Cairns and Lamont add to A side's attributes

Published on Thursday 12 February 2009 22:08

SCOTLAND will launch a treble assault in the international arena this evening with the hope that victory might help to inspire the senior side to uncover their first win the RBS Six Nations Championship tomorrow.

The Scotland A team return from a winter hibernation with a match against Ireland A at Leinster's RDS Showground in Dublin. Captained by Ben Cairns and including Sean Lamont, two of the three players dropped by Scotland this week, there is no shortage of motivation in a squad bursting with out-of-favour internationals and players who believe they should be involved in the main Test arena.

When the teams met 12 months ago at McDiarmid Park, Scotland ran in an impressive ten tries during a 67-7 rout, but Ireland had a weakened team and there is no hiding their intent to recover pride this time with a clutch of Test players – notably Andrew Trimble, Eoin Reddan, Isaac Boss and Shane Jennings – all involved.

Bruce McNeil joined the Scots squad yesterday as a late call-up for Ed Kalman, the Glasgow prop who flew to France with the main team as cover for the sick Moray Low.

McNeil said: "It has been a pretty hectic morning. I was training with Edinburgh when I got the news that I had been called up, so I headed back home and got my stuff together. I'm pretty chuffed; I'm just hoping I will be able to do some damage on the pitch. This is the biggest highlight of my career so far."

The Scotland Under-20s had a thrilling win over the Welsh in Perth last weekend, and there is no mistaking the sense of purpose about Eamon John's team – he has named the same XV – as they bid to build on that first win in the Junior Six Nations Championship.

The third team in action tonight is the Scotland Club International side, who face France in Rouen. They lost Ayr's inspirational skipper Damien Kelly, who has had to return to his native Australia to attend to family matters, but he has been replaced by Glasgow Hawks' Allan Kelly.

Ally Donaldson, the coach, admitted the Ayr man was a big miss, but insisted that Kelly had been very close to selection in the first place.

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