Three Borderers named in Scotland squad for under-18 Six Nations rugby festival in France
Borderers Archie Smellie, Charlie Robbie and James Dalrymple have been selected for a squad of 26 representing Scotland at an under-18 Six Nations rugby festival being held in France from this Friday.
Peebles prop Smellie and former Melrose lock Dalrymple are among 14 forwards called up and Melrose centre Robbie is one of 12 backs in a squad to be skippered by Edinburgh’s Angus Robson.
Smellie and Dalrymple’s fellow forwards are Angus Abel, Rory Baxter, Bradley Bohmer, Zak Burgess, James Dalrymple, William Geary, Hamish Mather, Jack Nesbitt, Oliver Richardson, James Roberts, Michael Scarth, Daniel Shellard and Rowan Welsh.
Joining Robbie and Robson among the young Scots’ backs are Finlay Anderson, Lochlan Glackin, Rhuari Hill, Ruaridh Law, Samuela Lawaci, Ben McDonald, Olly McKenzie, Coel Pettet, Alexander Sneddon and Murray Waugh.
They’re lined up to play three matches in Vichy – versus Wales this Friday, Italy next Tuesday and Georgia on Saturday, April 11, all at Stade Municipal Louis Darragon.
Former Melrose lock Ross Miller will be their head coach and he’s looking forward to the trip, saying: “As coaches, we’re really excited to see what this group can do over the next two weeks, and I know the players are really looking forward to the opportunity in front of them too.
“We’ve had a good preparation block over the last few weeks. We’ve had a fixture against Ireland under-18s and training sessions with Scotland under-19s and we’ve seen growth in the group already.
“I’m sure they will keep growing with three tough fixtures at the Six Nations festival, which is excellent for their development.
“It’s always important to test yourself at the highest level, so these fixtures give the group the opportunity to see how they compare to some of the best players their age and also to compete in a challenging international test environment.”
Smellie and Robbie both featured in the match-day squad beaten 34-33 in a warm-up by their Irish opposite numbers at Edinburgh’s Hive Stadium on Sunday, March 22, along with Gala’s Hamish Seggie.
Robbie and Dalrymple were given starting places at outside-centre and No 4 respectively and Smellie and Seggie were among 16 replacements.