Australasian tour will see Scotland face Waratahs

THE SRU have confirmed that Scotland will meet the New South Wales Waratahs in the Sydney Football Stadium as part of their summer tour to Australasia this year.

Scotland opted against a series of three-Test tours against the southern hemisphere nations as part of a new touring schedule drawn up for the next decade, and so they will fulfil the role of the “warm-up” act by playing Australia in their first match on tour, in Newcastle’s Ausgrid Stadium on the night of Tuesday 5 June.

The Wallabies will launch into a three-Test series against Wales on the subsequent Saturdays, starting in Brisbane on 9 June, while Scotland take on the Super Rugby side the Waratahs in Sydney the next day, Sunday 10 June.

Andy Robinson’s squad then travel to Lautoka to meet Fiji on Saturday 16 June at Churchill Park and conclude the tour against Samoa on Saturday 23 June in Apia. Robinson plans to name a 32-man squad in mid-May and is expected to take a host of newly-capped and uncapped players down under. He added that the form of Glasgow and Edinburgh in the closing games of the season would be a factor in selection.

He said: “This will be a tough, full-on tour and I’ve been pleased with the form of many of the contenders for places within both the Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors teams over the last few weeks.

“We have seen a fantastic victory by Edinburgh over Toulouse in the Heineken Cup quarter-final and Glasgow remain on course for the play-offs in the RaboDirect PRO12, having displayed ruthlessness in their win against Cardiff Blues.”

The Scotland match against Australia will be broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK.

Meanwhile, Queensland Reds coach Ewen McKenzie has denied claims he has begun talks to take charge of Australia.

The 46-year-old has been forced to fend off such claims after this week’s shock announcement that he would give up the Reds reins to move into a coaching director role next year.

“You can speculate all you like about that and the motivations and whatever, but in the end we’re trying to put in the best model for Queensland rugby. That’s all I’m concentrating on.”