Defence key to the France game

This Saturday sees Scotland go to France in the second match for them in the autumn test series, and should see them playing plenty of confidence after a convincing win against the Irish at Scotstoun. This will be no easy place to go for Scotland and should make for tougher opposition than Ireland, however after the positives of the Ireland game, there is no reason why Scotland can't pick up another impressive win.

Two players particularly impressed in the last game and if they can take their form in to the next game, France will need to have a tightly organised defence. Duffy was pivotal in the centre of the park for the Scots, orchestrating the attacks and creating gap after gap, and David Scott picking up a brace showed intelligence in his support play and plenty of pace to help him collect his well earned brace.

Also whereas Ireland could be accused of being wasteful in attack, they were certainly no slouches in defence, producing several last gasp tackles and preventing Scotland from racking up a few more tries, showing that Scotland are certainly capable going forward. However France are likely to be just as enthusiastic going forward and this has the potential to be a high scoring game for both teams, so its up to McCormacks men to stay organised on the field next Saturday, and if they can stifle Frances attack, they could see themselves take an impressive scalp from the world number 5's and establish themselves as strong contenders for the next four nations.

What do you think will be the key to our national side beating France ? Please post your opinions to the Facebook Page.

If you have found this post interesting please use the "Share" buttons below to tell your online community about it, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.

Or maybe in the backs ?

With the upcoming Scotland v. Ireland game, after having a look at the muscle in our squad, we decided to have a look at who could provide the bit of magic for Scotland to get us some points on the board.

Gareth Moore
Wakefield  Trinity
3 caps

Moore is a great young prospect at half back. Having came through the Leeds Rhinos academy, he found himself at Batley where he established himself as a great young talent, a Northern Rail cup winner and an effective kicker. Many times it has been Moores boot that has been the difference between winning and loosing games, and this ability could be called upon at Scotstoun if given the chance

Brett Carter
Workington Town
1 cap

Young town full back Carter is certainly more than capable of slotting into the attacking line, picking up an impressive 7 tries in Championship one in Workingtons latest campaign which saw his impressive performances help Workington get to an unfortunately unsuccessful playoff final. Hopefully Carter can bring his turn of pace back over the border for the France game.

Dave Arnot
London Skolars
2 caps

Arnot is another Scottish player to rack up 7 tries this season on the wing, second on the try scoring list for Skolars to the prolific Adebisi. The hard working Fife lad who has already scored 2 tries and picked up the man of the match in a Scotland A game last year will hopefully have his try scoring boots on as he looks to add to his Scotland tally and establish himself as a regular

Callum Cockburn
Edinburgh Eagles
Uncapped

Cockburn picked up an impressive 7 tries in 8 games last season, which has led to the Eagles player hoping to pick up his first cap during the autumn tests, and stands every chance in a squad full of home grown talent. Given the chance Cockburn is sure to make an impact on the game and the inspiration of playing in front of a packed home crowd could be enough motivation to get a performance.

What do you think ? we would love to hear your opinions on our squad for our next game against Ireland. Have we missed anyone out ? Who is your favourite in the Scotland backs ? Please let us know what you think on our Facebook Page.

If you have found this post interesting please use the "Share" buttons below to tell your online community about it, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.

Scots Raring To Go In Grand Finals

There will be no Scots playing in the Super League Grand Final next Saturday night at Old Trafford but, while most of Scotland's squad are enjoying a couple of weeks rest between the end of the club season and the international programme, this Sunday will see a group of Scottish internationals in cup final action, one in the biggest game in world club rugby - union or league. Scotland's most capped internationalist Andrew Henderson will play for Sheffield Eagles against favourites Featherstone Rovers in Sunday's Co-operative Championship Grand Final, the British's game's second tier finale, alongside club and country team-mates Jack Howieson, Alex Szostak and Mitchell Stringer. A few hours earlier, 12,000 miles away in front of 80,000 at Sydney's Olympic Stadium, their Scotland colleague Michael Robertson will play for Manly Sea Eagles against the New Zealand Warriors in the Australian National Rugby League Grand Final. It doesn't get any bigger than that.

"It would mean a lot to me personally to win the Championship, but more so for the club," says Henderson, who is again in the Scotland squad to face Ireland and France later this month. "Since arriving at Sheffield, I've really bought into the club's ethos and what they stand for. I feel what they have done since reforming 10 years ago is remarkable. They have had a long term vision to return to Super League and have took one step at a time, building a lot of infrastructure off the field and slowly improving on field performances. It would be the icing on the cake to win the Grand Final."

