Gary Parker (Biggar) and Bob McKillop (Stirling County) were named today as the coaches of the Scotland Clubs international team that will play their Irish counterparts in Dublin in March, the first time such a fixture has been played. Grant Wilson (Boroughmuir) will manage the team.

Richard McGhee SRU Community Rugby Services Manager, said: “There is huge enthusiasm in clubs for this game and we felt it was important that those involved in the management of the side were at the coalface of the club game in Scotland. All three excelled in the interview process.”

Parker, 39, the former South and Scotland A winger and goal kicker is in his third year as coach of Biggar, having also coached at Melrose and Gala.
McKillop, 38, a former back-row forward, was player/coach at Dunfermline for five years before returning to Bridgehaugh as coach two years ago.

Wilson, a serving officer in CID with Lothian and Borders Police, is a former Scotland A prop, who has coached Edinburgh under-19s, served on the Edinburgh Board and managed both the Edinburgh under-21 and Edinburgh senior district teams before succeeding Davie Barr as manager at Boroughmuir.

Wilson said: “The clubs international is a concept that we’ve been crying out for. Club players try to catch the eyes of the pro set-ups to get a pro contract but fewer and fewer players are going to be identified through that route given the talent that is now coming through the pro-team academy structure.”

McKillop added: “I see the clubs international as the ultimate step for club players who have a job or the ultimate stepping stone to those who harbour desire to play professionally.”
Parker said: “Professional rugby is moving forward at 100 miles an hour and the creation of the clubs international team creates a tremendous opportunity for club players.

“The advent of professionalism has meant for many players it became simply a pipedream to think of playing for their country – a dream outwith their reach.

“Now there’s a massive opportunity. When I was a player I wanted to play for Scotland. As a coach I want to coach Scotland. This for me is all about giving a group of players the chance to represent Scotland.”

The coaches will be sitting down to discuss selection and training ahead of the match at Donnybrook, Dublin on Friday 10 March (7.35pm). The match will be shown on TV in Ireland.

However the selection criteria at this stage are that players are:

• Scottish eligible
• Currently playing club rugby in Scotland
Ineligible players are
• Those currently contracted to SRU pro-teams (excluding apprentices who are eligible)
• Senior academy players (junior academy players are eligible)
• Former full-time professionals who have either played as professionals for more than three years or have been contracted full-time within the previous 12 months
• Former internationalists at either senior international or A international level (former sevens internationalists are eligible)

This article was posted on 24-Jan-2006, 17:10 by Hugh Barrow.