Rugby: Cambuslang's Duncan can fire Scotland to six nations glory says former captain
Feb 1 2012 by Kenny Smith, Rutherglen Reformer
CAMBUSLANG rugby ace Duncan Weir's former captain believes he's the right man to fire Scotland to Calcutta Cup glory on Saturday.
Former Cathkin High pupil Duncan was last month called up to Andy Robinson's Scotland squad for the opening Six Nations games against England and Wales.
The 21-year-old was given his first full squad call-up after putting together a tremendous run of form for the Glasgow Warriors, scoring some vital points that have helped his side to important victories.
Andy Dick, Duncan's ex-captain at Cambuslang Rugby Club, feels the young stand-off would be the ideal man to see of the Auld Enemy at Murrayfield.
Andy, who played alongside Duncan when he was just 16, said: “I've been reading quite a few blogs about whether Duncan should be playing or not, and it seems to be pretty mixed about whether he will get a game.
“Because Dan Parks is back in the frame, it looks like it will be between him and Greig Laidlaw for a starting spot, but quite a few people felt Duncan should be in there.
“Being biased, I would say yes, he should starting, particularly for his reliability with kicking and kicking from hand. That could be crucial against England and would get them on the backfoot.
“I have to admit I've not seen a lot of him play for Glasgow in person, but from what I've seen of him on TV, he's coping at that level quite comfortably
“I'm sure he'll be just the same when he eventually pulls that Scotland strip on, whether it's this Saturday or in the coming weeks.”
Andy has seen Duncan come on leaps and bounds since his days at Coats Park, leaving to spend a year with Glasgow Hawks in the premier league, before going on to sign his first professional contract with the Warriors in 2010.
He said: “You can particularly see it in his kicking game, which was always exceptional, and it gives some variety to his game, offering something else, and that's the thing he really has improved on the most.
“Duncan's fitness has also been impressive, and that's got to have played a big part in his improvement as well.
“He's quite small, particularly for an international stand-off, but he doesn't shirk away from the physical side of the game - quite the opposite - and he never did when he was at Cambuslang.
“I suppose he probably has surprised me a wee bit in some ways, as we always knew he had the potential to go on and do well, but I never imagined he'd do it so quickly.
“Duncan was quite lucky in some ways with injuries to other players going in his favour, allowing him to get in and show what he can do, but as expected, he's reacted to that well and has taken on the responsibility - he was never one to shirk that either.
“He's been given a chance and grabbed it with both hands, and made that spot with Glasgow his own, even though Ruaraidh Jackson is back in the frame.
“It's hard to remember at times that he's only 21 - and it's only just a couple of years since he was playing for Cambus.”

This article was posted on 2-Feb-2012, 09:02 by Hugh Barrow.