Scouts part of the project again as Scots step up the hunt for players

AFTER years of talking about it, the Scottish Rugby Union appear set to strengthen their scouting network across the world in a bid to target players with Scottish connections to strengthen the small pool of professional talent within the country itself.

Speaking at Murrayfield yesterday, Scotland head coach Andy Robinson spoke of his desire to “reward” Dutchman Tim Visser for his performances in the two-and-a-half years since he was signed by Rob Moffat for Edinburgh from Newcastle, by selecting him for the Scotland tour squad to the southern hemisphere in the summer, when he becomes qualified on residency grounds.

It has clearly fired his imagination on how to strengthen Scotland’s resources and he admitted that he is speaking to Graham Lowe [SRU Performance Director] about formalising a network whereby there could again be a steady stream – as happened under Jim Telfer and Ian McGeechan – of players able to play for Scotland and needed to fill weaker positions.

Robinson touched on the latest buzz phrase, “project players”, and how he believes Scotland need to formalise their approach to making the most of talent, whether it is Scottish-qualified through family or residency. Ireland are believed to have brought Kiwi Jared Payne to Ulster as a potential replacement in the Ireland set-up for Brian O’Driscoll and Mike Cusack, the Glasgow tighthead prop, was signed to bring competition to a position in Scotland that is weak. Cusack will qualify for Scotland in 2014.

Robinson said: “We are looking at how we scout to get the development of players to keep the [Scotland] team moving forward, with competition for places, but also so that we know that, when we bring in a young player , e’re doing that with him surrounded by experience so that he can be successful.

“For example, Richie Gray came off the bench to start with and has been developed with experienced forwards around him in the pack, and he has been a success. Ruaridh Jackson is the same, and we’re seeing them develop well and we’re seeing success in terms of their playing ability at international level improving.

“Now that’s what we need to do with all our young players and we have some very good young talent coming through in the next few years. They are playing well for their clubs and that is encouraging, and it’s where they need to show up well and push, but you can’t just throw them into the international scene. We’ve got to grow them into there.

“That’s where we need to turn our attention, however, to ‘project players’. Guys like Tim Visser are out there.

“He has come here and played well for three years, and it’s right that we reward that. We are looking at our strength in depth for the next three years and where we need to work harder and identify more players, or players in areas where we are not strong.

“That is going to be for Graham Lowe to develop, and all I’m doing here is highlighting that it’s an area we need to drive through, but how we do that exactly will be for Graham.”

The Scottish exiles network has begun to grow again after being virtually demolished by the old SRU regime, with Rob Brierley and Dave Butcher establishing a good network across England of Scottish-qualified talent.

But what Robinson is looking at is attracting both young talent from the thousands of ex-pat families outside the country and talents in key areas that have not made it to the Test arena in their country of birth, but might do in a Scotland jersey after three years playing in the country.