Scotland will compete at the Wellington Festival in Berkshire from this weekend and, for the first time, are sending an under-16 development squad to the event.


In previous years, Scotland have competed in the festival at under-17 level, but involving the younger age-group can have benefits. Stephen Gemmell, the SRU’s head of player development, explained: “It’s about us trying to benchmark our players much earlier and make like-for-like comparisons against, for example, England, France and Wales, who involve their under-16 squads in the Festival.

“By identifying players at an earlier age we can look at a five-year programme of taking our most talented to under-20 level with appropriate support.”

U16 squad – Forwards: L Archer (Highland/Inverness Royal Academy), D Elkington (Sedbergh), Z Fagerson (Strathallan), G Robertson (Gala Red Triangle/Galashiels Academy), D Dineen (Stirling County/Dollar Academy), C Cowan (Jed-Forest/Jedburgh GS), J Ritchie (Strathallan), A Miller (Musselburgh/George Watson’s College), S Burnside (North Berwick/North Berwick HS), S Ainslie (Berwick/Berwick Community HS), L Wynne (Stirling County/St Mungo’s HS, Falkirk), C Jollands (Dundee Eagles/HS of Dundee), L Callaghan (Corsham/ St John’s, Marlborough), F Christie (Stewart’s-Melville College). Backs: H Fraser (London Irish/Halliford School, Shepperton), R Norville (Reading Abbey), B Robbins and A Hastings (both George Watson’s College), D Leese (Dundee Eagles/HS of Dundee), J Laird (Kirkcaldy/Buckhaven HS), R Howarth (Gala Red Triangle), J Couper (Glasgow Hawks/Kelvinside Academy), C Wilson (Kilmarnock/Loudon Academy), J Francis (Effingham/Leatherhead & Epsom College), J Price (Madras College FP/Madras College), C Hunter (Stewart’s-Melville College).

This article was posted on 5-Apr-2012, 06:28 by Hugh Barrow.