Scottish youngsters head for
Holland

Scotland head off on their annual summer tour on Saturday, taking 39 young players to Holland to compete in the Rotterdam Cup and the Rotterdam Nines tournaments. After a training session at Knottingley rugby league club with top coaches Graham Steadman and Alan Agar, they head to Dover on Sunday before arriving in Noordwijk base on Monday.

Scotland then play Holland at senior and Under-19 level on Tuesday and Serbia on Thursday, all games at Rotterdam RFC. On Saturday they play in the international Rotterdam Nines.

After Scotland A and Scotland Students won all six internationals on last year?s tour, Scotland have decided to send Under-19 and Student teams to compete with the Dutch and Serbian open age teams. It is also seen as vital preparation for the next Student World Cup, scheduled for Australia next year.

Among the 22 open age players are Scotland A internationals Chris Chamberlain ? whose brother John is now at Chorley, Liverpool Buccaneers? Jon Fitt and Thatto Heath winger Mark Webster, Napier University?s Mike Wallace, Andy McPhail of Glasgow Bulls, Edinburgh Eagles? Sam Onions, Doug Thompson and Scotland rugby union Under-21 international John Malakoty. Also making the trip is Huddersfield Giants academy back Michael Murphy who has impressed in NL3 on loan at Underbank this season.

Many of the established A international players are now among the coaching staff, including NL3 regulars Kov Bahadori of Huddersfield Underbank, whose brother Bobby from Huddersfield Syngenta is in the Students squad and Sheffield Hawks prop Tom Wild, Liverpool Buccaneers half-back Al Stewart and Students coach Ian ?Happy? Gilmour. Former Workington, Fulham and Wales pro John Risman will escort the squad as he has for the past decade.

FIXTURES:

ROTTERDAM CUP Tuesday 3 August

18:00 Holland under 19/development v Scotland Under 19

20:00 Holland v Scotland Students

Thursday 5 August

(Holland v Ireland Students KO TBC)

18:00 Scotland Under 19 v Serbia Under 19

20:00 Scotland Students v Serbia

Saturday 7 August

ROTTERDAM INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE NINES

Sunday August 8

(International X111 v Ireland Students.

14:00 Holland Under 19/development v Serbia Under 19

16:00 Holland v Serbia)

All games will be played at Rugby Club Rotterdam.

See http://hollandrl.hopto.org

for full details of RL in Holland.

SQUADS:

Scotland Students:

Christopher CHAMBERLAIN, David LYNN, Mark WEBSTER, Matthew POLLEY, Michael WALLACE, Sam ONIONS, Martyn NICOLL, Andrew McPHAIL, John MALAKOTY, Angus McNAB, Lee SPENCE, Michael MURPHY, Lloyd McLINTON, Sam COOK, Barry EARL, Douglas THOMSON, Jonathan FITT, Ian Mark SLATTER, Ryan BLACK, David JONES, Tony WILLIAMS, Colin MAY

Scotland Under-19s: Fergus McINTOSH, Bobak BAHADORI, Karl BEARDSHAW, Richard BROWN, Darren GREENWOOD, Andrew WORMOLD, Gary THORNTON, Christopher TAYLOR, Martyn LOWE, Andy GRAY, Liam CAMPBELL, Ross MARSHALL, Christopher RUDD, Daniel BEARDSHAW, Scott McKENZIE, David FORD, Douglas FLOCKHART.