THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS
DAVID FERGUSON CHIEF RUGBY WRITER ([email protected])
HENLEY has proven to be the place of dreams for some of Britain's finest rowers, but the small English town will become special for at least one Scottish rugby player tomorrow.

Stevie Swindall was yesterday selected in his first Scotland A side, for tomorrow's opening Barclays Churchill Cup match with the USA at Henley-on-Thames. The 24-year-old has become a popular figure for Glasgow this season and his recent good form has now been rewarded by Frank Hadden, the national coach.

Hadden has named ten full caps in the XV to face an Eagles side looking to regain pride following their 51-3 loss to England on Friday night, with former Under-21 cap Swindall the only newcomer to A-team rugby.

Hadden said: "Stevie has been very impressive. Everyone knew he had a lot of ability and talent and it was only a matter of time before he forced his way into the reckoning and his series of performances for Glasgow over the last few months have forced me to pick him up on the radar. He has been part of an outstanding back-row and pack effort at Glasgow. He works hard and deserves his chance at this level."

Swindall plays in an all-Glasgow back- row, alongside regular team-mates Johnnie Beattie and John Barclay, but while the younger duo are eyeing the chance to press World Cup claims, the blindside flanker is simply delighted to be heading to Henley.

He said: "We were in the first-team meeting going through the plays and moves when they announced the team and I was shell-shocked at first because I was just pleased to be sitting in the room really. I've been on cloud nine since.

"I do feel I've been coming on leaps and bounds, mostly with consistency I think. In the past few seasons I've had the odd good game but, like Glasgow perhaps, not been able to string them together. But in the last couple of months it's helped me that the team has been playing consistently well. We really believe now and we're developing a winning mentality at Glasgow, which has improved my game and everyone else's I think."

Swindall always looked a quality player as he battered through the schools and age-grade ranks as a powerful, athletic forward. He was passed over for contracts in his first couple of seasons at Glasgow Hawks, but was taken on in 2005 by Hugh Campbell, the then Glasgow coach, and put on a strict fitness regime to lose some excess body fat. His form dipped as he then worked his way back to the bulldozing style for which he is famed, and it is only this season that the real Swindall has emerged as a contender for honours.

"The last two years have also been a big learning curve," he said. "Being a professional rugby player, you have to keep yourself motivated through the dreich months of the winter. You have to fight through that, keep going to the gym and trying to enjoy your rugby.

"In the past I've maybe got bored with my rugby halfway through the season and not enjoyed it, but this season I've got through and the lads have all helped each other through it, and Glasgow has been a great place to be.

"But I'm not thinking about the World Cup. Maybe some of the other boys are, but this is obviously my first game for Scotland A so I'll just take that step right now. Anything that comes after that will be an extra bonus, but I'm just so pleased to be playing for Scotland A."

Rory Lawson will again lead Scotland A into the Churchill Cup after being pulled in for Mark McMillan, who came off the bench for Wasps in Sunday's Heineken Cup final, and Hadden has rewarded his former Merchiston Castle pupil, Iain Fullarton, for his ability to hold down a jersey at Saracens by picking him for the first time.

The competition at lock is fierce, but all who start tomorrow have varying chances of making the World Cup. Bruce Douglas is a player whose World Cup hopes may well be resurrected in Henley. The tight-head prop, who is expected to join a French club this summer, suffered the sudden loss of his father early this season and struggled, somewhat inevitably, to maintain his high standards of fitness and performance levels, and so lost his place in the national squad.

However, Hadden and George Graham, the Scotland forwards coach, were impressed by his end-of-season form and at just 27 and, significantly, with 43 caps to his name, Douglas and Craig Smith - who starts on the bench tomorrow after a lengthy absence through injury - remain serious contenders for the World Cup, according to the coach.

Calum MacRae is another who could tilt Hadden's thinking as the coach is still short on genuine outside centres. MacRae is back in the position he started in with the Borders for tomorrow's game and while his ability to offer cover for stand-off, full-back and goal-kicking will boost his World Cup chances, Hadden admitted he expected the former Melrose player to put "a lot of pressure" on Marcus Di Rollo and second-choice Ben MacDougall.

"A-team rugby is all about opportunity," added Hadden, "for players who haven't played before, for players injured at critical times, for players to make the management change their mind about where they are in the pecking order." Few will underestimate the value, therefore, of the next fortnight.

This article was posted on 22-May-2007, 06:40 by Hugh Barrow.