Tom Roebuck: Scotland and England battle for Sale winger - 'I’d love to play international rugby'

Scotland are hoping to persuade Sale winger Tom Roebuck to switch allegiance from England and represent the country of his birth.

Tom Roebuck has scored eight tries for Sale this season and qualifies for Scotland due to being born in Inverness.

Roebuck, a 22-year-old who has been called into England squads but has only been capped at under-20 level, is preparing to turn out for Sale in Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final against Saracens at Twickenham. However, on the eve of the match, it has emerged that Scotland are keen to bring him into the international fold and that conversations have begun with the player, who qualifies on the grounds of being born in Inverness.

New England head coach Steve Borthwick has also been in touch with Roebuck, who was raised in Cheshire, and now faces a decision on his international future. Both countries are well stocked at winger, with Scotland calling on Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe and Kyle Steyn, while England main picks in that area include Henry Arundell, Anthony Watson and Freddie Steward.

Alex Sanderson, Sale’s director of rugby, confirmed that Roebuck is wanted by both Scotland and England. “Scotland have been knocking and Tom has had a call from Steve [Borthwick], rightly so, because he wants to keep his options open, regarding back-three selection,” said Sanderson. “Let’s face it, the competition is high, with [Henry] Arundell, [Anthony] Watson, [Freddie] Steward and all those guys. There are good wingers around. But these [Premiership final] are the games that count."

Roebuck says he would “love to play international rugby” but has not considered a switch as yet. A scorer of eight tries this season, he commented: “I’ve not really made too much of a decision about it because I haven’t had to yet. I’d love to play international rugby. At this point, I have not had to worry too much about it. That’s a good position to be in.”