OK Vern, But, I Would Not Have Chosen That Entire Squad

BIG Vern Cotter yesterday named his 27-strong squad for the summer's two-test tour to Japan.

Vern Cotter

In these days of bloated squads, it was good to see BVC return to an old-style “tight group” of players for the tour, mindful of the fact that, whereas in tours such as the 1959 Lions one to New Zealand, with air travel in its infancy, a shortage of hookers forced Hawick's Hughie MacLeod to play hooker in a couple of matches, today, a replacement can more or less be jetted out in hours.

The squad is pretty much as expected. I would like to have seen him being a bit more daring: OK, Ross Ford will join the caps centurions, which is perhaps the only reason for taking him – in the long-term it would surely have been better to have allowed Fraser Brown and Stuart McInally more experience.

I would have left Ally Dickinson at home to rest, and taken Gordy Reid to go head-to-head with Rory Sutherland and I would have taken Ben Toolis rather than Tim Swinson. John Hardie badly needs a rest after his non-stop two years of rugby, and, while he is the captain, Greig Laidlaw might also have benefitted from a break.

That said, Japan cannot be taken lightly, while I would also have considered giving Stuart Hogg a rest too. These arguments are meaningless now – the Coach has spoken and has said:

The squad to tour Japan is:

Props: Alasdair Dickinson, Wilem Nel and Rory Sutherland (all Edinburgh), Moray Low (Exeter Chiefs).

Hookers: Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Ross Ford and Stuart McInally (both Edinburgh).

Locks: Richie Gray (Castres), Jonny Gray and Tim Swinson (both Glasgow Warriors).

Back row: John Barclay (Scarlets), David Denton (Bath), John Hardie (Edinburgh), Josh Strauss and Ryan Wilson (both Glasgow Warriors).

Scrum -halves: Greig Laidlaw (captain) (Gloucester), Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors).

Stand-offs: Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors), Ruaridh Jackson (Wasps).

Centres: Alex Dunbar and Peter Horne (both Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens).

Wingers: Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Maitland (London Irish), Tim Visser (Harlequins), Damien Hoyland (Edinburgh).

Full-back: Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors).

2016 Summer Tour schedule: (both games will be shown live on BBC):
Saturday 18 June: Japan v Scotland, Toyota Stadium, Toyota City (kick-off 7.20pm local)
Saturday 25 June: Japan v Scotland, Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo (kick-off 7.20pm local)

ALMOST concurrently with the big team's Japanese trip, the Scotland Under-20 squad will be in action, somewhat closer to home, competing in the 2016 World Rugby Under-20 Championship.

Scotland's schedule in the competition is a tough one, the pool games being:

Tuesday 7 June: Scotland v Australia, AJ Bell Stadium , (kick-off 5.30pm)

Saturday 11 June: Scotland v England, Manchester City Academy Stadium, (kick-off 6pm)

Wednesday 15 June: Scotland v Italy, Manchester City Academy Stadium, (kick-off 3.15pm)

The squad which Head Coach John Dalziel has named is:

Scotland Under-20 captain Scott Cummings

PROPS - Dan Elkington (Melrose), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Murray McCallum (Heriot’s)**, Callum Sheldon (Leeds Beckett University), George Thornton (Bishop Burton College).

HOOKERS - Lewis Anderson (Ayr), Jake Kerr (Boroughmuir)**.

LOCKS - Stephen Ainslie (Currie)*, Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors)** CAPTAIN, Andrew Davidson (Glasgow Hawks)**, Callum Hunter-Hill (Stirling County)**.

BACK ROW - Scott Burnside (Boroughmuir)*, Ally Miller (Melrose)**, Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh Rugby), Matt Smith (Glasgow Hawks)**, Lewis Wynne (Stirling County)**.

HALF-BACKS - Hugh Fraser (Heriot’s)**, Adam Hastings (Bath Rugby), Charlie Shiel (Currie)*.

CENTRES - Tom Galbraith (Melrose)**, Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints), Matt McPhillips (Currie), George Taylor (Melrose)**.

BACK THREE - Darcy Graham (Hawick)*, Cameron Gray (Currie), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh Rugby), Robbie Nairn (Harlequins), Ben Robbins (Currie)**.

*BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy stage 2 player 2015/16
**BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy stage 3 player 2015/16

As ever I am not expecting great things from this squad. Certainly, they beat England during the Six Nations, but, subsequently – and their cause was not helped by the demands of professional sides being deemed ore important than the needs of the Under-20 squad for some games – they rather under-performed.

However, Zander Fagerson is a full cap, and he and Heriot's loose-head Murray McCallum will be a real weapon in the scrums, while Scott Cummings, who will captain the side, has already shown he is ready for more regular outings in the Warriors' boiler-house, with his fellow Scotstoun boys, Andy Davidson and Callum Hunter-Hill not that far behind him.

Jamie Ritchie and Blair Kinghorn have proved themselves in the Pro12, while Adam Hastings has been blooded in the Bath first team and Harlequins are forecasting great things for Robbie Nairn. Their pool will be a tough one, but, if they get the breaks, this squad might well surprise and encourage us.

THE name Mark Bennett was surprisingly absent when BVC named the squad for Japan, but, the Coach was quick to explain why.

Mark Bennett - Rio bound?

Simon Amor's “long list” of 24 potential Olympians in the Team GB Sevens squad is due to be revealed this week, later to be whittled down to the final 12 who will travel to Rio. Bennett is a more-or-less certain inclusion, as Amor seeks to bring-in a sprinkling of 15-a-side star dust to beef up his little-known squad of sevens specialists.

As he demonstrated during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and on the World Sevens circuit, Bennett is a very good sevens player. It's a long way from Cumnock to Rio,but, Marko just might make that trip. And,if he does, I would wager he will not be the token “Sweatie”.