Rich seam of talent at stand-off forces Rory Hutton to seek pastures new

SCOTLAND'S ability to harvest stand-offs will again come under the microscope next season after one of three promising talents faces seeking a future outside Scotland.

After a decade of Scottish struggles to unearth quality competition for the pivotal position, there is the promise of a surfeit of exciting fly-half talent emerging from the youth ranks, which creates a new problem: how to develop them all in a two-team Scottish environment.

Rory Hutton, the 22-year-old fly-half from Hawick, has had his progress to professional rugby blocked by the lack of openings in Scotland's two teams, injuries at crucial times and a willingness as a 17-year-old to put an apprenticeship before rugby. It now appears that he is set to miss out on a Scottish contract despite impressing in his fleeting appearances for Edinburgh.

A widely-recognised talent with innate attacking skills few Scottish stand-offs share, Hutton has been in the SRU's academy system for the past two years. He was poised to challenge Phil Godman and David Blair at Edinburgh this season after impressing in a pre-season match against Newcastle. However, on returning to play for his club Heriot's, the youngster suffered a knee injury in the second game of the season that was to rule him out for the next four months.

On his return, Rob Moffat, the Edinburgh coach, handed him a start against Cardiff in January and again Hutton impressed as a runner able to create openings and exploit them in playing key roles in both tries that claimed a 21-12 victory.

However, back at Heriot's the following week he broke a finger that kept him sidelined for the next month, and his return since has been on the IRB world sevens circuit with a Scotland team that failed to qualify for the latter stages of the cup competitions.

Even with the SRU increasing the size of the pro squads due to extra money coming from Italy's entry into the Magners League, it has left the pro coaches with tough decisions. Hutton needs work to improve his passing and kicking skills, though as was the case with Chris Paterson's development, a lack of opportunities to play stand-off regularly at a high level has left many wondering 'what if' with a player able to shred defences at whatever level he plays.

With Godman and Blair on contract for at least another year, Moffat has opted to sign Alex Blair, David's 19-year-old brother, another rare talent in the game. He will be invited to challenge his brother and Godman for Edinburgh's No 10 jersey next season.

Glasgow coach Sean Lineen has opted for Glasgow Hawks' 18-year-old Duncan Weir instead of Hutton, to challenge Ruaridh Jackson with Dan Parks off to Cardiff. Weir won the man of the match award in Scotland U19s' win in Italy at the weekend, but that was at inside centre, fuelling concern in some quarters that the development of another talented fly-half was being messed about.

Bob McKillop, the U19s coach, told The Scotsman it was part of a plan to beat the Italians and help Weir's progress, adding that the emergence of skilful stand-offs was exciting.

He said: "We are blessed with three cracking stand-offs coming through – Duncan, Stuart Edwards and Gregor Hunter, who we hope will be fit for this weekend's game against France in Glasgow.

"So, it is about looking at how we can get the most from all of them because we don't get that many international games to help expose them to a higher level. We felt Duncan was capable of, and might benefit from playing at centre, and he was very good. He was our top line-breaker and off-loader, which are traits he's not necessarily known for at stand-off.

"Australian Michael Lynagh started off learning outside Mark Ella, All Black Dan Carter played outside Andrew Mehrtens and Jonny Wilkinson began alongside Paul Grayson, and it didn't do those guys any harm. Indeed, seeing things from another position can often help a player's awareness. But it is going to be intriguing in the next few years because these guys are all great talents and they all want to play stand-off."

Hutton has attracted interest from England, but at second-tier Championship level rather than Premiership. Proving himself in England might be the right, and only, route for the 22-year-old, and were he to emerge from that stronger it would aid him and Scottish rugby. But it also underlines the pressure on the coaches of Scotland's two pro teams to get their recruitment in coming weeks spot-on, and then improve the development and exposure of young stand-off talents now that they are finally emerging.