Turnbull Set For Scotland 7S Challenge

Edinburgh wing Andrew Turnbull says he cannot wait to represent Scotland 7s at the forthcoming IRB tournaments in Wellington (5-6 February) and Las Vegas (13-14 February) and add to his record-breaking try tally for the team.The 27-year-old has scored two tries for Edinburgh so far this season with his scores coming against Connacht and Newport Gwent Dragons.But the diminutive speedster has been used sparingly by the Black and Red Army and is now primed to carry on doing the business in the blue jersey of the 7s national side where he is the record try scorer._Turnbull said: Im really looking forward to playing for the 7s again; I haven’t had much game time this season, so I am keen to play some rugby._’the fitness level required to play 7s is a bit different to the 15-a-side game it is a bit more demanding in terms of the anaerobic side of things.Playing 7s really highlights your skills because there are less players on the pitch and there is more space, so you get put under a lot of pressure.Looking at someone like Roddy Grant he used the 7s circuit to improve and he found it beneficial from playing against the best 7s players in the world for your country. That type of experience can only help you to develop as a rugby player.’speed is a big attribute in 7s, but fitness levels are equally important and you only get that from playing 7s regularly.’the number one team at the moment is New Zealand, who won the first two tournaments. We are trying to emulate them and achieve some positive results.Last season, Turnbull, alongside Roddy Grant, John Houston, Allister Hogg and Greig Laidlaw, raised the roof at Murrayfield with some breathtaking displays which led to Scotland reaching the semi-final stages for the first time ever.Unfortunately Scotland 7s eventually narrowly lost to powerhouses South Africa, but Turnbull believes that feat paved the way through for future grandstand finishes.He said: We had never reached a semi-final before that, so we can build on the belief and now we know it is possible to emulate that achievement.