Scottish rugby's first XV

SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY PREDICTS
IAIN MORRISON
Iain Morrison picks his team of the year from across all levels of the game
IT WAS a mixed year for Scottish rugby, with a disappointing Six Nations campaign, when several key players were out injured, followed by yet another exit at the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Still, the past 12 months have been notably successful for at least 15 players who can look back on 2007 with especially fond memories.

1. MORAY LOW (Glasgow Warriors)
I know, I know. Low is a tighthead by nature and an excellent one at that but we had to squeeze him in somewhere. The young man started last season playing for Aberdeen Grammar and finished it in Glasgow's colours. He has tested himself against some of the best in Europe and been found equal to the task.

2. PHILIP FITZGERALD (Stade Toulonaise)
The former Boroughmuir and Watsonians hooker was minding his own business playing second division stuff for Toulon when all of a sudden he finds himself surrounded by a Who's Who of world rugby including Anton Oliver, Victor Matfield, George Gregan, Andrew Mehrtens and Dan Luger. And the club is coached by Tana Umaga. Amazing.

3. BARRY STEWART (Northampton Saints)
Despite being abandoned by Scotland on insurance grounds Stewart has enjoyed his rugby in recent years, helping Sale to a Guinness Premiership title and the European Challenge Cup before signing for Northampton in the summer. It must have been an "Indian" one since Stewart has regularly started ahead of Euan Murray at Franklin's Gardens and has even captained the side.

4. FRASER McKENZIE (Edinburgh)
Now a member of the senior national academy after signing apprentice forms for Edinburgh. He captained Scotland's U19 team in Belfast at the world championships and he fulfilled the same role for the U20 team in their recent match against Glasgow's back-up squad. Some think he will end up as a big breakaway but everyone agrees that he has the talent.

5. SCOTT MURRAY (Montauban)
The long fella must share a love of art with Dorian Grey, he just doesn't seem to age. 2007 saw Murray equal and then pass Gregor Townsend's record of 82 Scotland caps. Murray now sits on 87 and is playing second-tier rugby with Montauban in France. Those that have seen him in action insist that he is so rejuvenated he might yet add to his total.

6. CHRIS FUSARO (Heriot's)
Fusaro, 18, is a No.7 by nature but he demands a place somewhere in this team after an extraordinary year. He won the Bell Lawrie Schools Cup with Bell Baxter and the Youth Cup with Howe of Fife. He made the step from schools rugby to Premier One, with Heriot's, and he made it look easy. He is now playing for Scotland Sevens in the IRB series. Next up is Wellington and after that who knows?

7. JOHN BARCLAY (Glasgow Warriors)
Winning your first cap is special but when it involves a highly creditable performance against Richie McCaw, the best flanker in world rugby, Barclay has even more reason to smile. Since then he has improved steadily to become the most consistent performer across the Scottish pro-teams. And to think he nearly chucked the towel in a few years back.

8. DONNA KENNEDY (retired)
She finally threw her boots in the bin but only after making her 100th appearance for Scotland against France in March. The most capped player ever in the women's game, she has now agreed to pass on some of her knowledge and nous by helping coach the women's academy team. Scotland have not yet found a replacement, how could they?

9. MARK McMILLAN (Wasps)
Scotland boasts three world class scrum-halfs but it is their fourth (or fifth choice) who gets into the team by dint of winning the Heineken Cup. McMillan appeared in most of Wasps' matches, including the final five minutes of the final victory over Leicester. A Scottish winner!

10. RORY HUTTON (Hawick)
"He's an old-fashioned fly-half," said one expert, "he just drifts past defenders." Just as well, because at 12st Hutton isn't about to run over them. It has been suggested he is the best thing to come out of Hawick since Jim Renwick. Is there space in the pro game for such a flyweight player? Has he the temperament to go with his talent? Will Hawick be able to hold on to him?

11. TOM BURY (Boroughmuir)
He is a long way from the finished article but, having struggled to get a game in Edinburgh Accies' second XV last year, the young winger can be reasonably happy with his summer move to Meggetland. Unless disaster strikes he is now playing regular rugby for the next league champions.

12. TOM PHILIP (Edinburgh Accies)
This is a particularly grim fairytale of a man who was capped at the age of 20 while hiding appalling back/groin pain. Some accused him of crying wolf but a London surgeon discovered a couple of vertebrae with the consistency of chalk. His scars alone are enough to make you lie down in a dark room with a cold compress. After three years out Philip is playing again, still suffering and still streets ahead of anyone else on the pitch.

13. NICK DE LUCA (Edinburgh)
He makes too many mistakes and was lucky not to see yellow after tackling Brian O'Driscoll off the ball last weekend, but the classy centre can do things beyond the abilities of anyone else in Scottish rugby. He was not taken to the World Cup but his performances for Edinburgh this year have shown a growing maturity. Hadden may view him a risk in the Six Nations but the greater risk may be ignoring him.

14. TANYA GRIFFITH (Royal High/Corstorphine)
The winger won her first cap against England at the tender age of 18. She went on to win the Women's International Player of the Year Award. A dip in form meant that Griffith was overlooked for the recent match against Canada but that proved a good one to miss (Scotland lost 3-45) and she should be back in contention for next year's Six Nations .

15. RORY LAMONT (Sale Sharks)
Frank Hadden says he's a winger and also says that Rory now agrees, although that may be news to the younger Lamont brother who has been agitating to play full-back for years. Ignore the positional arguments and just revel in Scotland's best attacking back since who knows when.

2008 PREDICTIONS

1 Ireland will finish bottom of the Six Nations table and Eddie O'Sullivan will be sacked. When it's gone, it's gone and it disappeared over the horizon for the Irish coach when his side struggled to beat Georgia in the World Cup.

2 Jake White (below) will be appointed Lions coach in the middle of the year. It's obvious. If anyone knows how to beat the Bokke he does and there isn't much competition for the job from the UK.

3 "Dean" will take over as England coach some time in the next 12 months. Admittedly it could be Richards or Ryan but one of them will replace Brian Ashton who, for all the World Cup heroics, is a backs coach not the boss.

4 Graham Henry will try his hand at stand-up comedy, kicking off his act with the one about poor little New Zealand losing all its players to rich European clubs while all the time the Kiwis continue to entice the best islanders to change allegiance. Hilarious.

5 Frank Hadden will moan about the numbers playing rugby in Scotland citing Madagascar (which reportedly has more) and he will moan about the media, whom he has called the biggest single impediment to pro-team success. And I thought it was down to a chronic lack of facilities and a decade of mismanagement.

6 Chris Paterson will shank one in front of the posts. If Tiger Woods can do it so can our man. Probably not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but some time it will happen.

7 After their glorious World Cup, Argentina will still be left without a meaningful annual competition in which to play because money speaks louder than words and rugby doesn't set the tills ringing in Latin America.

8 Union will adopt the new "Stellenbosch Laws" en masse next year and shortly thereafter everyone will wonder why we bothered as the 15-man game moves inexorably towards rugby league.

9Some time around the middle of a February freeze, someone will suggest summer rugby and once again nothing will happen. Meanwhile people are still puzzled by kids preferring Playstation to the real thing. Turn the heating off in the house, hose them down with freezing water and they will soon give up that too.

10 With the World Cup safely out of the way the All Blacks will sweep all before them next year, winning everything at a canter, barely bothering to break sweat. Bless 'em.

This article was posted on 30-Dec-2007, 09:38 by Hugh Barrow.