Published: Friday, 27th January, 2006 16:35
Only two called up for Scotland
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BORDER Reivers will travel to Leinster tonight without internationalists Chris Cusiter and Bruce Douglas – but will be able to field the other players who have been training with Scotland this week.
Bates had eight players in Scotland coach Frank Hadden’s pool for training ahead of the final selection for the opening 6 Nations against France a week on Sunday at Murrayfield.
But Stuart Moffat, Ben MacDougall, Nikki Walker, Ross Ford, Kelly Brown and Andy Miller have all been told they can play for the Reivers…an indication that only Cusiter and Douglas have made it into Hadden’s final pool.
“We have been told to rest Cusiter and Douglas, and you can draw your own conclusions from that,” said coach Steve Bates.
But he added: “There could be guys who need more rugby under their belts.”
One of these is Scott MacLeod, who is getting back to full fitness after injury.
Bates, on the other hand, will welcome back players who will make up almost his strongest side. “This will be a very tough match for us,” he said.
“I am delighted to have ‘Ope’ (Palepoi) back as well as Semo (Sititi).
“We want to go over there and compete, and it will be another huge step forward for us. The next few weeks will show us just where we are as we have a number of tough away games.
“We will need to play out of our skins.”
Leinster have won four of their last five matches in all competitions. The Dubliners have won their last three home games but all those were played at the RDS - they lost their last game at Donnybrook 13-27 to Edinburgh on November 6.
Reivers' only loss in their last four matches was at Newcastle in the European Challenge Cup, although away from home the Reivers have lost four in a row in all competitions. The Borders won for the first time in Ireland on their last visit: 17-15 in Galway on 24 September.
Leinster have won three of the five previous matches they have played against Borders in the Celtic League.
Bates might be disappointed that only two of his side has apparently made it into the Scotland squad, but he has no worries if they are called up by the country.
“We have to do everything we possibly can to ensure that the national team gets the best opportunity. We know we do not have a load of players, but the national team comes first, and we support that to the absolute maximum,” he said.
“We support the national team, and if we play without some players, so be it, and we have to do the best we can with the resources we have.”
These resources are stretched as were witnessed in the Reivers’ 39-23 win over L’Aquila on Sunday when Bates gave his fringe players the opportunity to prove their worth at the top level
“When players do not play at that level often enough, it becomes a big factor and you lose a bit of an edge,” said Bates.
So what is the answer?
“The ideal situation for us would be to have a big enough to field a side at the weekend and aside on the Monday night like in the Premiership,” said Bates.
“They do not get a chance to play on a regular basis at a level, which makes a difference.
“I am not sure if the club game offers them enough. It is difficult for them mentally as well go at the intensity that is required, but we have to keep examining that to see if we have it right or not.
“If we cannot increase the resources to the extent that we can play two teams on a regular basis, we might have to look again at the club game.
“But to have two teams, we would need about two squads of 25(as in England).”
On current resources, that will remain, for present, a pipedream.
The team to face Leinster is Callum MacRae; Stuart Moffat, Ben MacDougall, Garry Law and Nikki Walker; Charlie Hore and Brendan McKerchar; Paul Thomson, Ross Ford, Geoff Cross, Scott MacLeod, Opeta Palepoi, Kelly Brown, Semo Sititi and Andy Miller. Replacements: Steve Scott, Tom McGee, Matt Parr, John Dalziel, Jonny Weston, Andy Rennick and James King.
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