It has been a busy off-season at London Scottish and the players are now at the end of their seventh week of pre-season training at the Lensbury, so I thought I’d update you on how things are shaping up for the 17/18 campaign.
An exciting squad has assembled and Director of Rugby Dave Morris is pleased with the progress that they have made as we head towards our first pre-season outing at Rosslyn Park on Saturday 12th August.
There is a great mix of experience and youth and the international players have been ensuring that the standards have been as high as possible as preparations continue.
The Greene King IPA Championship season begins on Saturday 2nd September, with the Scots kicking off at home against Yorkshire Carnegie in what promises to be an exciting start to the campaign.
The local derby across Kew Bridge against Ealing Trailfinders will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, so supporters will get the chance to see all of the new signings in action just four matches in to the new season.
The British and Irish Cup will offer the Scots a significant challenge after being drawn alongside Yorkshire Carnegie, last year’s runners-up Jersey Reds and Newport Gwent Dragons Select.
Players have been out and about in the local community as the club looks to re-engage with the surrounding areas. The squad visited the annual Kew Fete and put members of the public through one of their gruelling warm-ups whilst also winning the Tug of War!
A number of former London Scots have been blossoming on the international stage throughout the summer.
Firstly, Rory Hughes started in Scotland's memorable 24-19 victory over the Wallabies in Sydney as they moved up to fourth in the world rankings.
Former coaching duo John Dalziel and Roddy Grant led Scotland Under 20s to a fifth placed finish in the Under 20 World Championship, which is their highest ever finish.
A last minute try gave them a 24-17 win over Australia, and the Scots were captained by Callum Hunter Hill who featured at the Athletic Ground on a number of occasions last year.
Next up, prop Tommy Francis was called up to the British and Irish Lions squad in New Zealand, whilst Elliot Daly wore the red jersey this summer after a brief loan spell with the Scots a number of years ago. Francis featured for the Scots on 23 occasions before moving to Exeter Chiefs.
Back at HQ, membership sales are going well and our new members cards will be going to print on Friday 28th July. If you haven’t yet renewed please do so by Friday to ensure you receive your card before the season begins.
Signed up members by Friday 28th will be guaranteed free entry to the pre-season friendly against Cardiff Blues on Saturday 19th August, where you will see the Scots up against some of the brightest stars in Welsh rugby.
Any other membership information can be found on the membership page or by phoning the office on 0203 397 0551.
We look forward to seeing you at the Athletic Ground for our pre-season friendly against Cardiff Blues next month.
Paul Burnell
President, London Scottish
