The official 6N squad for Scotland.

Scotland squad (sponsor RBS) for the matches against England (4 February) and Wales (12 February) in the 2012 RBS 6 Nations Championship:

Backs: Joe Ansbro (London Irish), Mike Blair (Edinburgh Rugby), Chris Cusiter (Glasgow Warriors), Simon Danielli (Ulster), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh Rugby), Max Evans (Castres), Stuart Hogg, Ruaridh Jackson (both Glasgow Warriors), Lee Jones, Greig Laidlaw (both Edinburgh Rugby), Rory Lamont (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Lamont (Scarlets), Rory Lawson (Gloucester), Graeme Morrison (Glasgow Warriors), Dan Parks (Cardiff Blues), Steven Shingler (London Irish) and Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors)

Forwards: John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors), Kelly Brown (Saracens), Geoff Cross, David Denton (both Edinburgh Rugby), Alasdair Dickinson (Sale Sharks), Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby), Richie Gray, Dougie Hall (both Glasgow Warriors), Jim Hamilton (Gloucester), Robert Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh Rugby), Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Lawson (Gloucester), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Fraser McKenzie (Sale Sharks), Euan Murray (Newcastle Falcons), Ross Rennie (Edinburgh Rugby), Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester) and Richie Vernon (Sale Sharks).

SIX UNCAPPED PLAYERS IN SCOTLAND SQUAD
Thursday, 05 January 2012

Head coach Andy Robinson has selected six uncapped players in Scotland’s 36-man squad for the opening two matches of the 2012 RBS 6 Nations Championship. They are Lee Jones, the 23-year-old Edinburgh Rugby wing; Stuart Hogg, the 19-year-old Glasgow Warriors full-back; his team-mates, stand-off Duncan Weir, 20 and flanker/lock Robert Harley, 21; Sale Sharks’ former Edinburgh and Dunfermline flanker/lock, 23-year-old Fraser McKenzie; and 20-year-old London Irish centre Steven Shingler.
All 28 available players from last year’s Rugby World Cup squad are included – Chris Paterson and Nathan Hines have now retired – while potential Six Nations debuts could lie ahead for the Edinburgh duo, Greig Laidlaw and David Denton, both of whom have been capped in the EMC Test windows.

Jones, a product of Selkirk has graduated from both Scotland 7s and Scotland A team and has scored six tries in 28 appearances for Edinburgh since making his debut in a pre-season friendly against London Irish in 2010.

Hogg – whose father John was a championship winning full-back and top-notch referee from Hawick, and brother Graham played both age-grade and 7s for Scotland – has won promotion from the Scotland under-20 squad. He made his Glasgow debut last February against the Dragons and has now played 17 times for the Warriors, scoring two tries. Last week Hogg signed a contract that will keep with Glasgow Warriors until at least May 2015.
Weir is currently the top-scorer in the RaboDirect PRO 12 league (145 points) and has represented Scotland at A, 7s and age-grade levels, while both Harley and McKenzie have been part of Scotland squads in the recent past and made a considerable impact in the Scotland A team.
Shingler, born in Swansea and who joined London Irish from Scarlets at the start of this season, qualifies for Scotland through his Dumfries born mum, Jeanette.

He told www.scotlandrugbyteam.org: “I would be massively proud to play for Scotland. My upbringing from my mother means I’ve always known about Scotland.

“I’ve got my gran, auntie, two uncles and two cousins in Langholm and other than the past year I’ve been up 15 years on the bounce to see them around the time of the Common Riding and I’ve competed in the Games as well.”

Robinson said: “I am pleased to reflect on the winning displays we have seen from both Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors over the last two months and the contribution a number of our uncapped players have made to them.

“I think what’s also encouraging is that a number of players who have forced their way into contention in that period and who have not made the squad this time, are really knocking on the door and that competition for places can only raise our standards, so this Scotland squad can be very much a work in progress over the coming months.

“We said after the Rugby World Cup that the challenge the Scotland squad must confront is to get on with the business of winning international rugby matches. Potential counts for nothing if you don’t deliver results.”

The squad will gather at St Andrews on the week beginning Monday 23 January before it is trimmed for match specific preparations for Scotland’s opening game of the championship against England at Murrayfield on Saturday 4 February.

Tickets for that match are sold-out, however you can still buy tickets for the Scotland v France game at Murrayfield on Sunday 26 February, kick-off 3pm via the website www.scottishrugby.org.

"Dan Parks set to get No 10 nod but Duncan Weir and Greig Laidlaw also have something to offer


by David Ferguson on Friday 27 January 2012

SELECTION has always been cast up as a potential weak spot of Andy Robinson from his days with England where he had a surfeit of talent to try to meld into one successful team, and struggled, through a run of nine wins in 22 Tests.

From the point when the garrulous Brian Moore famously commented that Robinson was a good coach but a poor selector, it was also always going to be an easy tag to hang around his neck as coaches are labelled in the same way players are invariably pigeon-holed. While there were again question marks raised through the World Cup as Robinson switched players about, selection in team sport is never an exact science, so it remains a point of contention.

