| GEMMELL GIVES RUGBY CHAMPIONS A HELPING HAND |
| Thursday, 19 November 2009 | ||
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The state-school starlets got the chance to talk tactics with Scotland 7s head coach Stephen Gemmell who presented the players with playing kit for an international sevens adventure that will see them take on seven other sides including India, Madagascar, South Africa, and two sides from England and France. Fundamental to the selection process was the Scottish Widows Bank Rugby Champions scheme which rewards a nominated member of state-school staff who volunteers his or her time to take extra-curricular rugby. The scheme has created an invaluable volunteer network across 212 Scottish state schools and, when the offer came to enter a side, Edinburgh’s Rugby Champions were asked to submit a selection of their top players to try out for the side. Edinburgh city development officer, Ruaridh Pye, said: “We got the invite in July so to get nominations, organise trials, select a team and prepare for competition would have been near impossible without them. “There are a couple of really talented players in the side who have only been involved in rugby for one or two years and are still really raw. An experience like this will really show them what rugby can offer them physically, mentally and socially.” James Gillespie’s High School and Currie stand-off, Ross Buchanan, 17, has been named as team captain and has described the call up as an ‘honour’. He said: “Not many people get this opportunity for all the lads to travel abroad and play strong foreign teams. “I’ve played with and against a few of the boys through club and district rugby but we’ve all gelled as a team through the trials and the training. “We have a pretty good team to go out there but for now, tonight, we’re just taking the time to appreciate what we’ve got ahead of us.” The annual competition is held in Marseille and forms part of the French inner city rugby development programme. Participation is by invitation only and this year the City of Edinburgh Council – with support from Scottish Rugby – were invited to take part and represent Scotland. Former Scotland and British Lions internationalist and team ambassador, Scott Hastings, said: “The competition allows kids from inner-city areas to be exposed to rugby which presents the opportunity to take a team from the state schools from Edinburgh to go out there not only to play rugby but also to take part in a cultural exchange. “We’ve selected these guys from the state school sector that will now get to chance to be exposed to international competition and who knows, with rugby sevens now an Olympic sport and Glasgow hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014, one of these players might end up getting the chance to challenge for a medal for Scotland.” As well as taking part in the rugby festival the participants will have the opportunity to meet with the other teams at a number of social events, including organised cultural visits to the areas of Marseille and Aix en Provence. The participating teams will all take part in an opening and closing ceremony before attending the Autumn Test match between France and New Zealand on Saturday 27 November at the Stade Velodrome, Marseille. SCOTLAND SQUAD TRAVELLING TO FRANCE FOR THE SUBURBS RUGBY WORLD FESTIVAL IN MARSEILLE, FRANCE Duncan Young (Craigmount High School) Team management Scottish Widows Bank Rugby Champions scheme The programme operates by rewarding the school’s registered rugby champion with personal coaching kit, and provides the school with specialist rugby equipment for coaching and training; additional equipment is then provided as rugby develops at the school in accordance with levels of participation through bronze, silver and gold award scheme. |
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