Scotland under-20 pip Scotland Club XV in training match

A spirited second-half performance saw Scotland under-20 beat their Club XV counterparts, 13-12 in a nail-biting training match at Millbrae tonight. Despite a last gasp try from the Club XV’s winger Rory Steele and them having the bigger try count it was a Tommy Allan penalty and conversion, another penalty from Alex Hagart and a Jonny Gray touchdown that won the game for the youngsters.In the first half the Club XV dominated possession and were rewarded when Gala prop Ewan McQuillin bulldozed over the line just shy of 20 minutes. Gala’s Lee Millar converted the score. However, in the second-half it was the under-20s who commanded the game and an outstanding defensive effort paid off. Scotland under-20 head coach, Sean Lineen, said: “The lads really felt like they could win tonight. There are a few things we still need to work on but this was a really good contest for us and we fronted up.”We need to iron-out a few unforced errors, but we have the makings of a good team here and there is certainly going to be a few interesting decisions to be made before England.”Scotland Club XV head coach, Phil Leck, said: “Given we had one training session and we were pulling boys together from across Scotland tonight we played some good rugby. “We worked out the patterns and moves we wanted to play and the players executed that as best as they possibly could. However, a few errors cost us, particularly the yellow card. “In the end of the day though a training match is always better than training itself so happy days from our point of view.”  Half-time: Scotland under-20 3-7 Scotland Club XVFull-time: Scotland under-20 13-12 Scotland Club XV Scotland under-20 team: Keith Buchan (Boroughmuir); JJ Kilmartin (Bath), Chris Auld (Gala), Mark Bennett (Clermont Auvergne / Glasgow Warriors), Damian Hoyland (Boroughmuir); Tommy Allan (Western Province), Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh Rugby EDP / Heriot’s); Jamie Bhatti (Stirling County), Russell Anderson (Gala), D’arcy Rae (Ayr), Adam Sinclair (Perpignan), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors EDP / Currie), Alex Henderson (Boroughmuir), Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors EDP / Stirling County), Will Bordill (Sale Sharks).Replacements: Rory Hughes (Scotland 7s EDP / Stirling County), Colin Hutton (Stirling County) (on for Club XV), Shawn Muir (Hawick), Tommy Spinks (London Scottish), James Malcolm (GHA), Ali Price (Bedford Blues), Robbie Fergusson (Ayr), Alex Hagart (Aberdeen Grammar), Aaron Welsh (Edinburgh Accies), Murdo McAndrew (Clermont Auvergne), Calum Black (Edinburgh Accies), Ruaridh Leishman (Stirling County), Ben Cooper (Leeds Carnegie), Sam Pecquer (Edinburgh Accies), Ruaridh Young (Edinburgh Accies), Phil Cringle (Edinburgh Rugby EDP / Stewart’s-Melville FP) and Peter Stewart (University of Queensland) (ALL USED).Scotland Club XV team (first-half): Fraser Thomson (Melrose / Glasgow Warriors EDP); Callum Anderson (Melrose), Max Learmonth (Heriot’s), Dean Kelbrick (Ayr), Craig Robertson (Gala); Lee Millar (Gala), George Graham (Gala), Luke Pettie (Gala), Fraser Brown (Heriot’s), Ewan McQuillin (Gala), Scott Sutherland (Ayr), Ross Miller (Melrose), Andrew Nagle (Melrose), Mark Cairns (Currie) and Jason Hill (Heriot’s) Scotland Club XV team (second-half): Jamie Forbes (Currie); Rory Steele (Watsonians), Danny Gilmour (Stirling County), Craig Gossman (Ayr); Stuart Edwards (Stirling County), Murray McConnell (Ayr / Glasgow Warriors EDP); Luke Pettie (Gala), Kevin Bryce (Heriot’s), Nick Cox (Ayr), Jason Hill (Heriot’s), Andrew Redmayne (Dundee HSFP), Dan Teague (Edinburgh Accies), Angus Duckett (Selkirk) and Jamie Swanson (Boroughmuir).