Under-20 Six Nations: Peter Wright calls on backs to be more physical

Published on Friday 10 February 2012 00:00

SCOTLAND will try to put a heavy 59-3 defeat to England last Friday at Firhill behind them when they face Wales tonight in the second round of the Six Nations under-20 championship at Eirias Park in Colwyn Bay.

Edinburgh stand-off Harry Leonard takes over the captaincy from Murrayfield team-mate Robin Hislop, who is on the bench for tonight’s RaboDirect Pro12 match against the Ospreys.

Leonard, in his second year at under-20 level, is the elder statesman in a young backline, six of whom graduated from the under-18 ranks last season. They struggled against England and that is concerning head coach Peter Wright, who believes there was a difference in style as well as experience.

Wright said: “It was the physicality of the England backs that was so telling. We have to be much more physical if we are to be competitive.

“Six of the tries they scored against us came from our possession.”

The pack worked hard last Friday but whether they can be as effective against Wales, who lost 11-6 to Ireland in Athlone, may depend on how Hislop’s replacement, Stirling prop Jamie Bhatti, who shared the under-18 captaincy last season, fares.

The other change in the scrum is at hooker where George Turner steps up from the bench to take over from the injured Fergus Scott. That has resulted in a call-up to the replacements for last season’s under-18 and Gala hooker Russell Anderson, originally from Langholm.

Behind the scrum Ayr centre Robbie Fergusson is in the side after recovering from injury, with Michael Crawley moving to the wing.

Wales U20s: R Jones (Bridgend/Ospreys); I Evans (Llanelli/Scarlets), L Williams (Cross Keys/Dragons), C Allen (Cardiff/Blues), L Morgan (Bridgend/Ospreys); S Davies (Swansea/Ospreys), J Evans (Bedwas/Dragons); R Evans (Llanelli /Scarlets), K Myhill (Llanelli/Scarlets, capt), W John (Cardiff/Blues), M Screech (Cardiff/Blues), R Hughes (Swansea/Ospreys), E Jenkins (Cardiff/Blues), I Jones (Bedwas/Dragons), D Thomas (Llanelli/Scarlets). Subs: D Harris (Bridgend/Blues), T Davies (Cardiff/Blues), D Suter (Bridgend/Ospreys), T Young (Blues), D Crimmins (Cardiff), J Davies (Newport/Dragons), J Williams (Llanelli/Scarlets), D Franchi (Pontypool/Dragons).

Scotland U20s: S Hidalgo-Clyne (Scotland 7s/Heriot’s); J Farndale (Edinburgh/Edinburgh Accies), R Fergusson (Ayr), T Allan (Western Province), M Crawley (Boroughmuir); H Leonard (Edinburgh), S Steele (Leicester); J Bhatti (Stirling County), G Turner (Stewart’s-Melville), A Allan (Loughborough Students), J Gray (Hamilton), A Sinclair (Stirling County), M Eadie (Bristol), W Bordill (Sale), J Swanson (Boroughmuir). Subs: R Anderson (Gala), G Robertson (Dundee HSFP), A Redmayne (Dundee HSFP), C Reid (Edinburgh Accies), S Cessford (Heriot’s), F Russell (Falkirk), M Torrance (Ospreys), T Steven (Glasgow Hawks).

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