Scotland U20s have 'already exceeded expectations' at World Championship but still want more says coach

Scotland under 20s head coach Fergus Pringle says his side have ‘already exceeded expectations’ by reaching the fifth place play-off final at this year’s Junior World Championship.

The young Scots finished second in their pool, beating Italy and Japan but losing to New Zealand, before overcoming Argentina in the semi-finals with a 44-26 victory. They now face Wales with a chance to equal their best ever finish in the competition which was set almost a decade ago in 2017.

Pringle has once again made a handful of changes to freshen up his squad for Friday’s match at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi, Georgia. He says the group have spoken about what is on the line against their Six Nations rivals but don’t need any extra motivation to play their best.

“I think they've already exceeded [external] expectations,” explained Pringle. “I think it's more than that for us now than just trying to finish fifth. I think the boys want to put in a strong performance, we've played Wales but we haven't beaten them yet this season.

“There's a lot of motivation to go and finish well but the boys will be well aware that there is that 2017 team that finished fifth. It does give them something extra to focus on but ultimately, when you get to the game, it's more just about our performance on the day.

“Can we execute the plans that we have? Can we stop Wales trying to impose themselves on the game and get the better of them? It comes down to really our focus on the day, what we need to do on the pitch and what we need to stop Wales doing.”

Scotland under 20s team to play Wales: 15 Rory McHaffie, 14 Daniel Kelly, 13 Henry Kesterton, 12 Alex Bryden, 11 Nairn Moncrieff, 10 Jake Dalziel, 9 Asa Stewart-Harris. 1 Oliver McKenna, 2 Joe Roberts (captain), 3 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 4 Alfie Blackett, 5 Dan Halkon, 6 Christian Lindsay, 7 Jack Utterson, 8 Harvey Preston. Replacements: 16 Jamie McAughtrie, 17 Jamie Stewart, 18 Jackson Rennie, 19 Finlay Mather, 20 Oliver Finlayson Russell, 21 Matthew Fick, 22 Calum Jessop, 23 Ewan Caven.

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