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HADDEN HAILS COMPETITION FOR PLACES
SRU 08/Jan/08
Scotland coach Frank Hadden today named a 35-man squad for training next week as preparations intensify for the 2008 RBS 6 Nations Championship.
Hadden also confirmed that back-row forward Jason White would continue as Scotland captain, the role that he first took on in the 2005 Autumn Tests.
White missed last year’s Six Nations Championship through injury but recovered to give Scotland a typically physical lead during the World Cup.
“Jason is a key figure for us. He sets the tone as a leader both on and off the field and I look forward to working with him again during this season’s Championship,” Hadden said.
Twenty-two of the squad are home based, among them six uncapped players, Edinburgh backs Ben Cairns, Nick De Luca and Calum MacRae, Glasgow wing Thom Evans and prop Moray Low and Edinburgh back-row forward Ross Rennie.
Cairns, 22, a product of the Scotland age-group set-up and Scotland 7s, is listed in the senior Scotland squad for the first time, while wing Simon Danielli returns after missing the World Cup through injury.
Hadden added: “I continue to be impressed with the competition for places in the squad. A number of players have maintained their good form from the World Cup but they are going to be pushed extremely hard by some of our young, up and coming talent in the next few weeks.”
Omitted from the squad since the World Cup are lock Scott Murray, prop Craig Smith and hooker Scott Lawson but Hadden’s message to that trio and other contenders outwith the training squad is that there remains an opportunity to push for places in the Six Nations Championship.
Centre Marcus Di Rollo is also absent but his omission follows his own commitment to make himself available exclusively for his French club, Toulouse, during this season’s championship. Di Rollo is stressing that he is keen to compete anew for a Scotland place thereafter.
Di Rollo said: “Making myself unavailable for Scotland for this year’s 6 Nations Championship was not a decision I took lightly. After a period of injury and transition from Scotland to France I felt it would be beneficial for my game to take some time to settle in to my new club.”
Scotland Squad:
Forwards – John Barclay*, Johnnie Beattie*, Kelly Brown* (all Glasgow Warriors), Dave Callam (Edinburgh)*, Alasdair Dickinson (Gloucester)*, Ross Ford (Edinburgh)*, Jim Hamilton (Leicester Tigers), Nathan Hines (Perpignan), Allister Hogg*, Allan Jacobsen (both Edinburgh), Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors)*, Gavin Kerr (Edinburgh), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Scott MacLeod (Llanelli Scarlets), Euan Murray (Northampton Saints)*, Ross Rennie (Edinburgh)*, Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester)*, Fergus Thomson (Glasgow Warriors)* and Jason White (Sale Sharks (C))
Backs – Mike Blair* Ben Cairns * (both Edinburgh), Chris Cusiter (Perpignan)*, Simon Danielli (Ulster), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh), Thom Evans (Glasgow Warriors), Phil Godman (Edinburgh), Rory Lamont (Sale Sharks), Rory Lawson (Gloucester)*, Calum MacRae (Edinburgh), Graeme Morrison, Dan Parks (both Glasgow Warriors), Chris Paterson (Gloucester), Hugo Southwell (Edinburgh), Nikki Walker (The Ospreys), Simon Webster (Edinburgh)
Injured but invited to the training session
Andrew Henderson (Glasgow Warriors) – knee injury; Simon Taylor (Stade Francais) - thumb injury; and Rob Dewey (Ulster) – knee injury
* = Member of Scottish Institute of Sport
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