RUGBY UPDATE
THE Scottish Districts select side to play Australia at McDiarmid Park, Perth, on November 5, features seven exiles and two players who, for different reasons, make a return from the representative wilderness, writes Derek Douglas.
Michael Dods, who was omitted from the Scotland touring party to New Zealand during the summer despite being Scotland's top points scorer in the Five Nations' championship is selected at full back.
Meanwhile, Orrell's Martin Scott, who was thought in some quarters to have blotted his copybook in terminal fashion last season when he declined to sit on the bench for Scotland `A', is selected at hooker ahead of Hawick's Jim Hay, who sits on the bench.
The seven exiles in the side include Dods' Northampton colleague Budge Pountney, the open-side flanker from the Channel Islands who has thrown in his lot with Scotland after age-group appearances for England. Team:
M Dods (Northampton); S Nichol (Melrose), I Wynn (Wakefield), P Rouse (Dundee HS FP), G Fraser (London Scottish); S Welsh (Hawick), D Patterson (Heriot's FP); W Anderson (Kirkcaldy), M Scott (Orrell), M Stewart (Northampton), S Grimes (Watsonians), K Stewart (Cardiff), D McIvor (Glenrothes) captain, M Waite (Edinburgh Academicals), B Pountney (Northampton). Replacements - G Parker (Melrose), D Officer (Currie), P Simpson (Edinburgh Academicals), S Aitken (Melrose), D Herrington (Kirkcaldy), J Hay (Hawick).
q GLASGOW have recalled two international players, Ian Jardine and Shade Munro, to the team for the European Conference game against Newport at Rodney Parade tomorrow. Team:
Glasgow - C Sangster (Stirling County); D Stark (Melrose), A Bulloch (West of Scotland), I Jardine (Stirling County), J Craig (West of Scotland); J MacLeod (GHK), J Weston (Watsonians); A Perrie (Glasgow Academicals), G Bulloch (West of Scotland), capt, B Robertson (Stirling County), S Munro (GHK), M Norval (Stirling County), M Wallace (GHK), D McLeish (West of Scotland), J Shaw (West of Scotland).
Replacements - G Metcalfe (Glasgow Academicals), C Little (GHK), D McVey (West of Scotland), S Begley (Glasgow Academicals), G McIlwham (GHK), D Porte (Glasgow Academicals).
q ENGLAND coach Jack Rowell greeted yesterday's decision by EPRUC to release his international squad for Test duty with relief and pleasure.
Despite the breakdown of talks between the Rugby Football Union and League One and Two clubs, the English Professional Rugby Union Clubs (EPRUC) decided against activating their option to pull their players out of England's Test matches, which start against Italy on November 23.
Earlier this week, Rowell said that England would field a team from League Three if EPRUC pulled the plug. but today he said: ``I am delighted that EPRUC have seen the sense of having the strongest possible England team playing at Twickenham against strong opposition.
``It will be inspirational to the players after these many weeks of uncertainty and is the best way forward for the game at the top.''
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