Scotland Club XV head coach Ally Donaldson has made three changes to the side that lost (30-18) to France for the side’s inaugural Dalriada Cup international match with Ireland at Netherdale this Friday – ADMISSION FREE.
Ross Curle (Ayr) comes off the bench to start at outside-centre, taking the place of Dundee’s Harry Duthie, while Glasgow Hawks’ hooker Eric Milligan packs down with two new props.
Gordon Reid (Ayr) comes off the bench at loose-head (switching with Alan Dymock of Heriot’s) and Bruce McNeil (Hawick) comes in at tight-head, to replace Dundee’s Alan Brown, who is unavailable through injury.
In the six years of the fixture, the sides have exchanged home victories, with Scotland narrowly missing out on the chance to break that duck last season when substitute centre Darragh Fitzpatrick landed a 35 metre drop-goal two minutes into injury time in Donnybrook.
Scotland Club XV team manager, Ian Rankin, said: “These matches are always tight with the standard getting better every year – there’s very little between the sides.
“Our strengths come in experience. A number of the Scotland players have played at this level on a number of occasions before while the majority of the players have the benefit of playing in the British & Irish Cup, which has helped to develop the pace and intensity of our play.
“The players really enjoy the atmosphere at Netherdale. Our close victory over France last season was a major achievement in front of a big Borders crowd. We’re looking to the supporters to come out in force again, to make a lot of noise and give the guys a lift.”
The Dalriada Cup was borne out of the additional significance for Scottish Rugby’s principle partner RBS which, through its Irish arm Ulster Bank, will have a foot in both camps when the sides contest the trophy for the first time.
Staff from both banks were invited to submit names for the Cup with Dalriada (which in Gaelic – Earra Ghaidheal – means ‘the boundary of the Gaels’), proving to be the most popular.
Dalriada was a sixth and early seventh century Gaelic kingdom that spanned the western coast of Scotland (which roughly covered Argyll & Bute and Lochaber) and the northern coasts of Ireland (County Antrim).
Scotland Club XV to play Ireland at Netherdale, Galashiels on Friday 11 March (kick-off 7.30pm)
15 Tom Brown (Currie)
14 Fraser Thomson (Melrose)
13 Ross Curle (Ayr)
12 Dean Kelbrick (Glasgow Hawks)
11 Dougie Fife (Currie)
10 Scott Wight (Melrose)
9 Richard Sneddon (Currie)
1 Gordon Reid (Ayr)
2 Eric Milligan (Glasgow Hawks)
3 Bruce McNeil (Hawick)
4 Damien Kelly (Ayr)
5 Rory McKay (Glasgow Hawks)
6 John Dalziel CAPTAIN (Melrose)
7 Rob Colhouln (Ayr)
8 Ross Weston (Currie)
Substitutes
16 Finlay Gilles (Currie)
17 Alan Dymock (Heriot’s)
18 Nick Campbell (Glasgow Hawks)
19 Andy Dunlop (Ayr)
20 Andy Dymock (Dundee)
21 Matt Scott (Currie)
22 Harry Duthie (Dundee)
Scotland’s Club XV Results v Ireland
2006:  Ireland 30 - 13 Scotland, Donnybrook, Dublin
2007:  Scotland 18 - 11 Ireland, Meggetland, Edinburgh
2008:  Ireland 20 - 15 Scotland, Donnybrook, Dublin
2009:  Scotland 31 - 18 Ireland, Myreside, Edinburgh
2010:  Ireland 21 - 18 Scotland, Donnybrook, Dublin

This article was originally posted on 10-Mar-2011, 12:04 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 10-Mar-2011, 12:09.