Sheffield have been outsiders throughout the play-off series, shocking Widnes and Leigh with superb wins in the last fortnight. Now they must do it again, and turn over the team that has led the division all season.

"We've always believed we were capable of achieving something this season, but our league form wasn't as consistent as we would have liked. But we've peaked at the business end and the boys are playing with confidence. Everyone is working hard for each other and really excited about the Grand Final. No-one gave us a cat in hell's chance of playing in the Grand Final this week let alone win the first play-off against Widnes, who we had never beaten before in the Championship until that night."

The number of Scotland internationals at Sheffield has grown over the last two years, with hooker Henderson and second-row forward Szostak joining Eagles' stalwart props Howieson and Stringer. "In some ways we've got a little group within a group but we have a fantastic team spirit here," explained Henderson, whose family are from Possil in Glasgow. "There are no cliques or egos, which is one of the reasons we're in the position we are."

Henderson, Howieson, Stringer and Szostak are all in Steve McCormack's provisional 28-man Scotland squad for the autumn internationals, but Robertson is missing. The Australian-born star is remaining in Sydney to finish his career with Manly on the biggest stage before moving to London in November to join Harlequins RL. Robertson's last appearance in the NRL Grand Final saw him score a hat-trick for Manly in their 2008 triumph.

Not that the Eagles' Saltire quartet - squad numbers 8 to 11 - have had chance to think about Scotland yet.

"I'm looking forward to Ireland and France if selected for the final 20-man squad as I love representing Scotland," said Henderson, whose Super League brothers Ian (Catalan Dragons) and Kevin (Wakefield Trinity) who have both been left out of the squad. "But my focus is purely on the Eagles at the moment and hopefully winning a Grand Final on Sunday. Once that's over I will have a few days down time, then focus on my commitments to Scotland and building towards a successful Test series."

There will be no Valvoline Cup Grand Final for Scotland newcomer Darryl Clark or Under-18 international Curtis McDonald as their Castleford Tigers Under-20s side was beaten in the semi-final by Warrington Wolves. They face Wigan Warriors, who feature Scottish full-back Shae Fraser-Lyon, in the reserves' final.

REMEMBER  to get your tickets for the 2011 Annual awards dinner !! Tickets are £40 per head and includes a free ticket for the Scotland vs. Ireland test series international the next day at Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow. Members of the Scottish national side and their management team will be in attendance for what should be a fantastic evening.

If you have found this post interesting please use the "Share" buttons below to tell your online community about it, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.

Could it be won in the Pack ?

With the Autumn international matches coming up, we thought we would take a look at some of the Scotland squad's key players. Below we have listed four of our team, who we think will be very influential in leading Scotland to victory in the upcoming games.

Andrew Henderson
Caps- 16
Club- Sheffield Eagles

Seasoned Pro Henderson has clocked up well over 200 hundred club games in his career and brings heaps of experience, having played at the highest level in super league. Even if playing time is limited, Henderson’s experience back room influence could be vital.

Jack Howieson
Caps- 9
Club- Sheffield Eagles

Sheffield Stalwart and club captain is another player with heaps of experience playing high level rugby league. Recently involved in Sheffield’s shock win against Leigh Centurions, hopefully the no nonsense Prop can take his end of season form into the Autumn internationals, and provide some big hit ups and surging runs in the middle of the park, and help drive Scotland forward.

Paul Jackson
Caps- 4
Club- Castleford

Another influential member of the Scotland pack. Jackson has racked up over 20 appearances in Super League this season, and having spent virtually his whole career at the top, means Jackson will be used to facing world class opposition, meaning his big match experience should help steady the squad and inspire some of the players just entering the Scotland national team

Daryl Clark
Caps- Uncapped
Club- Castleford

Youngster Daryl Clark is one of the most exciting prospects named on the squad list. At the age of only 18 the young hooker has already picked up the clubs under 20’s player of the year award and earned comparisons to James Roby in terms of his killer instinct. With 7 tries in 18 appearances for the Tigers, this youngster certainly knows his way to the try line, and that Hunger could see him score his first of many tries for Scotland.

If you have found this post interesting please use the "Share" buttons below to tell your online community about it, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.

Scotland Rugby League round up !

