Scotland have named their three U16 squads ahead of the Colwyn Bay Rugby Festival.
The Festival, which runs from Sunday 1st April to Wednesday 11th April features five Welsh sides RGC, Cardiff Blues, Scarlets, Opreys, Dragons, three Scottish side, Scotland Blue, Scotland Red, and Scotland Green, and also the ISRFC Lambs U16 side, who will play a fixture against each of the Scotland U16 sides – you can see the Lambs’ squad for that series here: ISRFC Lambs U16 touring squad.
Scotland Blue and Scotland Reds consist of the 50 home-based Scotland U16 players, while the Scotland Greens squad consists entirely of Scottish Exiles. Following the Festival a selection of players will be invited to a two week training camp in Valladoid, Spain, this summer.
Scotland Green kick the action off, they face RFC at 12pm on Sunday at Parc Eirias, followed by Scotland Reds against the ISRFC Lambs at 2pm. Monday sees Scotland Blue in action at 3pm against Cardiff Blues Development XV at Ystrad Mynach, Scarlets v Ospreys and Dragons v Blue follow that game.
On Wednesday 4th April all three Scotland teams are in action, Scotland Blue taking on RGC at 12pm at Parc Eirias and Scotland Green facing the Lambs at 2pm in the same venue. Scotland Red will then take on the Ospreys Development XV at 3pm at Neath RFC.
Friday 6th April is an all Welsh affair, with Scarlets v Cardiff Blue and Ospreys v Dragons both at Swansea RFC, while on Sunday 8th April Scotland Red face RGC at Parc Eirias, 12pm kick off, followed by Scotland Blue v ISRFC Lambs at 2pm.
The competition wraps up on Wednesday 11th April with another all-Welsh day, with Blues v Ospreys and Dragons v Scarlets at Parc y Scarlets.
Speaking ahead of the Festival, Scotland Blues Head Coach Graham Shiel said:
“Now in our third year as Scotland Blues, we are building some momentum and looking forward to the challenges of playing as a squad versus some tough opposition in Cardiff Blues, RGC and The Lambs. The coaching team have been very encouraged by the enthusiasm and hunger of the group to improve and both warm up fixtures, against Scotland Reds and Newcastle Falcons U16, have proved to be very positive.”
“This program also provides us with the chance to benchmark out-with Scotland along with acting as a selection tool for the next stage of the groups development, where identified players will be afforded an opportunity to travel to Valladolid to train for two weeks in July 2018.”
Meanwhile Scotland Reds Head Coach Bryan Easson said:
“We are looking forward to bringing Scotland Reds down to the excellent festival in Colwyn Bay. The festival has been an outstanding development tool over the past few years for our players who use these games to continue work on the U16 theme of attack from our National technical blueprint.”
“The preparation has gone extremely well for all involved with all of the management team seeing huge progress in all players’ development both on and off the field.”
One of the particularly exciting clashes of the Festival will be the Scotland Green v ISRFC Lambs fixture on Wednesday 4th April at 2pm as a number of players will be in direct opposition to their schoolmate.
Harrow’s Charlie Christie and Alexander Leung are both in the Scotland Green squad, while fellow Harrow pupils James Griffin and Pierce O’Toole are in the Lambs squad.
Wisbech Grammar School’s Henry Mair has actually been called up from the Lambs to the Scotland Green squad, and he will be facing his schoolmate George Dady, who is with the Lambs.
Millfield, meanwhile, are represented by Dylan Evans in the Scotland Greeen backline, another player recently called up from the original ISRFC Lambs U16 touring squad.
Elsewhere in the Scotland Green squad there are two players currently plying their trade in france, Max Lindsey of British School of Paris and Racing 92, and Robin McClintock of Lycee Notre Dame and Lyon Olympique.
Besides that, there will be plenty of inter-school rivalries on the pitch, with players in the Scotland squad playing against players in the Lambs squad from big rival schools, which ought to add to what is already a hotly anticipated fixture.
Speaking ahead of their three games, Scotland U16 Greens Head Coach David Wilson said:
“The introduction of the Green squad to attend this year’s festival in Colwyn Bay allows for Scottish qualified players to be introduced and developed through the age-grade pathway.”
“Players have had the opportunity to prepare at three weekend camps including a close preparation match playing against the Reds. The Welsh festival will be a great opportunity for all the players to experience a higher level of development rugby and an insight into the expectations required for further growth and improvement. We are all looking forward to the challenge.”
