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Scotland rugby sevens coach Stephen Gemmell has opted for experience in his squad for the three-day training camp ahead of the next two tournaments in the IRB Sevens World Series.

Aberdeen Grammar back Ashleah McCulloch drops out as he is in the Scotland under-20 squad for the six nations, but Gemmell has named a strong group with Colin Gregor and Andrew Turnbull returning for the tournaments in New Zealand on February 6 & 7 and in the US on February 14 & 15.

“We’ve got a lot of experience back in the squad which I think we lacked in the first two tournaments in Dubai and South Africa. Having such experienced heads around also gives everyone involved with the squad a real lift,” said Gemmell.

“The challenge for these players is to take advantage of this week’s opportunity to put their hands up for a Scotland sevens jersey.
“We’ve got real competition for places and have a squad with a good balance of pace and power.

“In the end, we were all massively disappointed after the Dubai and South Africa tournaments so this shake-up in the squad has really improved our preparations ahead of the Rugby World Cup Sevens in March.”

Fortunes have been mixed for Scottish Sevens in recent years but it has served as a development platform, an example being Max Evans who excelled for Glasgow in the Heineken Cup and has gained a place in the Scotland 15s squad. Small funding from the SRU has meant they are not ‘core’ members of the IRB circuit, often giving the Scottish tough draws against the more established sides. Wellington again will provide a stiff examination for the Scots - tackling series leaders South Africa, Kenya, and Tonga in Pool A.

Scotland sevens training squad: Mike Adamson (Glasgow), Tom Brown (Edinburgh Accies), Kevin Bryce (Stirling County), Tom Bury (Boroughmuir), Colin Gregor (Glasgow), Andrew Easson (Edinburgh), Roddy Grant (West of Scotland), Graham Hogg (Hawick), Jamie Hunter (West of Scotland), Rory Hutton (Hawick), Roland Reid (Edinburgh), Scott Riddell (Blaydon), Colin Shaw (Glasgow), Marc Teague (Edinburgh), Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh), Richie Vernon (Glasgow).