THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS



Published Date: 09 June 2009
By DAVID FERGUSON
THE SIZE of the challenge facing Scotland's leading under-20 players steepened yesterday with England naming a side stronger than that which defeated the Scots in the shadow Six Nations Championship and the Scots side losing key players to injury.
England have made nine changes to the side that defeated Japan 43-0 in their opening match of the IRB Toshiba Junior World Championship in Tokyo, stars of the Six Nations meeting Henry Trinder and Rob Miller returning along with a clutch of players unavailable then due to Guinness Premiership commitments. They are missing prop Joe Marler due to suspension.

Into the backline come Gloucester's Dave Lewis and his team-mates Trinder and Charlie Sharples, with Will Hurrell (Leicester Tigers) on the wing and Rob Miller (Newcastle Falcons) at fly-half.

Up front there are first starts for props Ben Moon (Exeter Chiefs) and Shaun Knight (Gloucester), lock Graham Kitchener (Worcester Warriors) and blindside flanker Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints).

Scotland's captain Fraser Brown and stand-off Andrew White have both been ruled out of the crunch match with shoulder injuries. However, in the wake of their agonising defeat to Samoa, the Scots must win to keep alive hopes of a good finish in the competition.

Hooker Finlay Gillies replaces Brown in the front row, while Robbie McGowan, the versatile Stirling County back, steps in at stand-off for White. Scotland lost their opening match, 17-14, to a last-gasp Samoan drop-goal and had the gulf between the north and south in the UK shown up by England in a 20-6 defeat during what was otherwise a successful spring championship.

London Scottish back-row player Ryan Wilson did not play in that game and the formidable Grant Shiells and Steven Aitken are also called up to the bench this week. Scotland complete their pool matches on Saturday against hosts Japan (7.05am BST).

Scotland U-20s (v England U-20s at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo, 9am BST): P Horne (Glasgow); G Anderson (Ayr), A McCulloch (Aberdeen Grammar Rugby), R Johnston (Leeds Carnegie), A Dunbar (Selkirk); R McGowan (Stirling County), H Pyrgos (Wimbourne); D Orr (Haddington), F Gillies (Heriot's), D Morton (Bridgwater and Albion), N Campbell (Glasgow Hawks), R Gray (Glasgow, capt), R Wilson (London Scottish), S McInally (Watsonians), C Fusaro (Heriot's). Subs: G Cameron (Stirling County), G Shiells (Kelso), G Gilchrist (Stirling County), R Harley (West of Scotland), S Dewar (Heriot's), P Jericevich (Glasgow Hawks), S Aitken (Aberdeen Grammar Rugby).

England U-20s: T Homer (London Irish); C Sharples, H Trinder (both Gloucester), L Eves (Bristol, capt), W Hurrell (Leicester); R Miller (Newcastle), D Lewis (Gloucester), B Moon (Exeter Chiefs), J George (Saracens), S Knight (Gloucester), J Gaskell (Sale), G Kitchener (Worcester), C Lawes (Northampton), C York (Harlequins), J Ovens (Bath). Subs: J Clark (London Irish), B Baker (Wasps), D Williams (Gloucester), C Fearns (Sale), B Youngs (Leicester), R Clegg (Newcastle), J Cobden (Leicester).

This article was originally posted on 9-Jun-2009, 07:42 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 9-Jun-2009, 07:42.