Scotland 7s name squad for World Series opener in Dubai

New co-captains Jamie Farndale and Robbie Fergusson will lead the side in Dubai where Scotland have been drawn in a pool against Fiji, France and Kenya on day one.

Scott Riddell will bring his experience to a young squad and is one of four players involved to have experienced a Cup victory on the World Series.

Glenn Bryce has recovered from an injury sustained on last year’s series and is involved in his first season as a full-time core 7s player.

Max McFarland features in his eleventh consecutive tournament while Mungo Mason will look to make his debut, travelling as 13thman.

Scotland 7s Head Coach John Dalziel said: “After a long pre-season, it’s good to get back to World Series action. The group have put in a lot of good work over the summer months as well as reflecting on last season and taken on some real key learnings.

“We are hopeful the experiences this young group have had over the last 18 months can lead to further improvement in what is a huge year for the World Series, with Olympic qualification a huge motivator for many teams.

“There are no easy groups now with the seeding format and it will be good to test ourselves against two of the top two teams from last season, Fiji and Kenya, as well as a resurgent France side who have a few experienced players back in their squad for the coming season.”

Scotland 7s squad to compete at the first leg of the 2018/19 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai (World Series tournaments in brackets)

1. Scott Riddell (67)

2. Nyle Godsmark (16)

3. Kyle Steyn (2)

4. Robbie Fergusson (CC) (9)

5. Harvey Elms (7)

6. Glenn Bryce (16)

7. Jamie Farndale (CC) (31)

8. Jo Nayacavou (36)

9. Sam Pecqueur (1)

10. Gavin Lowe (24)

11. Max McFarland (10)

12. Ross McCann (2)

13. Mungo Mason (0)

Scotland 7s Fixtures in Dubai. 30 November – 1 December. (Kick-offs UK Time)

Friday 30 November

5.44am Scotland 7s v Kenya 7s

9.06am Scotland 7s v Fiji 7s

2.44pm Scotland 7s v France 7s

Saturday 1 December

TBC