BARCLAY WINS MACPHAIL SCHOLARSHIP
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John Barclay

Date Posted: 29-Apr-05

Teenager John Barclay, who was included in the senior Scotland squad earlier this season, is the first recipient of the John Macphail Scholarship.

Barclay, a flanker, who is contracted to Glasgow Rugby and plays his club rugby with Glasgow Hutchesons’ Aloysians will spend his summer playing with the Marist St. Pats club in Wellington, New Zealand.

John Macphail, won two caps for Scotland as a hooker against England in 1949 and South Africa in 1951. In his business career John Macphail was chief executive and then chairman of the Edrington Group, a private company that is owned by the Robertson Trust.

John Macphail died last summer and the trustees were keen to establish a scholarship in his memory.

Ian Good, current chairman of both the Edrington Group and the Robertson Trust, said: “With the help of Scottish Rugby, the trustees have established the John Macphail Scholarship, which provides an opportunity for a young, up and coming Scottish rugby player to benefit from coaching and playing in this case in New Zealand.”

Richie Dixon, Scottish Rugby’s Head of Coach Development, said: “We are delighted that John is the first recipient of this award. It will afford an excellent development opportunity for one of our most promising young players.

“Whilst in New Zealand at the Marist St Pats club in Wellington John will be following a programme to enhance his back-row and rugby skills. His programme will be monitored and we will receive regular reports on his progress.”

John Barclay said: “I’m very honoured to be the first recipient of this scholarship. Hopefully this will help me emulate John Macphail and go on to achieve my ambition of playing for my country at the highest level.”

John Barclay’s biography is attached


JOHN BARCLAY (Glasgow Rugby) Flanker. Born: 24.9.86 in Hong Kong. 6ft 3in, 15st. John Adam Barclay was first named in the full Scotland squad for the 2004 Abbey Autumn Tests having been in the development squad in the build-up to the four match series. He was named man of the match when he helped Dollar Academy to an impressive 27-14 win against Dundee Hugh School in the Bell Lawrie White Scottish Schools Cup final at Murrayfield in 2004, and he is now a member of the Glasgow Rugby Academy and the West of Scotland Institute of Sport. He made a considerable impact playing in the back-row for Scotland under-18 in the Four Home Unions' tournament, and he played for Scottish Thistles on the European seven-a-side circuit tournament in Budapest in 2003. Even though he was plagued with a groin injury for most of the 2003/04 season, he was presented with the prestigious award for rugby at the National Playing Fields Association Annual Awards for Young Scotsmen and women in December of 2003. This season he has played club rugby firstly for Glasgow Hawks and then GHA and continued his representative honours in the Scotland under-19 team of which he has been captain.

This article was posted on 29-Apr-2005, 10:17 by Hugh Barrow.