Scotland interim head coach Scott Johnson is trumpeting both “form and future” as his criteria for selection but the latter seems to be winning by the shape of his first squad.
The Australian picked only three backs who have more than two seasons’ international experience out of the 16 for next week’s training camp in Glasgow, and has clearly leaned to youth in the pack as well, with a couple of exceptions.
As largely expected the in-form Johnnie Beattie returns to the fold, along with Dundee-born Sale duo Alasdair Dickinson and Richie Vernon, and the New Zealand-born import Sean Maitland gets called up after barely five games for Glasgow.
Less expected is the swift elevation of Stirling County scrum-half Sean Kennedy, who is still on an elite development player contract, a total of 10 uncapped players and a complete switch of emphasis from a perceived preference for Edinburgh players under Andy Robinson to Glasgow, with 19 in the 35 named, under Johnson.
In the backs, only Sean Lamont, Max Evans and Ruaridh Jackson now a clear frontrunner for the 10 jersey against England at Twickenham on February 2 with Greig Laidlaw earmarked for scrum-half debuted prior to the start of the last season.
“Form and future, and where there’s a choice, we lean towards the younger players,” he said.
The coach added: “We had a look at the World Cup 2015 and the SRU board would like us to be really, really competitive there. We would be foolish not to be making some decisions on players now and giving them the experience.”
There was need for a balance. Hence the retention of experienced figures like Lamont, Al Kellock and Euan Murray.
“We don’t want to fall off the perch and lose sight of the here and now,” continued Johnson. “I have been down this path in Wales when we tried to compete everywhere but couldn’t because we didn’t have the processes in place.
“Sometimes you have to take a breath and say ‘This where we are’.
“We need to compete in the Six Nations and also have an eye to the future.
“We have some athletes in this squad that other nations would die to have. We have to make sure we get the best out of them.”
A hint of Johnson’s thinking came when asked what he thought was needed to beat England.
“Big games are won on defence and we have had two pro teams defending slightly different from each other,” he said.
“We have to make it hard to score against us, and what I have enjoyed about watching Glasgow this year is they have been hard to beat. I want Scotland to be hard to beat.”
Among the notable inclusions are Beattie, enjoying a new lease of life at Montpellier, but also the man who made him surplus to requirements at Glasgow, Ryan Wilson.
There’s also a symmetry about some of the new faces with the two Howe of Fife products Peter Horne and Chris Fusaro, still uncapped but with that time surely not far away, and cousins Kennedy and Grant Gilchrist.
The pair actually started as a half-back combination in Alloa RFC juniors under the tutelage of Gilchrist’s father Tommy, before Grant filled out to be a lock and Sean stayed as a scrum-half, both with Stirling County and now in pro rugby.
“I was woken up by the phone call from (team manager) Gav Scott on Saturday morning and, to be honest, I thought it was a dream at first,” said the 21-year-old, who then had to gather his cool to play for County against Bedford in the
British and Irish Cup.
“To be honest, I’m still just trying to learn to be a professional rugby player and everything that has happened this season is a huge bonus,” said the youngster, who has made two starts for the Warriors this season.
Maitland goes straight into the squad and is perhaps the most likely of the newcomers to make his debut at Twickenham.
“I used to get up at four in the morning to watch Scotland in the 6 Nations at home in New Zealand with my dad and my (Glasgow-born) grandad, so it’s a bit of a dream and everyone was delighted when I called home,” said the 25-year-old full back/wing.
stscott@thecourier.co.uk