SCOTS TO THE FOUR
Hadden eyes World Cup semis
By Roddy Duncan
SCOTLAND boss Frank Hadden has backed his Six Nation flops to fight back and finish in the top four at the World Cup.

He claimed his injury-hit side, which finished bottom of the table, can perform much better and tipped them to come good for the September showdowns.

Hadden said: "This side is a couple of years from its peak but I think it will be very effective at the World Cup later in the year.

"I believe we can do something special in France and I expect us to perform in a way that gives us every chance of going further than the quarter-finals."

Hadden stressed Scotland's injuries played a big part in the Six Nations results in contrast to Ireland who made few changes.

He said: "We would have liked continuity of selection throughout the championship but it just wasn't to be. That is a very important thing to have.


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"At one stage we had 18 players unavailable for selection just prior to the Six Nations.


"If you look at the Irish, they have developed a side and they pretty much stick to it every match."


One of Hadden's absentees, hooker Scotty Lawson, is set to make his big-stage comeback for Euro hopefuls Glasgow after months of frustration on the sidelines.


Lawson emerged unscathed from the Warriors' Challenge Cup warm-up clash with neighbours Glasgow Hawks and is likely to feature in coach Sean Lineen's plans for the quarter-final showdown with Saracens at Vicarage Road a week on Sunday.


Deposed Premiership champions Hawks held the Warriors to a 14-14 draw at Old Anniesland. Thom Evans and Justin Va'a went over for the pro team, with Ricky Munday and Ally Maclay replying for Hawks.


Meanwhile, Glasgow signing Max Evans will make his Scotland short-game debut in the world sevens capital of Hong Kong.


Evans, who has clinched a full-time deal to join brother Thom in theWarriors set-up, is one of several fresh faces in coach Stevie Gemmell's squad to compete at the prestigious Credit Suisse event next weekend and the Adelaide tournament the following week.

This article was posted on 23-Mar-2007, 08:13 by Hugh Barrow.