11 points from ex-Melrose fly-half Jake Dalziel not enough to avert second loss on spin for Scotland’s under-20 rugby team
Just short of a dozen points supplied by former Melrose fly-half Jake Dalziel weren’t enough to avert a second warm-up beating on the bounce for Scotland’s under-20s ahead of this month and next’s World Rugby Junior World Championship in Georgia.
Dalziel, now in English Gallagher Prem Rugby outfit Newcastle Red Bulls’ academy, scored a try and kicked three conversions as head coach Fergus Pringle’s hosts lost 53-40 to their Welsh opposite numbers at Meggetland in Edinburgh last Friday.
The Scots’ other try-scorers were Will Pearce, Dan Halkon, Jamie Stewart at the double and Daniel Kelly, with Ross Wolfenden and Calum Jessop adding their other conversions.
Dalziel, 17, and inside-centre Wolfenden were among three Borderers in ex-Hawick lock Pringle’s starting line-up versus the Welsh, along with the No 12’s former Peebles and current Edinburgh academy teammate Rory McHaffie at full-back, and they were accompanied by Kelso’s Jack Utterson on the bench.
That defeat followed a 61-19 thumping, also at Meggetland, for the young Scots against Ireland’s under-20s a week prior.
The No 10, son of Scottish seniors forwards coach John Dalziel, started that game too, along with Gala’s Nairn Moncrieff on the left wing and Utterson at hooker, and the No 2’s Edinburgh academy teammate and fellow 19-year-old McHaffie was named as a replacement.
Both Scotland’s conversions that time round were kicked by Dalziel and Matthew Fick, Alex Bryden and Joe Roberts touched down their tries.
Pringle’s squad start their championship with pool games, all in Kutaisi, against Italy on Saturday, June 27; New Zealand on Thursday, July 2; and Japan on Tuesday, July 7, with kick-offs at 10am, 3pm and 12.30pm respectively.
The 48-year-old is hoping to tighten up his team’s defending by then after conceding 17 tries in their two warm-ups, telling the Offside Line rugby news website: “We know we have to tidy up our defence.
“I just thought we could have been a bit more effective in some of our defence in the first half. They scored some easy tries, like a first-phase try – you don’t want to concede those.
“I’m sure we can fix those. It’s just about cutting out those soft scores against us and then being more clinical when you get into their 22.”