Pyrgos delighted with Glasgow and Edinburgh joint Academy success in Bordeaux

After a week of joint learning with the French side, including training sessions at the Begles’ home, the two battled away in the sun, with Head Coach Henry Pyrgos’ side coming away as comfortable victors.

When speaking to Scottish Rugby about the result, the young coach couldn’t help but praise his side for their grit and determination not just in the 80 minutes but all week, saying: “I’m really pleased and impressed with the physicality of the squad, and I think that was the real standout factor from the game. From the off, we were really physical and defensively we were hard to break down, which was great to see, as the boys threw themselves into the contact.

“We also spoke about being brave throughout the week, and we wanted to go out there and show what we could do as individuals and as a team, and we really went out there and had some really good examples of that.

“The set piece was also super strong, so it was nice to see things that we’d spoken about during the week paying off in the 80 minutes this afternoon.”

A key goal throughout the week in France for all players and staff was shared learning and development, through collaboration but also amongst the travelling Scottish party.

Pyrgos believes that the time in Bordeaux can only have been beneficial to all, and credits Scotland’s small but tenacious high-performance programme with bringing players of all ages together cohesively, needing little time to bond and create understanding amongst each other.

He said: “To start, it’s been great for me to head up the week. There’s been a lot of small decisions that I’ve had to make, and I’ve had a say in everything that happens in the training week on and off the pitch, which has been a great experience for me to have. I had great support from the management team as well, and working with coaches I know has been fun. Opportunities like these are invaluable to me as a young coach, much like the players.

“It is a big advantage of ours that a lot of our players have played rugby together, and even if they’re not training or playing together now, they know each other very well, which helped. When we have these opportunities for combined weeks, it definitely helps us get on the same page quicker, and that was the case again.

“There’s good understanding, even if the clubs do things slightly differently. We were able to adapt quickly and understand the main goal, which helped the overall understanding, and that was really evident.

“A lot of the squad here played Under-20s in the summer together, so it helped us get on the same page quickly. It was still a challenge, but it was great to see them adapt to it very well, and it helped us have a successful week here in France.”

Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors combined academies XV that faced Union Bordeaux Begles Espoirs: Finlay Doyle (Edinburgh Rugby), Cameron Van Wyk, Kerr Johnston, Alex Bryden (all Glasgow Warriors), Lewis Wells (Scotland Sevens); Ross Wolfenden, Hamish MacArthur; Ben White (all Edinburgh Rugby), Joe Roberts, Jake Shearer, Ruaraidh Hart (all Glasgow Warriors), Sam Byrd (Edinburgh Rugby), Dylan Cockburn, Harvey Preston (both Glasgow Warriors), Harry Jackaman (Edinburgh Rugby).

Replacements: Jack Utterson (Edinburgh Rugby), Ollie McKenna, Jackson Rennie (both Glasgow Warriors), Christian Linday, Hamish Mather (both Edinburgh Rugby), Rory Baxter (Glasgow Warriors), Matthew Fick, Harry Clark, Nairn Moncrieff (all Edinburgh Rugby), Harry Provan (Glasgow Warriors).