THE Scottish Rugby Union has signed up five new young talents to the national academy and swelled the ranks of contracted young professionals to 28.
Last year, the SRU ran an academy of 23 full-time players, with another 30 supported in local area institutes. The union announced the fourth year of intakes yesterday with the area institute squad dropping to 27, but largely due to promotion within
and three more talents – Pat MacArthur, Peter Horne and Roddy Grant – landing professional contacts with Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Alongside the players stepping up from the area institutes, there are five entirely new faces this year drawn from as far afield as Zimbabwe, Hull, Hawick and Edinburgh.
Winger Chris Broomfield comes north from Hymers College near Hull after impressing for Scotland under-18s last season, while Michael Doneghan's promising conversion from second row to wing at Stewart's Melville has earned him a chance at the next level.
Powerful flanker David Denton came from Zimbabwe this year to Edinburgh Accies, while Hawick Wanderers teenagers Stuart Hogg, a centre, and Robin Hislop, a prop and son of Langholm legend Brian 'Bomber' Hislop, are the latest to emerge from the Hawick rugby factory.
The players moving up from the area institutes are Heriot's pair Struan Dewar and Finlay Gillies, Nick Campbell of Glasgow Hawks, Grant Gilchrist from Stirling County, Hawick's Nicky Little, Tom Bury of Boroughmuir, James Johnstone from Currie and Haddington flanker Neil Rodger.
Many of the academy players started their careers at lower-league clubs, but have progressed to Division One clubs and all will be involved in club rugby as well as with the Edinburgh and Glasgow squads to varying degrees this season. Some could also play for the Scotland sevens squad on the IRB World Series circuit and in the new British and Irish Cup.
NATIONAL ACADEMY PLAYERS
Contracted Academy Players G Anderson (Ayr), A Blair, T Brown, D Denton, L Niven, S Wilson (Edinburgh Accies), C Bloomfield (unattached), F Brown (Watsonians), T Bury (Boroughmuir), N Campbell, P Jericevich, J Stafford (Glasgow Hawks), S Dewar, F Gillies, S Hogg, R Hutton (Heriot's), M Doneghan (Stewarts-Melville), A Dunbar (Selkirk), C Fusaro (Heriot's), G Gilchrist (Stirling County), R Harley (West of Scotland), R Hislop, N Patrick (Boroughmuir), J Johnstone (Currie), N Little (Hawick), A McCulloch, S McInally (Watsonians), N Rodger (Haddington).
AIS Supported Academy Players
A Ash, D Gilmour (Stirling County), S Atkin (Edinburgh Accies), R Aitken (Howe of Fife), S Aitken (Aberdeen Grammar), M Bennett (Cumnock), M Beckwith (Marr College), D Fife, M Scott (Currie), K Hamilton (Caithness), J Hill, C Owenson, M Maltman (Heriot's), R Hughes (GHA), G Hunter (Gala), C Jackson (Melrose), H Jones (Merchiston Castle School), A Kirkland, D Weir (Glasgow Hawks), R McAlpine, M McConnell (West of Scotland), R McConnell (Peebles), D Orr, A Spence (Haddington), C Phillips (Stewarts Melville), M Roy (Musselburgh), J Swanson (Glasgow Academy).
