Scots bowl hopes end in the semis

Posted on Apr 3, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Scotland 7s were knocked out of the Adelaide Sevens Bowl semi-final by the USA today with just one tournament (London) separating them from the eight-leg HSBC Sevens World Series finale at Murrayfield, Edinburgh at the at the end of May (28/29).

After a tough start to the tournament on day one, with consecutive defeats to Cup semi-finalists England (45-7) and seventh-placed Argentina (22-7), a 19-14 win over Papua New Guinea set up today’s Bowl quarter-final with the Cook Islands.

A comfortable clean sheet win over the Islanders (28-0) put the Scots through against the USA where a poor start was their ultimate undoing, despite a gutsy comeback (29-19).

Scotland 7s head coach Graham Shiel, said: “The players took a lot of confidence from the Cook Islands match into the USA game and ultimately we put ourselves in a position to win the semi-final.

“In the second half we were pushing really hard and were accurate for that period to change the momentum of the match but we couldn’t sustain that level of performance and eventually relinquished possession and ultimately the scores.

“At the moment we’re making small advances but without consistency in the squad we take steps backwards which is the frustrating part of our performances.

“Differences in core skills are highlighted most under pressure, especially on a world stage, which is frustrating for the players who work really hard but when the accuracy isn’t there they’re punished, and rightly so at this level.”

Two tries in either half put Scotland through to the semis without conceding a single point.

Andrew Turnbull and Fraser Harkness crossed the line in the first period followed by a second Turnbull score after the break before Andrew Skeen made it four with a minute remaining.

Skeen’s competence to convert remained throughout the match as he slotted four from four to make for a comfortable scoreline against the relatively inexperience Islanders (28-0).

The win lined the Scots up with the USA in the penultimate round, their opponents earning the right to play for a place in the final with a hard-fought quarter-final win over Shield winners Japan (22-19).

Crucial to the Scot’s undoing was their start to the match, as the United States ran in three tries with no reply to make for a daunting half-time score, 19-0.

However, after the interval, it took Scotland just 40 seconds to get their first try with Mike Adamson registering the unconverted effort before Ross Miller added another, two minutes later.

Skeen’s conversion meant that a single converted score separated the teams (19-12) however, despite the Scottish revival, the USA bit back with two unconverted tries to put them all but through to the final (29-12) though the Scots refused to throw in the towel and held on to the ball for a minute and a half after the hooter until Andrew Turnbull crossed for the consolation try which Skeen converted, 29-19.

Elsewhere in the competition, New Zealand extended their lead at the top of the Series table with a tense 28-20 Cup final victory over South Africa to go 13 points clear of England with two HSBC Sevens World Series tournaments remaining, London and then Edinburgh for the Series finale at Murrayfield stadium on 28 and 29 May 2011.

Day two of the Adelaide Sevens
Bowl quarter-final: Scotland 28-0 Cook Islands
Bowl quarter-final: USA 28-19 Scotland

Day one of the Adelaide Sevens
England 45-7 Scotland
Argentina 22-7 Scotland
Scotland 19-14 Papua New Guinea

Scotland squad for Hong Kong and Adelaide Sevens: Mike Adamson (Glasgow Hawks), Tom Bury (Boroughmuir), Graham Fisken (West of Scotland), Michael Fedo (Team Northumbria), Finlay Gillies (Glasgow Warriors elite development/Currie), Fraser Harkness (Selkirk), James Johnstone (Glasgow Warriors elite development/Currie), Jonny Macdonald (Cardiff University), Ross Miller (Glasgow Hawks), Ross Samson (Edinburgh Rugby), Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh Rugby), Andrew Skeen (Watsonians)

2010/11 HSBC Sevens World Series schedule
Dubai, UAE – 3-4 December 2010
George, South Africa – 10-11 December 2010
Wellington, New Zealand – 4-5 February 2011
Las Vegas, USA – 12-13 February 2011
Hong Kong – 25-27 March 2011
Adelaide, Australia – 2-3 April 2011
London, England – 21-22 May 2011
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – 28-29 MAY 2011

Scotland face Cook Islands in bowl quarters

Posted on Apr 2, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Scotland will meet the Cook Islands in the Bowl quarter-final of the Adelaide sevens, the sixth leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series tomorrow.

The Scots endured a hard start to the tournament with a 45-7 defeat to series title chasing England, and a 22-7 loss to seventh placed Argentina before battling back to defeat PNG (Papua New Guinea), 19-14, and earn a favourable seeding in the Bowl competition where they will face the first of the tournament’s regional qualifiers, the Cook Islands.

Scotland 7s head coach Graham Shiel, said: “We came through a tough day today where possession was again an issue for us. With the ball we can threaten teams but without it we’re struggling to hold out against the stronger teams.

