Rugby: Scotland set to scale back tour squad for summer

MISSING a number of key performers and one planned game, Scotland are considering scaling back their squad for the summer tour to Australia, Fiji and Samoa.

Edinburgh players Lee Jones and David Denton suffered injuries in the past fortnight and the SRU confirmed yesterday that both would miss the tour. Jim Hamilton, the Gloucester lock, has been ruled out by a seven-week suspension after his sending-off against London Irish at the weekend, while head coach Andy Robinson was already looking to leave other experienced players, such as prop Allan Jacobsen, at home to rest and take the opportunity to blood more youngsters.

He did hope to use the match with Super 15 side New South Wales Waratahs to hand new opportunities to young talents, but that game has been cancelled by the Waratahs as they try to catch the Brumbies in Super Rugby’s Australian Conference, and, despite the SRU’s efforts, no replacement opponents had been found by last night.

That leaves Scotland with three Test matches, against Australia, Fiji and Samoa, from 5 to 23 June. As a result, Robinson is looking to trim his squad, to be announced next Wednesday, from the initial plans for 38. That will inevitably mean fewer opportunities for uncapped talents. Some will still go with Tom Ryder and Grant Gilchrist leading contenders to replace Hamilton, but Robinson has tough calls to make, not least at half-back with Greig Laidlaw and Duncan Weir the in-form stand-offs and Ruaridh Jackson possibly being left at home.

As for the injured players, Jones, who made his Test debut in the recent RBS Six Nations and suffered concussion against Ireland, has been dealt another blow. The 23-year-old suffered a fractured right shoulder blade ten minutes from the end of the Heineken Cup semi-final defeat to Ulster, as a result of a try-saving tackle, which forced him to leave the field early for the second time in two visits to the Aviva Stadium. Denton, who made his first Test start against England, suffered ankle ligament damage in Edinburgh’s final league match against Treviso last weekend. Jones’ recovery period is estimated at six to eight weeks and Denton’s eight to ten weeks.

Denton and Hamilton were ever-presents during the RBS Six Nations, while Jones only missed the final match in Italy due to concussion, and their absences are blows for a Scotland side seeking to arrest their worst run since 1998.

Scotland go into the Test with Australia on 5 June seeking to end a seven-match winless sequence, before playing Tests against Fiji on June 16 and Samoa a week later.

Jones’ absence can be compensated for by the inclusion of Edinburgh’s flying Dutch winger Tim Visser, who come June 12 will be eligible for Scotland on the grounds of three years’ residency.

Missing Denton will stretch Scotland’s back-row resources, with Saracens’ Kelly Brown absent after he dislocated his fibula in January, while Hamilton’s indiscretion means he returns behind World Cup captain Alastair Kellock in the second row order.

Hamilton received his suspension when a three-man Rugby Football Union panel banned him for seven weeks along with London Irish hooker David Paice following their brawl during last Saturday’s Aviva Premiership game between the clubs.

Jones and Denton proved their Test credentials in their maiden RBS Six Nations as Scotland finished with the wooden spoon, while also performing strongly for Edinburgh as the capital club reached the Heineken Cup semi-final.