As most of you will we now have tickets on sale for the Annual Awards Dinner, so we would love for you to come and join us at the inaugural Awards Dinner to recognise the best players, teams, and volunteers in rugby league in Scotland - from the professional game to grass roots and community level.

What you may not know is that when you purchase your ticket for the awards, you will receive a ticket for the Scotland v. Ireland match for FREE ! However if you can't make the awards, we are offering a £5 discount to all of our Facebook friends. all you have to do is "Like" the Facebook Page and get your discount code, which you enter when purchasing your tickets.

We also have another offer running on our Facebook Page, because we love all of our Facebook friends, we have decided to give you the chance to win two tickets to the
Engage Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford. This competition consists of you posting your funniest rugby league stories to the Facebook Page, and getting your friends to "Like" your story. To view the full details of this competition, please click here.

Finally, to finish off our quick round up, we know that you have all been very anxious to know when the new Scotland kit will be unveiled. We have decided that the kit will first be shown on the Scotland Rugby League Facebook Page, and this will be happening in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on our page, you don't want to miss it !

Are you as excited as we are ?

If you have found this post interesting please use the "Share" buttons below to tell your online community about it, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.

Autumn Test squads announced

The squads have been announced for the Autumn European Test Series between France, Ireland and Scotland. All three are looking to blood newcomers with the 2013 World Cup on the horizon. Seventeen of Bobbie Goulding's 30-man squad are from engage Super League side Catalan Dragons including boom teenage hooker Eloi Pelissier (pictured), one of 11 debutants.

"It's a strong squad," said Goulding, who took over in 2009 and has seen his French side compete in a Four Nations and last year's European Cup where they lost out narrowly to the Welsh. "It's a squad that can play, and we have to compete in all our matches," he continued. Goulding's men will also face England Knights for the first time in the autumn and the former Great Britain scrum-half is under no illusion as to the threat they will pose. "The Knights players have over 1200 Super League games between them. Ten players have appeared in the Challenge Cup final or the Super League Grand Final so it's going to be tough."

The core of Les Bleus have been together for a while but another exciting newcomer is Melbourne stand-off Dane Chisolm, who qualifies through his mother and will head to Europe once the Storm's season is over. "He'll swim over if he has to," said Goulding, expressing the youngster's enthusiasm to join the French ranks. "He's being chased by the Catalans, North Queensland and Wakefield, he's a real talent. He can play anywhere in the backs and has got all the skills."

There are 13 uncapped players in the Irish squad including St Helens youngster Nathan Ashe, Leeds Rhinos prop Kyle Amor - who has been on loan with Wakefield - and the Wildcats' Stuart Howarth. Alongside them, the likes of Aaron McCloskey and Ian Cross, who have signed with St Helens from the Irish domestic competition, are given their bow alongside North Dublin Eagle Joe Taylor who has trialled at Harlequins and Leeds.

Newly appointed Ireland coach Mark Aston, who will make his debut in the competition commented, "We are looking forward to the challenges ahead of us this year. The squad is a good mix of domestic players, new young players and some experience to guide the team along the way. The experience will come from championship duo Bob Beswick and Liam Finn who have 30 caps between them and have been an integral part of the Wolfhounds since the 2008 World Cup. I will be looking for both do the same in our lead up to the next one."

Scotland have named 16 uncapped players in their squad with Castleford's exciting teenage hooker Daryl Clark and Wakefield centre Josh Griffin among just five faces totally new to the Scotland set-up. Clark's team mate 18-year-old Ben Blackmore, Josh Barlow of Halifax and Swinton's former England U16s rugby union full-back Alex Hurst are the other new recruits, w the other 11 uncapped players who having appeared for Scotland at lower levels.

Clark made an explosive start to his Super League career earlier this year, drawing plaudits from experts throughout the game and also highly rated is Oxford-born Griffin, younger brother of England prop Darrell. Clark's Castleford team-mate Paul Jackson brings a decade of Super League nous to the squad, while young Wakefield half-back Gareth Moore returns after missing last year's campaign.

With Danny Brough selected by England and Ben Fisher having an off-season operation, McCormack looks set to return to his successful 2009 creative unit, with Gareth Moore, John Duffy and record cap winner Andrew Henderson in the pivot roles. The squad is further evidence of the work being done by Scotland Rugby League's development team. Nine of them have played for Scotland ‘A', eight have donned the shirt for Scotland Students and Hull FC pair Chad McGlame and Crawford Matthews and Hull KR flier David Scott are all stepping up from Scotland Under-18s. Former Easterhouse Panthers products McGlame and Scott are among five players in the party who learned to play rugby league in Scotland. The squad will go into camp at Heriot-Watt University the week before playing Ireland at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow.

