U-20s: Peter Wright happy for Scotland to tap into 'exiled' pool of talent
The Scotsman reports
Published Date: 11 March 2011


By DAVID FERGUSON
SCOTLAND'S leading under-20 players will launch the Calcutta Cup weekend at Newbury tonight with coach Peter Wright believing their ability to compete with their near-neighbours in future lies partly in more effective raids south of the border.
The SRU are striving to rebuild the exiles network and Wright's opposite number, England U20s coach Rob Hunter, is a former London Scottish and Scotland A player. Wright, who won 21 caps, knows players like Hunter who grow up in England but play for Scotland may only do so because they cannot reach the top in the south, but insisted that that matters none if it advances the nations' cause.

"Let's not beat about the bush," he said. "A lot of these boys - the Leslie brothers (Martin and John], the Damien Cronins, the David Hiltons - probably choose us because they're not good enough for England and that's not being nasty, that's just life.

"Some of the England U20 squad is of Samoan or Tongan heritage and the French team we played had Samoans playing. It's becoming more of a global game now with youngsters coming into countries much younger, getting their three-year residency and playing. You can't deny people the chance to play international rugby and the way the system is they are not breaking any rules, and I don't have an issue with that.

"There is a lot of talent outwith Scotland and we maybe don't tap into it enough. But it's something the SRU are beginning to address and there are moves afoot to make it better."

Glasgow Hawks prop George Hunter is back to lead the current Scottish talent against an England side that has swept all before them in this year's Six Nations and this week added Owen Farrell, the son of dual code star Andy Farrell, and Saracens regular.

He starts at inside centre in one of five changes to the team that beat France, Wasps pair Joe Launchbury and flying winger Christian Wade, Gloucester scrum-half Dan Robson and Harlequins hooker Rob Buchanan also starting.

England U20s: B Ransom (Saracens); A Short (Worcester), E Daly (Wasps), O Farrell (Saracens), C Wade (Wasps); G Ford (Leicester), D Robson (Gloucester); M Vunipola (Bristol), R Buchanan, W Collier (both Harlequins), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Matthews (Harlequins), K Low (London Irish), M Kvesic (Worcester), A Gray (Newcastle) capt.

Subs: K Britton (Gloucester), H Thomas (Sale), S Jones (Wasps), M Everard (Leicester), C Cook (Bath), J Elliot (Northampton), J Joseph (London Irish).

Scotland U20s: G Bryce (Heriot's); M Doneghan (Stirling County), M Bennett (Ayr), H Leonard (Boroughmuir), K Gossman (Glasgow Hawks); S Edwards (Stirling County), J Stevenson (Westcombe Park); R Hislop (Boroughmuir), D Cherry (Team Northumbria), G Hunter (Glasgow Hawks) capt, M Eadie (Filton College), R McAlpine (West of Scotland), A Spence (Heriot's), H Watson (Leicester Tigers), J Tyas (Bath).Subs: R Ferguson (Melrose), N Fraser (Boroughmuir), A Kirkland (Glasgow Hawks), M Todd (Nottingham), D Finnie (Watsonians), J Munro (Edinburgh Accies), S Atkin (Edinburgh

This article was originally posted on 11-Mar-2011, 07:24 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 11-Mar-2011, 07:54.