The Scotland Club XV squad for Friday night’s test against the English Counties will be named today.
And head coach Phil Smith will have had a number of selection headaches in recent days before he finalised the 23-man party that will travel to Moseley RFC in Birmingham.
The back-row blend will be particularly interesting given the great form that the likes of Pete McCallum, Blair Macpherson, Will Bordill (all Ayr), Grant Runciman, Iain Moody (both Melrose), Tommy Spinks (Glasgow Hawks) and Rory Drummond (Watsonians) have been in.
In the backline we should see brothers Craig and Kerr Gossman involved on the wings and that is exciting given the try scoring form they have been in for Ayr and Glasgow Hawks respectively of late.
When the Club XV was brought to life in 2006 many players and supporters were excited by the new innovation as it gave the best talent out with the pro ranks the chance to shine and represent their country.
That first outing was against their Irish counterparts at Donnybrook and, although the team went down 30-13, the format captured the imagination and has been a success ever since.
Since then, Scotland have claimed five victories to Ireland’s six in this format.
Scotland have played Wales just once at this level, coming out on top 34-7 in Caerphilly back in 2008 while they have met the French six times.
Of the two wins over France the 25-18 victory in 2012 at a packed Millbrae in Ayr sticks in the mind while the most famous victory of all must be the 57-27 triumph over English Counties this February at Netherdale.
That night the Scots, who had lost to the same opponents 37-3 in their first ever meeting in 2015, came out of the blocks flying and never looked back, Boroughmuir winger Jordan Edmunds leading the way with a try double.
A number of players have used the Club XV as a stepping stone to pro rugby while some have progressed to earn full Scotland caps, among them Fraser Brown, Moray Low and Lee Jones.
It is a great vehicle for club players and let’s hope that the Club XV continues going forward.
Meanwhile, Steve Lawrie is to become the Watsonians head coach ahead of the 2017/18 season.
The 32-year-old is currently assistant coach at Heriot’s and will take up his new post at Myreside in the summer.
For Lawrie it is a return to the club where he made nearly 100 first XV appearances as a player between 2003 and 2007.
As well as his time at Watsonians, Lawrie’s playing career as a hooker saw him represent Currie, Edinburgh Rugby, Doncaster Knights, Scotland under-21, Scotland Sevens, Scotland "A" and Scotland. His full cap came against Samoa in 2013.
Lawrie said: “I have always had a soft spot for this club because I had so many good times at Myreside as a player and we lifted the Scottish Cup 2006 which was one of my career highlights.
“I am honoured to have been appointed head coach and I believe I come into a club in a really good place with a hungry first XV squad who have cemented their place in the top flight in recent weeks.
“I want to build on the great work that Marcus Di Rollo and Simon Taylor have done here and I am very excited by the challenge of leading a club with such a proud history.
“I would also like to place on record my thanks to Phil Smith, Iain Milne and everyone at Heriot’s who has helped me over the last five years.”
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