Five Edinburgh men in Churchhill Cup side

Published on Wednesday 16 May 2007 12:00

COACH Frank Hadden has named five current Edinburgh players in his 29-man Scotland A squad for next week's Barclays Churchill Cup in England.

Among the backs are Phil Godman and Simon Webster, while Alasdair Dickinson, Craig Smith and Alasdair Strokosch are listed in the forwards.

Godman, Strokosch and Dickinson featured in the Scotland A side that lost 52-17 to New Zealand Maori in the final of last year's competition in Canada - the first time the Scots had appeared in the tournament, which is now in its fifth year.

Hadden, who has named 16 full caps in the squad, has challenged his players to use the tournament, which sees the Scots face the United States at Henley on Thames next Wednesday and England Saxons at Twickenham on Monday May 28 in their pool games, to press their claims for a place in his World Cup squad. He is particularly keen to assess the fitness of some players who have missed lengthy spells of the season as a result of injury, among them Webster, Smith and Dickinson.

Hadden said, "We go into this tournament with the intention of picking up some notable scalps. Our squad is a mix of youth and experience and the tournament also represents an important stepping stone back to full match fitness for a number of players whose seasons have been affected by injuries.

"The Barclays Churchill Cup is the last opportunity for a number of players to put their hands up and impress for selection for the World Cup squad," he added. And, he has suggested that outstanding performances during the tournament, which also features Canada, Ireland A and the holders, could be enough to seal selection for the World Cup.

He said: "While some players will still be fighting for places for the World Cup in our Bank of Scotland August Tests against Ireland and South Africa at Murrayfield, others could secure a berth by delivering an outstanding performance for Scotland A over the next few weeks."

The tournament ends with finals day, involving all six sides, at Twickenham on Saturday, June 2.