SCOTLAND head coach Ciaran Beattie has called former West of Scotland and GHA winger Aaron Purewal into the squad which will compete in the Sevens World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, this weekend.
The former Scotland under-19 cap – who has played for Richmond and London Scottish in the English Championship, as well as rugby league for Whitehaven, since moving south in 2020 – is the only new face in the 12-strong group for the tournament, which was announced by Beattie yesterday.
Jamie Farndale continues captaincy duties at what will be his second Rugby World Cup Sevens after featuring in 2018, when he scored an extra time, length-of-the-pitch winner against France as Scotland recorded a seventh-place finish in San Francisco.
The other player with previous Rugby World Cup Sevens experience is Harvey Elms, who was also part of the 2018 squad.
Seven of the players – Farndale, Kaleem Baretto, Matt Davidson, Elms, Lee Jones, Paddy Kelly, Femi Sofolarin – were part of Scotland’s recent Commonwealth Games campaign, while Callum Young, Finn Callaghan and Reiss Cullen are recalled after featuring in the World Rugby Sevens Series finale in Los Angeles at the end of August.
Edinburgh flyer Freddy Owsley returns to the squad having featured in the Toulouse and London tournaments earlier this year.
Injury has ruled out Ross McCann, Jordan Edmunds, Alec Coombes and Grant Hughes, while Robbie Fergusson is unavailable due to his partner expecting their second child.
Scotland play Jamaica in the Pre-Round of 16 on Friday 9th September at 8.51am (BST), with all further matches over the course of the weekend determined by results in the knock-out format used at a Rugby World Cup Sevens. The event is being broadcast live in the UK on ITV.
“This is one of the landmark events in the global sevens calendar and we are focussed on making a big impression," said Beattie. "It’s important that we end the sevens season well and the players are intent on delivering their best performance in a Scotland shirt.”
It was announced in July that Scotland had lost its place in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series ahead of 2023, with a Team GB side taking part instead so as to align with Olympic qualification requirements, meaning the national sevens programme is currently facing an uncertain future.
Scotland 7s squad for Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, South Africa, 9-11 September 2022: Jamie Farndale (captain), Kaleem Barreto, Finn Callaghan, Reiss Cullen, Matt Davidson, Harvey Elms, Lee Jones, Paddy Kelly, Freddie Owsley, Aaron Purewal, Femi Sofolarin, Callum Young.
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