“But the boys showed great heart to come back from 14-0 down at half-time of game three which required great composure and accuracy to bounce back and get the result.

“We started to play the type of game we want to play and will look to take that into our matches tomorrow.”

The Scots lived with the English for the first half, James Johnstone’s try (converted by Mike Adamson) keeping them within reach at the interval (12-7) however a blistering second half from England saw them cross the line another five times to end the convincing win.

Wins over Argentina and PNG were then essential for Cup quarter-final qualification but ultimately the Argentines proved too much for Scotland, keeping a good grasp of possession and running in four tries to a solitary Scottish effort from Andrew Turnbull.

With two games down the Scots’ Bowl fate was confirmed however the final match of day against PNG was crucial to the side’s progression.

The match got off to a poor start for the boys in blue when Albert Levi and Henry Liliket registered converted tries to put PNG 14-0 up at half-time.

However after the break a revitalised Scotland took to the field and ran in three unanswered tries to win the match – Ross Miller, Ross Samson and Finlay Gillies the match winners with the all-important tries.

After Adelaide, the eight-event HSBC Sevens World Series will take its unique brand of entertainment to the UK, first landing in London and then traveling north to Edinburgh for the Series finale at Murrayfield stadium on 28 and 29 May 2011.

Day two of the Adelaide Sevens, Sunday 3 April
Quarter-final: Scotland v Cook Islands (kick-off 11.44am)

Day one of the Adelaide Sevens, Saturday 2 April
England 45-7 Scotland
Argentina 22-7 Scotland
Scotland 19-14 Papua New Guinea

Scotland squad for Hong Kong and Adelaide Sevens: Mike Adamson (Glasgow Hawks), Tom Bury (Boroughmuir), Graham Fisken (West of Scotland), Michael Fedo (Team Northumbria), Finlay Gillies (Glasgow Warriors elite development/Currie), Fraser Harkness (Selkirk), James Johnstone (Glasgow Warriors elite development/Currie), Jonny Macdonald (Cardiff University), Ross Miller (Glasgow Hawks), Ross Samson (Edinburgh Rugby), Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh Rugby), Andrew Skeen (Watsonians)

2010/11 HSBC Sevens World Series schedule
Dubai, UAE – 3-4 December 2010
George, South Africa – 10-11 December 2010
Wellington, New Zealand – 4-5 February 2011
Las Vegas, USA – 12-13 February 2011
Hong Kong – 25-27 March 2011
Adelaide, Australia – 2-3 April 2011
London, England – 21-22 May 2011
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – 28-29 MAY 2011

Ireland Under-18 Schools Team To Play Scotland

Posted on Apr 1, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

The Ireland Under-18 Schools team, sponsored by PwC, has been announced ahead of their crucial game against Scotland Under-18s in Glasgow on Sunday.

The match is a qualifying game for the FIRA/AER U-18 European Championship, which takes place in the Armagnac-Bigorre region of France between 15 and 24 April 2011.

The Ireland Under-18 Schools were defeated by England Schools in the first qualifying fixture back in December, so this game is important in deciding which section of the FIRA-AER tournament they qualify for.  Scotland beat England 26-21 in Leeds last weekend, so the Ireland side now need a bonus point win and to deny Scotland a bonus point to ensure qualification for the elite section.

Coach Terry McMaster knows that his team will have to put in a top performance to overcome a Scotland team that will be brimming with confidence after their win over England: “Scotland showed they are a team with plenty of talent by overcoming England on home soil, so it puts it into perspective as our lads need to deliver a performance against the Scots that is of the highest order.  To put one over a strong England team in those circumstances demands respect.”

“In saying that, I think there is plenty of talent in our own side and while this is a new team coming up against a Scotland side that already has a game under their belt, our team has plenty of knowledge of each other in specific units, through playing together as part of their own schools teams, to knit quickly enough.  The key is to deliver accuracy on their individual areas and the collective will look after itself.”

IRELAND UNDER-18 SCHOOLS Team (v Scotland Under-18s, FIRA-AER Championship Qualifier, Braidholm RFC, Glasgow, Sunday, April 3, kick-off 12pm):

15 – Jack Fitzpatrick (Gonzaga College)
14 – Conor McEllin (Blackrock College)
13 – Robert Henshaw (Marist Athlone)
12 – Chris Farrell (Campbell College)   
11 – Cian O’Halloran (CBC Cork)  
10 – Rory Scannell (PBC Cork)
9 – Luke McGrath (St Michael’s College) Captain 
1 – Gordon Frayne (Clongowes Wood College)  
2 – Bryan Byrne (Clongowes Wood College)   
3 – Edward Byrne (Clongowes Wood College) 
4 – Jerry Sexton (St. Mary’s College)
5 – Donogh Lawler (St. Michael’s College)
6 – Mark Best (Campbell College) 
7 – Dan Leavy (St. Michael’s College)
8 – Ryan Murphy (PBC Cork)
Replacements:
16 – Andrew Murphy (St. Michael’s College)  
17 – Thomas Ferrari (Sligo Grammar School)  
18 – Chris Taylor (Wallace High School) 
19 – Luke Satchwell (The King’s Hospital)
20 – Ben Alexander (RBAI)
21 – David Shanahan (Belvedere College)
22 – Stuart Olding (Belfast Royal Academy)
23 – Rory Scholes (Campbell College)

