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Scotland A 'really motivated' for England clash even though no caps on offer

By PA
(Photo by PA)

Pete Murchie insists the absence of caps on offer will take none of the spice out of this weekend’s Scotland A clash with England.

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With Gregor Townsend and eight of the Scots’ top stars away on British and Irish Lions duty, Mike Blair and assistants Murchie, John Dalziel and Pieter De Villiers have taken charge of a 37-man squad that will face the Auld Enemy’s second string at Welford Road on Sunday.

However, Test honours will not be dispensed to those who take the field in Leicester as the game does not rank as a full international match.

Caps, though, will be dished out to the men who make the cut and join a 29-strong squad heading for Romania and Georgia next month after the double header in eastern Europe was granted Test status.

And defence coach Murchie expects to see a full-throttle approach against the Red Roses’ reserves.

“We’re treating it like a Test week in terms of our build-up,” said the former Glasgow full-back. “It’s been a long time since the A side had a fixture, so it’s great to have these fixtures back and obviously a game against England is always a big occasion.

“So the fact that we’ve got this game is brilliant. It’s a really meaningful fixture for us.

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“I think when you’re playing against England you don’t have to worry about (winning caps). The guys are really motivated for this game. It’s an opportunity to put on the Thistle, and whenever you do that it’s an honour.

“There doesn’t seem to me in our preparation that guys are going through the motions. Everyone’s really preparing well for a big game on Sunday.”

Sunday’s match may not rank as a full international, but, should any of the 17-uncapped players in the Scotland squad do take part, they will be deemed to have been ‘captured’, meaning they cannot represent another nation.

But Murchie rejected the suggestion Scotland will be out to use Sunday’s game purely to nail down a handful of players boasting dual nationality.

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Ulster hooker Adam McBurney has previously represented Ireland at youth levels, while Northampton prop Nick Auterac and Bath back-rower Josh Bayliss have England Under-20 caps.

It is a similar story with Welsh-born Scarlets forward Javan Sebastian and ex-Australian Schoolboy Sione Tuipulotu.

Murchie said: “Capturing is a bit of a talking point in the international game at the moment, but I don’t think about it.

“I don’t think that we have to capture this player or that – it’s about whether they have earned the opportunity and do we want to get them in this environment.

“As far as I’m concerned, the capturing aspect isn’t a motivation to get these guys in. A lot of them will have been in the system and in these camps for a long time and have committed to playing for Scotland.”

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Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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Bull Shark 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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