Strong links with France endure

The Auld Alliance between Scotland and France is alive and well this weekend with contrasting events demonstrating the breadth of rugby activity and community involvement.

Tomorrow (Saturday 16 September) Scottish Rugby President, Rob Flockhart, will lay a wreath at the grave of former Scotland centre Ronnie Simson.

Simson, educated at Edinburgh Academy and capped as a centre out of London Scottish against England at Twickenham in 1911, became the first of 30 Scotland international players to die in the service of their country during the First World War, when he was killed in action in September 1914.

Memorial

The President will also attend the unveiling of a rugby memorial in Craonelle, marking the loss of rugby players from many communities, and a commemoration match between a UK Army XV and a Pacific Army XV.

Meanwhile, two Scots will feature tomorrow when the UK Wheelchair Rugby 7s team take on their French counterparts in Paris, in a match supported by the French Rugby Federation.

Adam Mould and Chris Dempster, both from the Glasgow Panthers, have been selected for this pioneering contest.

Adam said: “It’s the first time we’ve had a UK squad playing together, so we have players from England, Scotland and Wales.

“Neither us nor the Welsh have played the French before, either, so it should be a good experience as the French are ranked second best team in the world at wheelchair 7s.”

The UK squad have trained together but Adam expects it will take a wee while to gel together in match conditions.