Vern Cotter surprises many with squad selection
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Vern Cotter surprises many with squad selection
Scotland head coach Vern Cotter sprung a surprise on Tuesday when announcing his squad for the Rugby World Cup by leaving out Blair Cowan.
The London Irish flanker has featured regularly for Scotland since his debut but missed out on selection, with former Highlanders flanker John Hardie and Glasgow Warriors captain Josh Strauss preferred despite just one cap between them.
Three of the group – Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford and Sean Lamont – are set for their third outing in the competition, while a further three – Richie Gray, Alasdair Strokosch and Richie Vernon – approach a second.
Cotter said: "We're very pleased to name the 31 and we're confident these players will represent Scotland well in the Rugby World Cup.
"It's been a tough but rewarding two months. We're proud of the effort everyone has put in to this point.
"Getting down to 31 has been a difficult process because all the players have represented themselves well in the opportunities given.
"There are some good players and good people who haven't made it. We obviously feel for them and would like to thank them for all their efforts, however we must now move forward to our last preparation match against France before embarking on our Rugby World Cup campaign.”
The London Irish flanker has featured regularly for Scotland since his debut but missed out on selection, with former Highlanders flanker John Hardie and Glasgow Warriors captain Josh Strauss preferred despite just one cap between them.
Three of the group – Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford and Sean Lamont – are set for their third outing in the competition, while a further three – Richie Gray, Alasdair Strokosch and Richie Vernon – approach a second.
Cotter said: "We're very pleased to name the 31 and we're confident these players will represent Scotland well in the Rugby World Cup.
"It's been a tough but rewarding two months. We're proud of the effort everyone has put in to this point.
"Getting down to 31 has been a difficult process because all the players have represented themselves well in the opportunities given.
"There are some good players and good people who haven't made it. We obviously feel for them and would like to thank them for all their efforts, however we must now move forward to our last preparation match against France before embarking on our Rugby World Cup campaign.”
