Melrose trio hope luck will be with them in Las Vegas

Ex-Melrose coach John Dalziel has retained his Greenyards trio among the 13-man squad named for this weekend’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series tournament in Las Vegas.
Sam PecqueurSam Pecqueur
Sam Pecqueur

Sam Pecqueur, Nyle Godsmark and Ross McCann are included once again, while Edinburgh Rugby scrum-half Charlie Shiel is a new addition to the line-up.

Godsmark is back to fitness after becomeing one of several Scotland players injured during their last outing in Sydney.

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The squad is also boosted by the return of Glenn Bryce, Harvey Elms, Jamie Farndale and Robbie Fergusson.

Jack Cuthbert has also recovered from a hand injury to be involved in a travelling party for the first time this season.

Scotland have been drawn against Fiji, Australia and Wales in the Pool stages of the Las Vegas tournament.

Core players Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors), Mungo Mason and Ally Miller (both Edinburgh Rugby) have not been considered for selection and will remain with their respective professional clubs.

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Sevens head coach Dalziel said: “Training has gone well and, with such a short turnaround from Hamilton and Sydney, our key priority has been getting the squad recovered and back to full fitness.

“The medics and support staff have done a great job to get everyone back and available in such a short period of time.

“We have also been able to provide key cover to the pro teams during this time, with Kyle Steyn and Robbie Fergusson in training with Glasgow Warriors and Ally Miller and Mungo Mason in with Edinburgh.

“Robbie, our co-captain, has re-joined the squad here in Vegas, which is a huge boost. Kyle and Ally have made a great impact with both Glasgow and Edinburgh respectively, which is great for the guys and also for the 7s programme.

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“On the other side, it’s great to have Charlie Shiel come in from Edinburgh to gain exposure and continue his long-term development. He is an exciting up and coming talent who will really benefit from exposure at this level.

“We are thankful for the continued support of both Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby.

“Looking ahead to the tournament, we have a bit of a mountain to climb, with Fiji and Australia up first, and then Wales to finish off a really tough group.

“However, the players have responded to the challenge and know it’s about getting our game back to the performance levels we saw in Hamilton.”

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The Scotland 7s squad to compete at the fifth leg of the 2018-19 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Las Vegas, live on Sky Sports is:

Scott Riddell, Nyle Godsmark, Alec Coombes, Robbie Fergusson, Harvey Elms, Glenn Bryce, Jamie Farndale, Charlie Shiel, Sam Pecqueur, Gavin Lowe, Max McFarland, Ross McCann, Jack Cuthbert,

Scotland 7s fixtures in Las Vegas (kick-off times in GMT):

Friday, March 1 – 11.22pm, Scotland 7s v Fiji 7s.

Saturday, March 2 – 2.01am, Scotland 7s v Australia 7s; 7.30pm, Scotland 7s v Wales 7s.

Sunday, March 3 – TBC.