STIRLING County's promotion to Scottish rugby's first division is

reflected in the Glasgow squad for the tour to Ireland next month. The

second-division champions provide half a dozen players, the biggest

contingent

of any of the six clubs

represented.

One of the Stirling six, Jim Brough, is the sole newcomer in the

squad, though only 16 of the 23 players chosen appeared for the district

last season. Five others return after a year's absence, and Dave McKee,

the West of Scotland centre, has been out of district rugby for even

longer. The most recent of his eight district games was the championship

match against the Anglo-Scots in December, 1986.

Glasgow's tour games will be against Connacht in Galway a week on

Saturday and Munster in Limerick two days later. It will be the first

time any of the home Scottish districts will have played against

Munster, conquerors of the 1978 All Blacks, whereas Glasgow and Connacht

have met three times, with the score 2-1 to the Scots.

The Glasgow squad is:

Backs -- D N Barrett (West of Scotland), P P Manning, D A Stark, A C

McGuffie (all Ayr), I C Jardine (Stirling County), S W McAslan (Glasgow

Academicals), D R McKee (West of Scotland), E R J Stewart (Kilmarnock),

E D McCorkindale (Glasgow High/ Kelvinside ), B G Yates (Kilmarnock).

Forwards -- G Graham (Striling County), S A Baird (Glasgow

Academicals), G B Robertson, K D McKenzie (both Stirling County), R

Cairney (Glasgow Academicals), D S Munro, A G J Watt (both Glasgow

High/Kelvinside), J S Hamilton, J Brough (both Stirling County), D A

McVey (Ayr), J D Busby, F D Wallace (both Glasgow High/Kelvinside), K

Young (Kilmarnock).

* * *

TWO of Scotland's 1984 Grand Slam team, Jim Calder and Euan Kennedy,

will be playing for an international seven in the Livingston tournament

on Saturday. Jim Telfer, coach of that famous national team, will

present the trophies.

Bob Cunningham, the Preston Lodge prop who was capped while he was

with Gala, also is in the international seven. So is Alex Moore,

Edinburgh Academicals' Scotland B wing who began his club rugby with

Livingston.

As Livingston are celebrating their twenty-first anniversary this year

they have departed from their usual sevens format. Instead, the club

have invited select teams representing East Lothian, Forth Valley,

Edinburgh, Glasgow, the West, and the Borders to join the international

seven and Livingston's own side.