Budding Peebles rugby star Oliver Furness set to follow in footsteps of Finn Russell and Grant Gilchrist after landing South African scholarship
Borderer Oliver Furness is one of three teenagers set to benefit from a scholarship with a track record of setting budding rugby stars on their way to international success.
Present and past internationals including Finn Russell, Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist, John Barclay and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne have used John Macphail rugby scholarships as a stepping stone to top-level sporting careers and now the same opportunity knocks for Peebles second-row and back-row Furness, along with fellow 18-year-olds Angus Wright and Sandy Renwick.
Furness, Stirling County prop Wright and Heriot’s centre Renwick will spend five months developing their rugby skills at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, starting at the end of this month.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the scholarship scheme as a partnership between the Robertson Trust and Scottish Rugby in memory of Singapore-born ex-Scotland hooker John Macphail following his death in 2004 at the age of 80.
Furness follows in the footsteps of fellow Borderers such as Selkirk’s Callum Smyth and Monroe Job in 2023, Peebles and Jed-Forest’s Thomas Jeffrey in 2019, Gala and Hawick’s Gregor Hunter and Gala legend Chris Paterson, as a coach, in 2012 and Hawick’s Graham Hogg in 2006, as well as former Melrose winger Ross McCann in 2016 and ex-Border Reivers flanker Roddy Grant in 2008.
Scottish rugby technical and operations director Stephen Gemmell wished Furness, Wright and Renwick well in South Africa, saying: “The Macphail scholarship has become a key part of the development of the young players lucky enough to be selected.
“This year marks the culmination of a 20-year partnership between the Robertson Trust and Scottish Rugby.
“Together we are proud to have developed a consistently valuable experience for the most promising players in the country to experience best practice abroad and accelerate their development early on in their careers.
“We’d like to thank the trust and Macphail family for their consistent commitment to benefit the careers, on and off the field, of these young players.
“In recent years, players have been based in South Africa and, as the home of the Rugby World Cup champions, the facilities, coaching, playing level and culture they are exposed to is outstanding.
“The scholarship has played a vital role in the careers of our professional and international players and we know this next set of players will have similarly positive experiences.”