THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS


DUNCAN SMITH


GARY Parker believes the new Scotland club select squad can inspire the country's amateurs to believe they can make the step up to the professional rugby.

The Biggar coach and Stirling County's Bob McKillop were yesterday named as the coaching team who will lead the Scottish select against their Irish counterparts in the augural clubs international in Dublin next month.


The match will take place at Donnybrook on the eve of the full Six Nations international between the nations at Lansdowne Road and Parker, the former Melrose and Scotland A winger, believes the concept will invigorate players at grassroots level who would previously viewed representing their country as an impossible dream.

Parker said: "Professional rugby is moving forward at a hundred miles an hour and the creation of the clubs international team creates a tremendous opportunity. 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 for them to state their case for a future in the game as professionals. This is all about giving a group of players the chance to represent Scotland and I believe the fixture will be such a hit that England and the other top European nations will want to get in on the act."

The squad will be managed by Grant Wilson, the former Boroughmuir and Scotland A prop, who added: "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."

The selection criteria set out yesterday stated that players will have to be eligible to play for Scotland and be currently playing club rugby in this country. Players ineligible include those currently contracted to 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 and former internationalists at either senior international or A international level (former sevens internationals are eligible).

Mick Galwey will manage the Ireland squad.

This article was posted on 25-Jan-2006, 08:39 by Hugh Barrow.