Ireland U-18 Schools Management Team:
Terry McMaster – Coach
Kenny Hooks – Assistant Coach
Paul Barr – Assistant Coach
Lorcan Balfe – Team Manager
Chris Shields – Strength & Conditioning Coach
Ozzie Fogarty – Team Doctor
David Lyons – Team Physio
Vinnie Hammond – Team Analyst
Jessica O’Brien – Team Co-ordinator

Talented trio of young Scots get NZ opportunity

Posted on Mar 28, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Three of the most promising young talents in the Scottish game are to be given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse themselves in New Zealand rugby and culture after today being named as the joint recipients of this season’s prestigious John Macphail Scholarship.

Lock Grant Gilchrist, stand-off/centre Harry Leonard and hooker George Turner will spend 18 weeks in Christchurch, playing for local clubs and benefitting from the high-end facilities and coaching offered by the Canterbury RFU International High Performance Unit.

The trio will receive specialist support from members of the coaching staff at the Crusaders, the most successful side in Super 15 history.

Among those sharing their expertise will be Todd Blackadder, the one-time All Black captain and Edinburgh player/head coach, ex-New Zealand prop Dave Hewett, who followed Blackadder to the Scottish capital and then back to Canterbury, and Daryl Gibson, the one-time Glasgow Warriors centre who is now an assistant coach with the south island franchise.

Gibson’s fellow former All Blacks, centre Aaron Mauger and lock Norm Maxwell, together with two-time Super 12-winning hooker Matt Sexton, will also be on hand. Each of the visiting youngsters will be assigned an individual mentor and will be able to call on full strength and conditioning, performance analysis and medical support.

The Macphail Scholarship, now entering its seventh year, was established in memory of former Scotland hooker John Macphail, who died in 2004. In Macphail’s business career, he was chief executive, then chairman, of the Edrington Group, a private company that is owned by the Robertson Trust.

The scholarship has a proud record of assisting the development of Scottish talent by exposing them to different environments.

Previous winners include John Barclay, the Glasgow Warriors and Scotland player now widely considered one of the leading openside flankers in the northern hemisphere, Roddy Grant, the 2008 recipient who has captained Edinburgh for much of this season, and Lewis Niven, who has played for the capital club in both the Magners League and Heineken Cup.

Last year’s recipient, hooker Finlay Gillies, is now an Elite Development player with Glasgow.

Graham Lowe, Scottish Rugby’s director of performance rugby, congratulated Gilchrist, Leonard and Turner, saying: “Grant, Harry and George have the potential to go a long way in the game, and spending four months in a set-up like Canterbury’s will be great for them both as players and individuals.

“The support of The Robertson Scholarship Trust has helped us accelerate the development of a number of players in the time the Macphail Scholarship has been up and running, and the high-performance aspect we’ve introduced this year will fortify that process even further.

“Myself and Stephen Gemmell, our head of player development, conducted a detailed study of a number of different options in the southern hemisphere, and the level of support and opportunity offered by the Canterbury RFU we believe is second to none.

“I’ve every confidence that Grant, Harry and George will make the most of this opportunity and return energised and enthused, with a lot of fresh knowledge to exploit.”

Duncan Munro, Director, The Robertson Scholarship Trust, said: “It gives me great pleasure to announce these three fine young players as the recipients of the 2011 John Macphail Scholarship.

“This year is the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Robertson Trust, and it is particularly fitting that it should coincide with the decision by Scottish Rugby to incorporate the John Macphail Scholarship into its Elite Player Development programme as a core strand for its most talented players, at the same time increasing the number of scholars able to benefit,

“Along with the Trustees, Mrs Macphail and her family continue to take a close, personal interest in the experience of each scholar both during and after the period of the award.”

Speaking on behalf of the recipients, Leonard said: “It’s a fabulous honour for us all to receive the John Macphail Scholarship. We’re determined to follow in the footsteps of the guys who have made the most of this opportunity and the prospect of learning and playing in what is another fantastic rugby environment is massively exciting.

“We’re all looking forward to getting out there this weekend and taking as much as possible from the experience.”

Scottish Rugby have been in regular dialogue with both the Canterbury RFU and Crusaders since an earthquake struck Christchurch last month.

