On the eve of the Rugby World Cup Sevens, which kicks-off in Dubai at 1pm GMT tomorrow, the Scotland 7s squad received messages of good luck ahead of their first tie against Canada which gets underway at 1:32pm GMT.
Scotland head coach, Frank Hadden, said: “I’ve been following the progress of the sevens all year and this is our strongest squad so far. The World Cup is a unique opportunity to play on the biggest stage and I’m confident these players will make a real impact in the competition. I wish Stephen and the players the very best of luck.”
Flanker, Kelly Brown, who was part of the Scotland squad during Saturday’s win over Italy in the RBS 6 Nations, competed at the last Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong four years ago. He added: “It’s a huge honour and a massive challenge to compete for your country, especially in a World Cup.
“Sevens has been of huge benefit to me and has helped me on the way to achieving full international honours. It’s also given me the chance to compete against some of the best players in the world.”
As the squad finalise their preparations this evening ahead of the first day of competition, Scotland 7s coach, Stephen Gemmell, spoke of the belief brimming around the squad as he re-affirms his confidence in the players tasked to deliver for Scotland on the biggest stage in sevens rugby.
“We’ve settled in well and the players are walking around the hotel with their heads held high. We had a full day with Wales on Saturday and had a bounce game against them. It finished four tries each, but we came back from four tries down which says a lot for the attitude of the players.
“It shows we have the desire to get back into a game which some might have thought were out of reach.”
That belief stems from a squad that has been bolstered with experience, most notably from the sevens and full international arenas.
“There’s a lot of experience in this squad,” Gemmell continued, “and that’s what we wanted going into such an important event.
“Most of these guys have been around the block, and they’ve been around it with me, so they know what I expect of them, however, no-one’s feeling uncomfortable with the pressure here.
“It’s an unbelievable event to be part of. There are no second chances here and Rob Dewey has been able to bring that element of experience from his involvement in the XVs Rugby World Cup in France 2007.”
The occasion is starting to hit home in a city consumed with sevens fever, but although the Scots are managing to keep their cool in the desert heat, Gemmell and the players fully understand what a massive opportunity lies ahead.
“There are no second chances here. This is it. There’s real energy, enthusiasm and expectation amongst the squad and we’re quietly confident as we know what we can do as a team.
“We’re now at the stage where we just want to get started. We’re just biding our time until things get going tomorrow.”
Scotland 7s squad to compete at the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai from 5-7 March: Colin Gregor (Glasgow Warriors) CAPTAIN, Mike Adamson (Glasgow Warriors/Hawks), Rob Dewey (Ulster), Andrew Easson (Edinburgh), Scott Forrest (Ayr)*, Roddy Grant (West of Scotland)*, Rory Hutton (Hawick)*, Roland Reid (Edinburgh), Scott Riddell (Blaydon), Colin Shaw (Glasgow Warriors/Hawks), James Thompson (Edinburgh), Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh)
* = Member of Scottish Rugby’s Contracted National Academy
Pool C
South Africa, Scotland, Canada, Japan
Scotland 7s’ Rugby World Cup Sevens Pool C fixtures
Day one (5 March) – Scotland v Canada (kick-off 5:32pm local time, 1:32pm GMT)
Day two (6 March) – Scotland v Japan (kick-off 2:18pm local time, 10:18am GMT)
Day two (6 March) – South Africa v Scotland (kick-off 5:58pm local time, 1:58pm GMT)
All Scotland’s games will be broadcast live on Setanta Sports 1 and available to view via www.rwcsevens.com

This article was posted on 5-Mar-2009, 11:07 by Hugh Barrow.