Pool B, Game 1: Fiji 47, Scotland 12
Pool B, Game 2: Samoa 36, Scotland 7
Pool B, Game 3: Scotland 17, Zimbabwe 17
Scotland 7s will face Rugby World Cup champions Wales in the Bowl quarter-finals tomorrow (Saturday 5 December, kick-off 9:20am local time/5:20am GMT) after a testing start to their 2009/10 IRB Sevens World Series campaign.
The Scots faced a mammoth task in their opening two games in Dubai as they lined up against Pacific Island powerhouses Fiji and Samoa.
In the curtain raiser for the season, the Scots scored two tries through captain Scott Forrest and Glasgow winger Hefin O’Hare. Mike Adamson converted one of his two attempts at goal.
In their second outing, Edinburgh’s Andrew Turnbull touched down. Turnbull’s score was converted by Adamson.
In their final game of the day, Scotland faced a Zimbabwe side that had beaten them on three occasions last season.
However, despite conceding two early scores, they rallied and fought back with a try double from Sale Sharks back-rower David Tait. Mike Adamson converted one of Tait’s tries before Colin Shaw crossed the whitewash with the final play of the game to clinch the 17-17 draw.
Overall, Scotland 7s coach Stephen Gemmell was frustrated by the lack of dominance by his charges in the contact area.
“If you don’t force teams like Fiji and Samoa then they will play direct, “he said. “We knew these teams were going to be physical but we conceded soft tries.
“We need to be more effective at the contact area. Once you’re physically under pressure then you become mentally under pressure.
“All the players in this squad should be able to handle the physicality but we didn’t get people to the contact area early enough.
“In the final game against Zimbabwe, we showed character to come back and score right at the end but we just weren’t accurate enough today. We simply didn’t perform in the way we have trained all week.”
Scotland face Wales in the Bowl quarter-final tomorrow (Saturday 5 December) at 9:20am local time, 5:20am GMT.
Starting team v Fiji: Scott Forrest* CAPTAIN, Colin Shaw*, Stuart McInally (Watsonians)**, Peter Jericevich (Glasgow Hawks)**, Mike Adamson*, Grant Anderson (Ayr)**, Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh)
Subs used: Hefin O’Hare (Glasgow Warriors), David Tait (Sale Sharks), James Eddie (Glasgow Warriors)
Starting team v Samoa: Scott Forrest* CAPTAIN, Colin Shaw*, David Tait (Sale Sharks), Mike Baxter (Bath), Mike Adamson*, Hefin O’Hare (Glasgow Warriors), Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh)
Subs used: James Eddie (Glasgow Warriors), Lee Jones (Selkirk), Stuart McInally (Watsonians)**
Starting team v Zimbabwe: Scott Forrest* CAPTAIN, Colin Shaw*, David Tait (Sale Sharks), Peter Jericevich (Glasgow Hawks)**, Mike Adamson*, Hefin O’Hare (Glasgow Warriors), Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh)
Subs used: Grant Anderson (Ayr)**, James Eddie (Glasgow Warriors)
Scotland 7s squad to compete at the IRB Sevens World Series events in Dubai (4 & 5 December) and George, South Africa (11 & 12 December): Scott Forrest* CAPTAIN, Mike Adamson*, Grant Anderson (Ayr)**, Mike Baxter (Bath), James Eddie (Glasgow Warriors), Peter Jericevich (Glasgow Hawks)**, Lee Jones (Selkirk), Stuart McInally (Watsonians)**, Hefin O’Hare (Glasgow Warriors), Colin Shaw*, David Tait (Sale Sharks), Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh)
* = Fulltime Scotland 7s player.
** = Member of Scottish Rugby’s Contracted National Academy
Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens, Pool B: Fiji, Samoa, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Scotland 7s’ Pool B fixtures on day one (Friday 4 December) of the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens:
Fiji v Scotland, 9.20am local time, 5.20am GMT
Samoa v Scotland, 1.18pm local time, 9.18am GMT
Scotland v Zimbabwe, 4.32pm local time, 12.32pm GMT

This article was posted on 4-Dec-2009, 20:05 by Hugh Barrow.