1
Following on from our look at the top Welsh players to watch at the upcoming World Rugby U20 Championship, we now turn our attention to Scotland.
ADVERTISEMENT
New Scotland U20 coach Bryan Redpath has unfortunately lost several the side’s standout players from 2017, but there is still plenty of talent to work with as the Scots go head-to-head with Argentina, England and Italy in Pool B.
Stafford McDowall, Glasgow Warriors
This powerful centre is one of the players representing Scotland for a second season in the competition and has already made his senior debut for Glasgow Warriors.
With a smaller playing pool than many of the other nations competing in the tournament, a significant amount of Scotland’s players come from other countries or Aviva Premiership academies, but McDowall has been in the Scotland academy system since day one, having previously attended Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh and turned out for Ayr in the BT Premiership.
With the Scotland pack lacking experience and size, there will be an onus on McDowall, who captains the side, getting the team on the front-foot with short, sharp carries through the midfield.
Devante Onojaife, Northampton Saints
If the Scotland pack lacks punch, it won’t be down to any lack of effort from Onojaife, who offers a dynamic carrying threat from number eight.
Along with McDowall, he will be another to try and keep Scotland moving forward onto the ball, but if they are struggling to generate quick ball and push the tempo, he is an option as a one-out carrier to try and spark some go forward.
ADVERTISEMENT
His older brother Jordan packed down with Maro Itoje and Charlie Ewels in the England second row when they won the then Junior World Championship and though the odds of Scotland achieving that same feat this season are long, he will hope to have a similarly positive impact at the tournament.
Cammy Hutchison, Currie
If McDowall is the hammer in the Scottish midfield, then Hutchison is the knife, who will look for the space between defenders and run the sort of incisive lines that Scotland will thrive off if they can keep the tempo high.
Hutchison missed the U20 Six Nations earlier this year with injury but should re-join McDowall in the midfield, having struck up a fruitful partnership last season, although competition will be stiff and provided by rugby league convert Callum McLelland and Northampton’s Fraser Strachan.
ADVERTISEMENT
The depth and quality of Scotland’s centre options are the strength of the side this season and Hutchison, as an elusive runner and playmaker, arguably provides Scotland with their best chance of upsetting the odds and contending in Pool B.
James Miller, Watsonians
Miller has taken the well-trod path from South Africa to Scotland and will bring physicality, punch and an abrasive presence to Scotland’s options in the back-row.
The former Kearsney College player has represented Scotland at U19 level and is set to step up to the U20s over the next few weeks, offering a different skill set to the duo of Guy Graham and Rory Darge, both of whom packed down on the openside during the U20 Six Nations.
A former Craven Week competitor for the Sharks, Miller could form part of an explosive back-row with Onojaife and Graham or Darge, all of whom would thrive on a high tempo game plan and could help negate potential issues for Scotland at the set-piece.
Charlie Chapman, Gloucester
A product of the Scottish Exiles program, Gloucester’s Chapman qualifies through his Scottish father and was one of the standout players in last season’s U18 Premiership season.
A quick, darting scrum-half, Chapman is another player who can help keep the tempo high for Redpath’s side and try to impose a speed on the game that opposition sides are uncomfortable playing against. His passing shouldn’t be underestimated, but it’s in the gaps and defensive holes where Chapman comes into his own, able to utilise his explosive turn of pace and confidence as a ball-carrier.
Gloucester scrum-halves have a history of lighting up this competition, with Harry Randall and Ben Vellacott two recent examples of electric Cherry and White nines who had joy at the championship.
Comments on RugbyPass
In the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
5 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
6 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
5 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
6 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
6 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to comments