Former Hawk Scott Forrest will lead the Scotland 7s team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi next month (11-12 October).

Forrest, who has featured in 28 IRB Sevens World Series tournaments around the globe will make his first apearance at the Games as captain of the 12-man group led by head coach Stephen Gemmell.

The squad contains seven players who lifted the Plate in the Edinburgh leg of the 2010 IRB Sevens World Series and an additional two players who played in the successive semi-final places in the London and Edinburgh legs in 2009.

Scotland 7s' all time highest points scorer, Andrew Turnbull, is the only player with Commonwealth Games experience having featured in the the 2006 Melbourne Games.

Forrest said: "I've always been very proud to captain the Scotland 7s team but to be a captain competing in the Commonwealth Games as part of Team Scotland, alongside 15 other sports, in the second biggest multi-sport competition in the world, is a huge honour.

"We ended last season on a high at Murrayfield, beating South Africa and Argentina on our way to lifting the Plate, so we're confident we can build on our performance in Edinburgh and continue to perform on the world stage at the Commonwealth Games, before taking on the 2010/11 season of the IRB Sevens World Series."

Joining Forrest and Turnbull are Glasgow Hawks' Mike Adamson; Chris Fusaro, Hefin O'Hare and Colin Shaw of Glasgow Warriors; Alex Blair, John Houston, Lee Jones, Stuart McInally and Scott Newlands of Edinburgh Rugby and Anglo Scot, Scott Riddell, of Blaydon.

The Scots go into the Games seeded eighth by the IRB and, on the first day of the 16-team tournament, will take on defending Games' champions and top seeds, New Zealand, World Series regulars Canada, and Caribbean champions Guyana, who this year competed in their first World Series event in Las Vegas.

Talking through the group, Scotland 7s head coach, Stephen Gemmell, said: "As current Commonwealth and eighth time IRB Sevens World Series Champions, New Zealand have long dominated sevens but we can take confidence from recent victories over major sevens nations like South Africa, Samoa, Fiji and Australia.

"We're well aware of Canada's potential and ability, as they've beaten us in the past, but I believe we have the personnel, the ability and the confidence to get the win in Delhi. Caribbean champions, Guyana, will provide a tough challenge as they have been targeting and preparing for the Games for some time."

Looking ahead to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Gemmell added: "It's incredible that the Games are coming to Glasgow in 2014. It's a great opportunity for Scottish sport and for Scotland's young people to get active and to leave a lasting legacy for sport in Scotland."

This article was posted on 20-Sep-2010, 14:19 by Hugh Barrow.