Cambuslang rugby players called up for national squad
Feb 3 2010 by Jonathan Geddes, Rutherglen Reformer
TWO CAMBUSLANG (AND HAWKS) men are saying Viva Las Vegas after being called up to the Scotland Rugby Seven’s squad.
Scott Forrest’s call-up for the forthcoming trips to Wellington in New Zealand and Las Vegas was expected, as he serves as the Seven’s captain, but he’s now been joined in the squad by stand-off Duncan Weir.
And Duncan, who is currently playing his first season for the Glasgow Hawks, was taken aback by the news.
He said: “It was good news, although I wasn’t expecting it!
“We’ve now been in training all week and I’m looking forward to getting out there.
“This will be great experience, and it’s another step on the learning ladder for me.”
The squad first head out to Wellington in New Zealand on February 6, where they’ll play Fiji, Australia and Papua New Guinea in Pool B of the competition.
Then they’ll travel to Las Vegas on February 13, where they will clash with Samon, Kenya and Chile in Pool C.
Duncan, a former Cathkin High pupil, is also forward to testing himself at the Sevens level.
He added: “Seven’s is obviously quite different from the full code and I’m just getting into the patterns of the game.
“But this should be a really good chance to get more experience.
“And I really enjoy playing, and getting to cover so much ground as part of it.”
Scotland will be looking to recapture the form they showed towards the end of the previous season, when they reached the semi-finals of both the London and Edinburgh events.
But they’ve struggled in this campaign’s opening two events.
However, Duncan admits that an added bonus of the trip will be jetting out of the Scottish winter to sunnier climates.
“It’ll be really good to get out there, especially as everyone has been saying that Wellington is one of the nicest places to visit on the tour.”
After the Seven’s experience, he’s then hoping to get back to helping out the Hawks.
Glasgow currently sit fifth in the league, and defeated Boroughmuir 19-8 in their last game. Duncan added: “That was our first game of the year, but we didn’t play as well as we’d have liked.
“I’m hoping to continue to improve as the rest of the season goes along.”
Scottish Rugby Union president Jim Stevenson, former president of Cambuslang RFC, was delighted to see another local face move into the Sevens set-up.
He said: "I was absolutely thrilled to bits when I saw that Duncan's name was in the squad as well. It's some feat to actually have two boys from Cambuslang in the Sevens, and one of them is the captain, it's just marvellous.
"You need a specific style to play sevens and these are two of the most successful boys I've ever see.
"What's even greater is the reward the coaches will get, knowing they've helped develop these two Cambuslang boys, and it makes all the work they've put in on dirty, wet rainy Sundays all the more worthwhile. It reflects well on them and Cambuslang Rugby Club.
"I'm just delighted for them, and I hope I'll get the opportunity to see them both in action at the Hong Kong Sevens later in the year

This article was posted on 4-Feb-2010, 14:19 by Hugh Barrow.