Gael Force head coach Stephen Gemmell welcomes Ross Rennie back to action for the opening match of the British and Irish Cup at Cornish Pirates on Sunday 22 November (kick off 2pm) – the first competitive match the Scotland flanker has played for 11 months.

Before he underwent knee surgery, Rennie’s last outing was for Edinburgh against Glasgow in late December and the 23-year-old says he is delighted to return.

Rennie said: “I’m excited to be back playing again and I would like to thank everyone who has helped me to recover from my injury, especially Edinburgh physio Jo Stephen, conditioning coach Bill Knowles and surgeon Andy Williams.” Gemmell believes Rennie will be an asset to the side and says he is looking forward to the ground-breaking contest.

Gemmell said: “The game has come at the right time for Ross and it is great for us to be able to include a Scotland internationalist in our squad.

“I’m sure the commitment Ross will show when he pulls on the jersey for this team will be the same as he produces for every team he represents.

“It is a clear example of the benefit of being involved in the British and Irish Cup in terms of providing players with opportunities and we are aiming to put down a marker.

“We are all looking forward to it. The two warm-up games have been beneficial. This match will be a step up and it is an away fixture which is never easy.

“But I think the squad we have selected has got a good balance of professionals and up-and-coming Academy players.

“We want to go down and show everybody involved in the competition and rugby supporters everywhere that we have got good players here in Scotland.”

Gemmell has selected a starting line-up with an average age of just 23 and with three National Academy players, prop Nicky Little, back row forward Stuart McInally and centre Stevie Wilson in the starting XV.

Meanwhile, Gemmell has also appointed David Blair as captain and revealed he believes the stand-off is the right man to lead the team in their first ever competitive match.

He added: “I thought it was important that we had some continuity in the team and David has led the side in the first two preparation games.

“At stand-off, he is playing in a pivotal position where he is asked to make a lot of decisions based on how we want to play the game.

“He showed us in the two warm-up matches that he can shoulder that responsibility well and he is somebody we want to run the game for us.

“So it is natural that we want him to captain the team. That continuity helps to build the identity of the team and he has got experience of playing for Scotland ‘A’ and Edinburgh.”

Gael Force will represent Scotland in the competition alongside last season’s Scottish Hydro Premier Division 1 champions Ayr and reigning Scottish Hydro Cup holders Heriot’s in the new cross border competition. Gael Force are sponsored by Spire Murrayfield Hospital, Scottish Rugby’s official healthcare partner.

Gael Force squad to play Cornish Pirates in the British and Irish Cup at Recreation Ground, Camborne (Sunday 22 November, kick-off 2pm)

15 Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors)

14 Chris Kinloch (Glasgow Warriors)
13 Hefin O’Hare (Glasgow Warriors)
12 Stevie Wilson (National Academy and Edinburgh Academicals)
11 Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh)

10 David Blair (captain, Edinburgh)
9 Ross Samson (Edinburgh)

1 Nicky Little (National Academy and Hawick)
2 Fergus Thomson (Glasgow Warriors)
3 David Young (Edinburgh)
4 Tim Barker (Glasgow Warriors)
5 Dan Turner (Glasgow Warriors)
6 Fraser McKenzie (Edinburgh)
7 Ross Rennie (Edinburgh)
8 Stuart McInally (National Academy and Watsonians)

Substitutes: Sean Crombie (Edinburgh), Colin Phillips (National Academy and Stewart’s Melville), James Eddie (Glasgow Warriors), Callum Forrester (Glasgow Warriors), Peter Jericevich (National Academy and Glasgow Hawks), Ross Aitken (National Academy and Howe and Fife), Tom Bury (National Academy and Boroughmuir).

This article was posted on 20-Nov-2009, 08:17 by Hugh Barrow.