JUST months before the international rules change on players switching countries, Scotland have added another two players to the list of those with no blood ties who might potentially represent the national side on residential grounds.
Interestingly, neither of the Edinburgh pair, Anton Bresler, the lock, and Phil Burleigh, the centre, were brought over to Scotland as so-called "project players" – those who are enticed to move with the clear understanding that caps will follow if they stick around – but in their fourth year of service in the capital, Gregor Townsend, the Scotland head coach, clearly feels they deserve a look.
Burleigh, signed from the Highlanders in New Zealand, has been a mainstay of the side since he arrived, demonstrating good hands but also a strong running game. Bresler, in the meantime, has been busy adding some much-needed steel to the club's pack.
Their call-up is only to a training camp in St Andrews next week, so there is no guarantee they will follow in the footsteps of WP Nel, the prop who is now a mainstay of the national side.
On the other side of the same issue, Josh Strauss and Cornell du Preez, among those who were brought over as "project players" and have been capped are among those left out.
"The regulations have changed. That will come into force at the end of this year – players will have to wait five years," Townsend acknowledged. "We are comfortable with the squad we have and it's great that Anton [Bresler] and Phil [Burleigh] join the squad in their fourth season with Edinburgh. We look forward to seeing if they can break into the squad in November, too."
He is clearly picking a squad aimed both at putting together the groundwork for taking on Samoa, Australia and New Zealand in November and one with an eye on the future. To that end, he has included seven uncapped players, including two – Darcy Graham, the Edinburgh wing or full back and Matt Fagerson, the Glasgow Warriors back row – plucked straight from the summer's Under-20 squad.
"We have some excellent young players and we have some experienced players injured," Townsend noted. "We do want to look at other players, whether in November or next year’s tour, who we believe will become Scotland players if they continue to improve."
There are a couple of surprises in the mix. Jamie Bhatti, the Glasgow prop, ousts Alex Allen, his clubmate, after making only one start for his club, while Jamie Ritchie, who was in and out of the Edinburgh back row last season, gets the nod ahead of Du Preez – though Townsend did admit he was a late addition after Rob Harley got injured in training.
Even so, there are some notable omissions, with Matt Scott, the Gloucester centre, the biggest name to miss out alongside the likes of Ruaridh Jackson, who has just signed for a return to Glasgow, and Strauss. Of the four uncapped players picked for the summer tour, Nick Grigg, the Glasgow centre, was the only one to win a cap and is the only one to retain his squad spot.
"We are sending a message to them they need to play better to get back into the squad," Townsend said.
Six players who are currently injured – including Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray – have been invited to attend even though they cannot train, suggesting that the get-together is going to involve a fair amount of organisation and discussion where their input will be important.
"We feel it is important and very valuable for us to have a gathering at this time," Townsend added. "Not to get our players together over the long period between summer and November would, we felt, be a disadvantage. There was also a number of players who did not go on tour during the summer who we can work with now."
One worry for the coach was in the list of long-term injured who are not going to be involved next week. While there is no surprise that that includes Mark Bennett, who has a knee problem, Richie Gray, the lock, was expected to be fit by now.
He has, however, suffered a relapse of the back problem that kept him out of action at the end of last season and has stayed in Toulouse, where he is currently based, for further investigations.
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