Scottish Rugby president Ian McLauchlan has emphasised the sport’s solidarity with those affected by the tragedy, with Munro confirming: “Grant, Harry and George will act as worthy ambassadors at this difficult time. They will convey the support and best wishes of Scottish Rugby and the wider rugby family to the people of Christchurch as they seek to rebuild their city and their communities.”

GRANT GILCHRIST

Grant Gilchrist is an Elite Development player with Edinburgh. The powerful lock forward was schooled at Lornshill Academy and received his grounding in the game at Alloa RFC. He has since moved to Stirling County, and has represented Scotland at under-18, under-19 and under-20 level.

Away from rugby, Gilchrist has studied chemical engineering and benefitted from an apprenticeship with oil giants BP.

Club: Edinburgh/Stirling County
Position: lock
Height: 6ft 8in
Weight: 18st 0lb
D.O.B. 9 August 1990

HARRY LEONARD

Harry William Leonard is a stand-off/centre who was a key figure for Scotland under-20 in their 2011 6 Nations Championship campaign. He was recently awarded an Elite Development contract with Edinburgh, and has represented both Scotland and London South East at under-18 level. Leonard has also turned out for London Irish A.

A former Brighton College first XV captain, Leonard has represented his county at both rugby and football.

Club: Edinburgh/Boroughmuir
Position: stand-off/centre
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 13st 4lb
D.O.B. 28 April 1992

GEORGE TURNER

George Edward Turner was part of the Scotland under-20 squad for the 2011 6 Nations Championship, and has represented his country at under-18 level. The hooker has also played for Edinburgh under-16, under-17 and under-18 and was in the Scotland under-17 training squad in Spain in 2009.

He was named Man of the Match when Stewart’s Melville Lions won the national S1 championships in 2005.

Club: Stewart’s Melville FP
Position: Hooker
Height: 5ft 11in
Weight: 15st 6lb
D.O.B. 8 October 1992

Scott Macleod to leave Edinburgh

Posted on Mar 28, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Scott MacLeod is to leave Edinburgh Rugby Club at the end of the season.

The 32-year-old lock forward has opted not to take up the club’s offer of a contract extension and will join Japanese side Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers when his current deal expires.

The 24-cap Hawick-born second row, who joined Edinburgh in January 2009, today thanked the capital outfit for providing what he calls “a fantastic chapter in my career”.

Four months after MacLeod’s arrival, Edinburgh finished second in the Magners League, their best ever placing. The following year, they went on to win all their home Heineken Cup pool games for the first time, with the one-time Border Reivers and Scarlets player once more to the fore.

MacLeod enthused: “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my two and a bit years with Edinburgh, and I’ll take away a lot of happy memories of things we’ve achieved on the field, and of the people that I’ve encountered.

“There’s a great camaraderie at the club, and it’s a wonderful feeling to play and work beside guys that are friends as well as colleagues.

“I’d like to thank my teammates, and the Edinburgh coaches and staff, for all the support they’ve given me and I look forward to staying in touch with them when I leave the club.

“It’s been a very difficult decision to make, because Edinburgh are close to my heart and I’ve a lot of affection for the club, but the opportunity to go to Japan is exciting not just for me, but for my family. From a lifestyle and learning perspective, this will be great for us all.

"After the recent tragic events in Japan, I’ve been in regular contact with the Steelers, because clearly I would never do anything to expose my family to risk. I have a huge amount of sympathy for those who’ve suffered terrible losses, but I’ve been given the appropriate reassurances and as a family we’re entirely comfortable about going out there.

“My focus remains on helping Edinburgh finish the Magners League regular season strongly, after which I will be throwing myself into this new challenge.”

MacLeod’s desire to immerse himself in his new club and environment has led him to make himself unavailable for Scotland selection at present.

He continued: “I’ve massive respect for the national team and for [Scotland head coach] Andy Robinson. He’s the guy who [as Edinburgh head coach] brought me back up here in 2009, and I thoroughly enjoy playing for him.

“He knows the massive pride I take in representing my country, but I’ve explained to him that I want to focus my energies on making a success of the move to the Steelers and he understands my position.”

Robinson confirmed: “Scott is a talented and committed rugby player who I’ve enjoyed working with at Edinburgh and with Scotland.

“He’s a very honest person, and he’s sat down with me to detail his reasons for making himself unavailable for selection. I respect his decision and will be happy to talk to him if that situation changes.”

Edinburgh chief executive Craig Docherty said: “We’re clearly disappointed that Scott has decided to head for pastures new and not join the likes of Tim Visser, Ross Ford, Tom Brown and Lee Jones in signing a contract extension, but I’d like to put on record the club’s appreciation for the level of performance and application he’s consistently delivered.”