Analysis of the Scotland squads who have competed in the World Rugby u20 Championship (previously known as the IRB Junior World Championship). The squads have been broken down by players whose highest level reached was one of the European second tier competitions (Championship, Pro D2, Challenge Cup, PRC); those who have played in a top tier league (PRO12/14, Premiership, Top 14); and a further breakdown of those who have gone on to earn full Scotland honours:
The squads include some players who featured in more than one tournament. To get an idea of how frequently individuals have moved into the top tier or been capped here are the total numbers for 2008-2019:
Backs – total = 109
- Played top tier European league – 46 (42%)
- Played 2nd tier European league – 14
- Capped international – 21 (19%)
Forwards – total = 134
- Played top tier European league – 61 (46%)
- Played 2nd tier European league – 20
- Capped international – 27 (20%)
Total – 243
- Played top tier European league – 107 (44%)
- Played 2nd tier European league – 34
- Capped international – 48 (20%)
The most successful period so far has covered the 2009 + 2010 campaigns. The former had the forwards (11 of 14 have played in the PRO12/14) and the latter had the backs (9 of 12 have played in a top league – with the other 3 all featuring in the Championship). The total stats are:
- Squad members – 49
- Played top tier European league – 27 (55%)
- Played 2nd tier European league – 8
- Capped by Scotland – 15 (31%)
Full international caps in each squad
2008 – 6 players – 154 caps
Backs – Peter Horne, Ruaridh Jackson, Lee Jones
Forwards – Angus Dixon (capped by Hong Kong), Richie Gray, Andrew Rose (capped by Zimbabwe)
2009 – 11 players – 335 caps
Backs – Tom Brown, Alex Dunbar, Peter Horne, Henry Pyrgos
Forwards – Fraser Brown, Chris Fusaro, Grant Gilchrist, Richie Gray, Robert Harley, Stuart McInally, Ryan Wilson
2010 – 10 players – 230 caps
Backs – Tom Brown, Alex Dunbar, Dougie Fife, Matt Scott, Duncan Weir
Forwards – David Denton, Grant Gilchrist, Robert Harley, George Hunter (capped by Bahamas), Stuart McInally
2011 – 6 players – 150 caps
Backs – Mark Bennett, Stuart Hogg, Duncan Weir
Forwards – Alex Allan, George Hunter (capped by Bahamas), Hamish Watson
2012 – 8 players – 154 caps
Backs – Tommaso Allan (capped by Italy), Mark Bennett, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Finn Russell
Forwards – Alex Allan, Jamie Bhatti, Gary Graham, George Turner
2013 – 9 players – 173 caps
Backs – Tommaso Allan (capped by Italy), Mark Bennett, Damien Hoyland, Rory Hughes, Ali Price
Forwards – Adam Ashe, Jamie Bhatti, Jonny Gray, D’arcy Rae
2014 – 5 players – 42 caps
Backs – Damien Hoyland
Forwards – Magnus Bradbury, Lewis Carmichael, Zander Fagerson, Jamie Ritchie
2015 – 7 players – 53 caps
Backs – George Horne, Blair Kinghorn
Forwards – Magnus Bradbury, Lewis Carmichael, Zander Fagerson, Murray McCallum, Jamie Ritchie
2016 – 7 players – 49 caps
Backs – Darcy Graham, Adam Hastings, Blair Kinghorn
Forwards – Zander Fagerson, Jake Kerr, Murray McCallum, Jamie Ritchie
2017 – 3 players – 18 caps
Backs – Darcy Graham, Blair Kinghorn
Forwards – Matt Fagerson
NB – Rory Hutchinson (2014, 2015 & 2016) and Scott Cummings (2015 & 2016) are both likely to be capped during this summer’s World Cup warm-up matches. David Cherry(2011), (Charlie Shiel (2016 & 2017), Luke Crosbie (2017) and Stafford McDowall (2017 & 2018) have all been included in Scotland training squads in the last 12 months.
On Top Of The Moon 