Selkirk pair taking on the world at rugby sevens

Lee Jones, left, is in the squad named by fellow Souter and Scotland head coach Ciaran Beattie for this weekend's Rugby World Cup Sevens (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group/SRU)

Hampshire-born Jamie Farndale continues as captain at what will be his second Rugby World Cup Sevens after helping Scotland to a seventh-place finish in San Francisco in the USA in 2018.

The only other player in the squad playing in Cape Town with previous Rugby World Cup Sevens experience is East Lothian’s Harvey Elms, also part of the 2018 squad.

The rest of Beattie’s 12-strong squad, mostly players picked for the World Rugby Sevens Series finale last month in Los Angeles in the US, comprises, besides Jones, Kaleem Barreto, Matt Davidson, Femi Sofolarin, Paddy Kelly, Callum Young, Finn Callaghan and Reiss Cullen, along with debutant Aaron Purewal and erstwhile Southern Knight Freddie Owsley.

Ross McCann, Jordan Edmunds, Alec Coombes and Grant Hughes have been ruled out by injury and Robbie Fergusson is also unavailable.

Scotland play Jamaica in a pre-round of 16 tomorrow at 8.51am, with all further fixtures over the course of the weekend being determined by results in the knockout format used at a Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Ex-Border Reivers player and Melrose defence coach Beattie, 36, said: “This is one of the landmark events in the global sevens calendar and we are focused on making a big impression.

“It’s important that we end the sevens season well, and the players are intent on delivering their best performance in a Scotland shirt.”