RLEF AUTUMN EUROPEAN TEST SERIES


Scotland v Ireland - Sunday October 16 - Scotstoun, Glasgow (2pm)
France v Scotland - Saturday October 29 - Gilbert Brutus, Perpignan (3pm)
Ireland v France - Saturday November 5 - Thomond Park, Limerick (8pm)


IRELAND SQUAD


Liam Harrison (Barrow Raiders), George Flanagan (Batley Bulldogs), Damien Blanch (Catalan Dragons), Elliott Cosgrove (Dewsbury Rams), Liam Finn (Featherstone Rovers), Ryan Fieldhouse, James Haley, Paul Handforth, Bob Beswick (Halifax RLFC), Jamie O'Callaghan, Jason Golden (Harlequins RL), Gregg McNally (Huddersfield Giants), Luke Ambler, Kyle Amor, Callum Casey (Leeds Rhinos), Joe Taylor (North Dublin Eagles), Paddy Boyle (Oxford RL), Nathan Ashe, Aaron McCloskey, Ian Cross (St Helens), Sean Gleeson, Ryan Boyle (Salford City Reds), Vinny Finnigan, Tim Bergin (Sheffield Eagles), Ged Corcoran (Toulouse), Lemeki Vaipulu (Treaty City Titans), Stewart Howarth (Wakfield Trinity Wildcats), Tyrone McCarthy (Warrington Wolves), Kurt Hegarty, Simon Finnegan (Widnes Vikings)


FRANCE SQUAD


Olivier Arnaud (Avignon), Olivier Elima (Bradford), Romaric Bemba, Teddy Sadaoui (AS Carcassonne), Thibaut Ancely, Jean Philippe Baile, Jason Baitieri, Thomas Bosc, Remi Casty, Vincent Duport, Jamal Fakir, Tony Gigot, Cyril Gossard, Eloi Pelissier, Mickael Simon, Cyril Stacul, Frederic Vaccari (Dragons Catalans), Andrew Bentley, Kane Bentley, Julian Bousquet, Damien Cardace, Florian Quintilla, Mickael Tribillac (FC Lezignan), Maxime Herold (Limoux), Dane Chisolm (Melbourne Storm), Maxime Greseque (SM Pia), Thibaud Margalet (St Esteve XIII Catalan), Kevin Larroyer, Gregory White (Toulouse Olympique).


SCOTLAND SQUAD

NAME - CLUB - CAPS:


Dave Arnot  - London Skolars - 2 caps
Josh Barlow - Halifax - uncapped
Sam Barlow - Halifax - 3 caps
Ben Blackmore - Castleford Tigers - uncapped
Nick Broere - Edinburgh Eagles - uncapped
Brett Carter - Workington Town - 1 cap
Daryl Clark - Castleford Tigers - uncapped
Callum Cockburn - Edinburgh Eagles - uncapped
Paddy Coupar - Edinburgh Eagles - 7 caps
John Duffy - Leigh Centurions - 10 caps
Josh Griffin Wakefield  Trinity - uncapped
Andrew Henderson - Sheffield Eagles - 16 caps
Jack Howieson - Sheffield Eagles - 9 caps
Alex Hurst Swinton - Lions - uncapped
Paul Jackson Castleford - Tigers - 4 caps
Giles Lomax Edinburgh - Eagles - uncapped
Neil Lowe Hunslet - Hawks - 14 caps
Chad McGlame - Hull FC - uncapped
Brad Massey - Coventry Bears - uncapped
Crawford Matthews - Hull FC - uncapped
Gareth Moore - Wakefield  Trinity - 3 caps
Lee Paterson - Swinton Lions - 8 caps
Jordan Rice - York City Knights - uncapped
David Scott - Hull KR - uncapped
Jack Stearman - York City Knights - uncapped
Mike Stewart - Lincoln City - uncapped
Mitch Stringer - Sheffield Eagles - 6 caps
Alex Szostak - Sheffield Eagles - 11 caps

If you have found this post interesting please use the "Share" buttons below to tell your online community about it, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.