Scotland 7s squad named for sold out home tournament

The Scotland 7s squad to compete at its home tournament, the Emirates Airline Rugby 7s, at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow this weekend (9-10 May), has been revealed today.Head Coach Calum MacRae has made two changes to the side that won the Hong Kong 7s Bowl and that competed at the last HSBC Sevens World Series event in Tokyo, six weeks ago.Glasgow Warriors flanker James Eddie comes in for club teammate Fraser Lyle to win his 11th sevens cap, while BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy Stage 3 player Gavin Lowe replaces Lee Jones. Lowe will be in contention for his fifth cap.Eddie’s last outing with the abbreviated national team was last December in South Africa, while Lowe last ran out in Wellington, in February.MacRae said: “Gavin [Lowe] has performed very well in training and has the running game to test any defender. He is maturing as a player and deserves the opportunity to show how far his game has come this year. I’m looking forward to seeing the influence he can have on our team’s play.”Sevens requires a hard edge and a massive work ethic, James [Eddie] has both of those qualities in abundance. He put in strong performances in the Port Elizabeth leg.”Colin Gregor will become Scotland 7s’ joint most capped player, when he takes the field this weekend, matching Andrew Turnbull’s tally of 57 caps, while Scott Riddell is named captain once again.Last Friday, the fourth Emirates Airline Rugby 7s at Scotstoun Stadium sold out with more than seven days to go, and with Scotland 7s in a position to have their best finish in the HSBC Sevens World Series standings, the first international sevens event in Glasgow since last summer’s Commonwealth Games, is shaping up to be an exciting weekend.Scotland 7s will meet Portugal (1.04pm), Wales (4.10pm) and Fiji (7.21pm) on Saturday (9 May) in Pool C – live on Sky Sports.MacRae continued: “It was great getting the news that the event has sold out.”As a player its a special moment running out to a full house, especially when its your home support.  I’m sure the crowd will help the players find another gear.”The prospect of completing the competition in the highest position ever for a Scotland 7s team in the World Series is a strong motivator for all the players to finish the job we set out to do at the start of the season. Our ranking position hasn’t really been at the forefront of our minds for the majority of the Series. We have tried to remain focused solely on the team performances we put in, believing that and the results would follow, but to surpass anything the team has achieved before would be a fantastic reward for the graft the players have put in. “Representing Scotland is what drives our players. They are a tight knit group who have one thing on their minds, regardless of where we are in the world, and that’s to win for Scotland. “We have great supporters, it’s a chance to pay them back by putting in performances and winning in front of them. This is something they can feel part of and, at certain times, influence the game with the noise they bring.”  2015 Emirates Airline Rugby 7s??Scotland is hosting the penultimate leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series, for a fourth year, at The Emirates Airline Rugby 7s at Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 May 2015.The event, led by Scottish Rugby, is a partnership with Glasgow Life, Glasgow City Council, the Scottish Government and Event Scotland with the assistance of sportscotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau:The HSBC Sevens World Series is a globally recognised event featuring 16 international teams, 15 core and one invitational per tournament, from across the globe.Glasgow joins the Gold Coast, Dubai, Port Elizabeth, Wellington, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and London in hosting the competition between 2012 and 2015.