Emblem(s) the Thistle Location Scotland, United Kingdom | Coach Shade Munro Union Scottish Rugby Union | |
The Scotland A team are the second national rugby union team behind the Scottish national side.
Contents
History
Scotland's status as one of the leading rugby nations in the Northern Hemisphere, made the SRU look to field a second team, first known as Scotland XV, and currently as Scotland A, which can play at the same level, sometimes even superior, of many second and third tier nations first sides. Before the professional era, Scotland A played against touring national sides from the southern hemisphere. Scotland XV represented Scotland during the 1999 Rugby World Cup – European qualification, easily defeating Portugal by 85–11, and Spain by 85–3, in Murrayfield.
Unlike association football, where the main team is supposed to be the "A" team, Scotland A in rugby union is actually equivalent to the Scotland B football team.
Current squad
The 23-man squad to face the England Saxons on January 31, 2014.
Head Coach: Shade Munro
Note: Bold denotes players that have played internationally for Scotland and Italics denotes players that have not played for the Scotland A side previously.
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
Competitions
They used to compete in the Churchill Cup alongside the full national teams of Canada and the United States as well as Ireland A, England Saxons, Argentina A and the New Zealand Māori.
They competed in the IRB Nations Cup, winning the competition in 2009 and ending last in 2010.