Scotland under-18s to tackle rapidly improving Georgia side

Scotland will be playing for a fifth finishing place in the FIRA-AER under-18 tournament in Madrid today when they take on Georgia at the Ciudad Universitaria stadium in the Spanish capital.

The young Scots go into this game having lost to France 7-19 in the first round before running in six tries to trounce Portugal 37-12 in the semi-final. Georgia lost 51-8 to England but then, fielding their strongest team, came from behind in their second round match to shock Italy with a 20-18 victory.

Georgian rugby is improving rapidly, as evidenced at last Autumn’s World Cup in New Zealand when the senior Scotland team was run perilously close by Georgia in the pool stages. “They’ve got some big, big guys. They’re very direct and we know that this game will be a big challenge for us,” said Scotland coach Eddie Pollock.

Scotland under-18 (v Georgia under-18) : G Lowe (Ayr); E Farquharson (Cults Academy/Aberdeen GS), C Mackenzie-Lawrie (Warwick School), N Herron (Jordanhill School/West of Scotland), S Moncur (St Ambrose College/Sale Sharks); B Cooper (Sedbergh), M McAndrew (Strathallan/Howe of Fife); D Rae (Kilmarnock), B Jardine (Carrick Academy/Kilmarnock), C Barnes (Glasgow High School/Glasgow Hawks), C Turner (Robert Gordon’s College), N Irvine-Hess (George Watson’s College), C Simpson (Edinburgh Academy), R Tait (Millfield), C Dean (Edinburgh Academy). Subs from R Murray (Dollar Academy/Stirling County), C Fenton (Strathallan/Howe of Fife), J Malcolm (Hutchesons’ Grammar School/GHA), D Campbell (Robert Gordon’s College/Mackie), A Cramond (Royal HS/BATS), T Spinks (Fettes College), A Glashan (Edinburgh Academy), C Irvine (Harrogate), F Robson (Kelso High School/Kelso), S Pecqueur (Trinity Academy/BATS), S Macdonald (Dunblane HS/Stirling County).