow openside flanker John Barclay. But White has no doubt that Barclay, who was thrust into the limelight when called up previously by former Scotland coach Matt Williams when still a pupil at Dollar Academy, will cope well with the experience.

"John looks like a real natural rugby player and physically he will develop in the next couple of years just as he continues with his weight training," said White.

"But I really think he will be a star player for Scotland in the years to come."

Bayonne have banned Mike Tewhata for two matches after the New Zealander second row punched Ireland skipper Brian O'Driscoll in a friendly, ruling out the captain for Ireland's World Cup opener against Namibia next month.

"Bayonne have decided not to field Mike Tewhata in his next (two) games of the Baionan Rugby Tour," the French club said in a statement yesterday.

O'Driscoll suffered a fractured sinus and a deep laceration under his right eye following a brawl in Ireland's 42-6 win on Thursday. The tour features matches between Bayonne, Sale, Ireland, Leicester, Auch, Pau, Stade Francais and Metrop Racing.

Ireland play Pool D opponents Namibia on Sept. 9.

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