Peter Wright wants U20s to 'step up and deliver'

IT'S fair to say that Scotland's Six Nations campaign at Under-20 level has not been a big success this season, with four defeats out of four and only 16 points scored while conceding 153.

It will be little consolation that Italy's record is similar, and both sides go into tonight's game at Bridgehaugh in Stirling looking for a morale-boosting victory ahead of the IRB Junior World Championship in June - to be held in Italy. Scotland coach Peter Wright has kept faith with his team after last week's 56-8 defeat to England at Newbury, with Sam Atkin of Edinburgh Accies coming in for Kerr Gossman of Glasgow Hawks on the wing, and he has tasked his charges with repaying that loyalty by producing a win.

"We could end up facing Italy in that tournament (IRB World Junior Championship) as well, so that's another reason to really step up and deliver," said Wright.

"We're under no illusions about how difficult a task winning this game will be. Italy are similar to the French side who beat us on the first weekend of the championship, in that they're big, physical and will seek to bully us.

"Our work in contact has been getting better; we're not missing as many tackles and we're showing more composure. We need to go up another level again on Friday, because Italy will pose a massive challenge in that area of the game. Against England, we kept the ball for longer in attack, and if we can do that again this weekend, we'll give ourselves a good chance of winning the match, because we'll be putting the Italian defensive structure under real and sustained pressure."

Entry tonight is free, and Stirling County and the Scottish Rugby Union will be carrying out a charity collection in aid of Comic Relief.

Scotland Under 20s: (v Italy Under 20s at Bridgehaugh tonight, kick-off 7.30pm) G Bryce (Heriot's); M Doneghan (Glasgow), M Bennett (Glasgow), H Leonard (Edinburgh), S Atkin (Edinburgh Accies); S Edwards (Stirling County), J Stevenson (Westcombe Park); R Hislop (Edinburgh), D Cherry (Northumbria), G Hunter (Glasgow, capt), M Eadie (Filton College), R McAlpine (West), A Spence (Heriot's), J Tyas (Bath), H Watson (Leicester). Substitutes: R Ferguson (Melrose), N Fraser (Boroughmuir), M Todd (Nottingham), L Seydak (Heriot's), J Munro (Edinburgh Accies), C Jackson (Melrose), K Gossman (Glasgow).