Scotland U16 Squads for Colwyn Bay Festival:
Scotland U16 Blues:
Forwards
Owen Brown (Dunfermline HS/Dunfermline)
Tim Brown (Lathallan/Montrose)
Eoin Cameron (High School of Glasgow/Glasgow Hawks)
Rory Cockburn (Dumfries Academy/Dumfries Saints)
Callum Hunter (Falkirk HS/Stirling County)
Thomas McGuire (St Aloysius College/Garnock)
Finlay Overend (Williamwood HS/GHA)
John Paterson (High School of Glasgow/Glasgow Hawks)
George Ratcliff (Strathallan/Howe of Fife)
Robbie Renwick (Jordanhill/Glasgow Hawks)
Alex Samuel (St Leonards/Madras)
Dougal Sands (Dollar Academy)
Charles Wall (Forres Academy/Highland)
Max Williamson (Dollar Academy)
Backs
Toby Adamson (Glenalmond College)
Luke Armstrong (High School of Glasgow/Glasgow Hawks)
Euan Cunningham (Stirling HS/Stirling County)
Oscar Del Priore (Hermitage Academy/Cartha Queens Park)
Angus Fraser (Aboyne Academy/Deeside)
Michael Gray (Dollar Academy/Stirling County)
Ross McKnight (Dollar Academy)
Cameron Paterson (Strathallan/Marr)
Gabriel Smith (St Leonards/Howe of Fife)
Finlay Troup (Robert Gordon’s College)
Peter Wallwork (Strathallan)
Scotland U16 Reds:
Forwards
Callum Anderson (George Heriot’s)
Tom Banatvala (Fettes College)
Archie Bogle (Eyemouth HS/Duns)
Alex Geddes (Merchiston Castle)
Ewan Henderson (Royal HS)
Nick Henderson (Earlston HS/Melrose)
Duncan Hood (Stewart’s Melville College)
James Lascelles (Merchiston Castle)
Fraser McAslan (Royal HS/Currie)
David Murphy-Clark (Hawick HS/Hawick)
Gregor Scougall (George Watson’s College/Currie)
Hector Skipworth (Merchiston Castle)
Archie Watters (George Watson’s College)
Backs
Aidan Boyle (Stewart’s Melville College)
Roly Brett (Earlston HS/Melrose)
Daniel Brown (George Watson’s College)
Keiran Clark (Earlston HS/Melrose)
Angus Cousin (George Watson’s College)
Ryan Daley (George Watson’s College/Currie)
Ben Grainger (Royal HS)
Angus Hoffie (George Watson’s College)
James Kemp (Kelvinside Academy/Glasgow Hawks)
Cameron Scott (Preston Lodge HS/Preston Lodge)
Jamie Thompson (Stewart’s Melville College)
Christian Townsend (Earlston HS/Melrose)
Scotland U16 Greens:
Forwards
Andrew Curtis (Wollaston)
Olly Frostick (William de Ferrers/Northampton Saints)
Hamish Janaway (Lord Wandsworth/London Irish)
Bailey Albert (Bishop Stortford HS)
Iain Carmichael (Sedburgh/Newcastle Falcons)
Will Harding (Salesian College)
Innes Hill (Stokesley/Newcastle Falcons)
James Loraine (Bilton/Wasps)
Charlie Christie (Harrow)
Matthew Deehan (RGS Newcastle/Newcastle Falcons)
Henry Mair (Wisbech Grammar)
Matthew O’Connor (Lawrence Sherriff/Wasps)
Backs
Jonty Cope (Kirkham Grammar)
Jack Sykes (Radley College)
Scott Masson (RGS High Wycombe)
Alexander Leung (Harrow/London Irish)
Max Lindsey (British School of Paris / Racing 92)
Cameron Ritchie (Bromsgrove/Wasps)
Markuss Boyd (QES Kirby Lonsdale/Newcastle Falcons)
Dylan Evans (Millfield)
Robin McClintock (Lycee Notre Dame/Lyon Olympique)
James Aikman (RGS Worcester)
Colwyn Bay U16 Rugby Festival Schedule:
Sunday 1st April
12pm: RGC v Scotland Green @ Parc Eirias
2pm: Lambs v Scotland Red @ Parc Eirias
Monday 2nd April
3pm: Cardiff Blues (Dev) v Scotland Blue @ CSE Ystrad Mynach
5pm: Scarlets V Ospreys @ CSE Ystrad Mynach
7pm: Dragons v Blues @ CSE Ystrad Mynach
Wednesday 4th April
12pm: RGC v Scotland Blue @ Parc Eirias
2pm: Lambs v Scotland Green @ Parc Eirias
3pm: Ospreys (Dev) v Scotland Red @ The Gnoll (Neath RFC)
Friday 6th April
5.30pm: Scarlets v Cardiff Blues @ St Helens (Swansea RFC)
7.15pm: Ospreys v Dragons @ St Helens (Swansea RFC)
Sunday 8th April
12pm: RGC v Scotland Red @ Parc Eirias
2pm: Lambs v Scotland Blue @ Parc Eirias
Wednesday 11th April
TBC – Blues v Ospreys @ Parc y Scarlets
TBC – Dragons v Scarlets @ Parc y Scarlets
