Scottish Thistles in action as GB7s gets under way

SCOTTISH Thistles are in action today in the first round of the GB7s at Eirias Park in the North Wales town of Colwyn Bay, a high-profile series that has its second leg in Edinburgh at Meggetland next Saturday before concluding at Saracens Allianz Park ground a week later.

The competition will provide the Scotland sevens management the opportunity to look at different players, several of whom advanced their case in the recent Kings of the Sevens series in the Borders.

“We tend to use the same group of players in international sevens, and so this gives a number of players the chance to put themselves forward” said the Thistles coach, Graham Shiel. He added: “We’re trying to create a pathway in sevens”.

The Thistles squad for Colwyn Bay contains a mixture of experience in the form of skipper Andrew Skeen, scrum half Peter Jericevich and Ross Miller, all of whom have played in the World Series, and another group of players who have pressed their case in recent domestic sevens tournaments.

These include Selkirk wing Darren Clapperton, Edinburgh Accies flanker Lyle Godsmark and Watsonians wing Scott McKean, who played in the Scottish Schools Cup final last November. Scottish interest is also present in the Samurai side led by another experienced campaigner, Fraser Harkness of Selkirk.

In the one-day tournament, the two pools of four teams play three group matches and then two rounds to determine the final placings.