However, what is clear is that Robinson, along with assistants Gregor Townsend, Graham Steadman and Massimo Cuttitta have a difficult few days to come up with the perfect XV, and indeed 22, to face England in arguably the biggest game in their recent coaching lives.

And, once again, it starts with the No 10 jersey. It is odds-on that Robinson will return to the most experienced option, Dan Parks, simply because he and Parks know what each other expects and understands where the coach wants to take the gameplan. In effect, you know what you get with Parks and that kind of knowledge is always a boon to a coach.

Parks’ kicking game is up there with the best in Test rugby, as a small man among modern rugby’s beasts, his defence needs support and attacking the line and bringing Scottish backs on to the ball at pace will hinge on the amount of confidence he carries into and through the game.

Duncan Weir and Greig Laidlaw are the first choices of Glasgow and Edinburgh supporters, respectively and inevitably, but both have real merit. Weir is the most exciting young stand-off emerging in the Scottish game, with Harry Leonard coming up behind, and is beginning to improve his attacking game to a point where he could conceivably lead the line well at international level.

Laidlaw has a rugby brain like few others in Scotland. He makes few errors, reads where attacks can be most potent, has a box of tricks to alter the direction of attack and possesses a much more creative and accurate boot than many give him credit for.

Is it time to take a chance? England will. Coach Stuart Lancaster is ready to pitch 20-year-old Owen Farrell into the fray after his confident performances with Saracens and his big question appears to be in the centre and who will help guide Farrell through the game. Robinson has experience in Chris Cusiter or Mike Blair at scrum-half, while Sean Lamont, Graeme Morrison, Nick De Luca, Joe Ansbro and Max Evans are all now experienced individuals vying for centre spots, with Evans also a contender for the wing.

So Weir or Laidlaw would have support around them. One senses that Robinson is already reining in his drive for a more expansive style of play as he contemplates the pragmatic option of pairing Parks and Lamont at 10 and 12. But Weir and Laidlaw can kick – bearing in mind Chris Paterson contributed 34 of Scotland’s 82 points in last year’s Six Nations they also need a reliable replacement goalkicker – as well as a more attacking style.

If they go with the experienced Parks, and it’s easy to understand why, then the least the coaches should do is hand Weir or Laidlaw the chance to push their case further off the bench. Both could do with more time at stand-off to develop their game control and knowledge of the role under pressure and at the non-stop, frenetic pace of Test rugby. Both players have something to offer, and could learn hugely from being involved.

Weir is a tempting choice because of the energy he brings to the game, and one would be happy to see him given the opportunity were Laidlaw not there. But Laidlaw can cover both scrum-half and stand-off and not only deserves a chance to come off bench at least, with the way he has gripped Edinburgh as captain this season and led from the front in both the No 9 and 10 jerseys. But, more importantly, the astute Borderer has shown himself to have the ability to make the right decisions to steer a team to victory in the final quarter of matches.

There have been numerous occasions of selections changing and heroes emerging as a tournament progresses, and one feels that Weir and Laidlaw could do that – if given the chance."

Riskysports wrote:"And, once again, it starts with the No 10 jersey. It is odds-on that Robinson will return to the most experienced option, Dan Parks, simply because he and Parks know what each other expects and understands where the coach wants to take the gameplan. In effect, you know what you get with Parks and that kind of knowledge is always a boon to a coach."

If this is the selection criteria - he knows what Parks will do - then he has to go

We all know what Parks can do - sweet FA

We all know what I would do - run 5 yards, attempt a side step, fall over, asked to be subbed off before someone runs over me, then have 6 pints talking about how I could have been great in the bar - does that mean I am a shoe in for the Scotland team?

This IMO is Robinson last chance saloon and if he fails to expand the squad, then he has to go -

In fact I am less bothered about results and more about how we approach the selection -

funnyExiledScot wrote:Selecting Parks would be indefensible. It should be Laidlaw starting with Weir on the bench. They are the form players and deserve to be there on merit.

I would be staggered if Robinson picked Parks. It would be an awful selection. In the past he's had little choice, now he has choice. There will be plenty of experienced players on the pitch. Blair should be at 9 and Sean Lamont and Nick De Luca in the centres. All these guys have plenty caps and experience. Added to that there is a reasonable expectation that our pack might actually be better than the English pack. A perfect time to blood a new option or two at 10. Merely doing that from the bench, with Scotland likely chasing the game, will not suffice.

I'm pretty loyal to coaches generally, but if Parks starts at 10 then I'd back Robinson being removed after the 6 Nations.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote: Playing Parks is the best way to hamstring our backs.

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Unfortunately DF is usually remarkably well informed

21st Century Schizoid Man wrote:Why in pity's sake would anyone want to read the bloody Scotsman anyway ?

21st Century Schizoid Man wrote:Why in pity's sake would anyone want to read the bloody Scotsman anyway ?

Pat_Mustard wrote:Of course there's always Danielli! Or Lamont on a wing with Morrison at centre! Plenty of ways to avoid giving youth a chance!

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Dickinson out with injury, Cross will presumably now be on the bench