Scottish Exile network

So it would seem that the Scottish Exiles network is alive and thriving. Interesting to see some of the names listed in there - Ben Ransom at Sarries and David Sisi at Irish for two

Interesting to hear it isn't just in the uk they are looking at players either, apparently really getting some good contacts with young exiles out in oz, nz and south africa too.

Ben Ransom?? really? He played in the England U20 as recently as the RWC! Don't want another Shingler on our hands!

NeilyBroon wrote:Ben Ransom?? really? He played in the England U20 as recently as the RWC! Don't want another Shingler on our hands!

But wait, were any of the games played against any nations where the U20s were the designated second side and did he sign a declaration stating he that he was tied to England? Also how many oranges did he have at half time? If it was only 2 then he’s free to play for another nation but if it was 3 then I think this one will have to go through the IRB as well!

If you read the article, Sisi and Ransom are listed as ones who got away -

"We have lost a few. David Sisi, the London Irish forward, opted for the English route [he scored against Scotland U18s last year], there are a couple of boys at Northampton not committing themselves yet and Ben Ransom at Saracens [England U20 full-back] we were tracking for four years."

before they go on to list the ones who they have been successfully able to attract to Scotland.

Scot Abroad wrote:

NeilyBroon wrote:Ben Ransom?? really? He played in the England U20 as recently as the RWC! Don't want another Shingler on our hands!

But wait, were any of the games played against any nations where the U20s were the designated second side and did he sign a declaration stating he that he was tied to England? Also how many oranges did he have at half time? If it was only 2 then he’s free to play for another nation but if it was 3 then I think this one will have to go through the IRB as well!

If they were Spanish oranges then just one segment may be enough to tie him to spain forever, alas.

To be fair this article makes me somewhat optimistic, look at Argentina, practically all exiles and a pretty solid team! If you take into account that Scotland has two pro teams too and an improving home league system the future does look a bit brighter!

Why not just work hard and improve the young proud Scottish lads coming through the system?

Why not do a tie up with a couple of Northern English professional teams to farm a few out to their academies?

Just because someone had a Scottish granny, and a New Zealand, Australian or Welsh accent doesn't mean their better than what you already have.

In 2 seasons the Scarlets found 2 new entire back lines and capped an entire back line for Wales, why don's the Scottish teams try it?

AlynDavies wrote:Why not just work hard and improve the young proud Scottish lads coming through the system?

Why not do a tie up with a couple of Northern English professional teams to farm a few out to their academies?

Just because someone had a Scottish granny, and a New Zealand, Australian or Welsh accent doesn't mean their better than what you already have.

In 2 seasons the Scarlets found 2 new entire back lines and capped an entire back line for Wales, why don's the Scottish teams try it?

AD, we are trying that, and you might have noticed that there's a fair bit of talent coming thru in young Scottish backs. But if there are lads out there with Scottish roots who would like to commit themselves to the cause, then surely that's fair enough

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:AD, we are trying that, and you might have noticed that there's a fair bit of talent coming thru in young Scottish backs. But if there are lads out there with Scottish roots who would like to commit themselves to the cause, then surely that's fair enough

Well a generation of kilted Kiwis in the 90's pretty much put Scottish rugby where it is now, you havent recovered.
I just wish Scotland would learn the lessons that bringing in non Scottish players to the Scotland team is not the same, do you really see a Scotsman when you hear Dan Parks talk after games?
I hear an Australian.

The kilted kiwis in the 90s aren't what put scottish rugby in the doldrums it has been in in for the past 10 years, that has been down to the administrators within the SRU and the lack of funding that has been in the game. I don't think people are really expecting a full xv of scots exiles but a few might not be a bad thing. was it not the team containing a few kilted kiwis that were the last scottish team to be successful??

ooo John Leslie. Id kill for a 12 of his calibre.

Would be nice if the SRU spent some money on expanding the game in actual Scotland. Is that just being silly?

I'm with ASBO on this - find out if anyone out there does want to commit themselves to the cause, but keep the focus on development on home soil. If we find exiles that turn out to be an effective asset to the team, it'll only make Scottish rugby more attractive and that's not a bad thing for our home soil game.

Imperialbigdave wrote:ooo John Leslie. Id kill for a 12 of his calibre.

Leslie - over-rated. One good very good season, that's all.
Even I'd look good with Alan Tait alongside.

There arre a lot of good prospects coming through the Scottish system now, but there are a few positions where there isn't much depth - especially front row & inside centre. If there are SQ players who can provide better options for these positions in the short/ medium term fair enough, but this should be to complement domestic development and not as a long term alternative to it.

I agree there is some great scottish talent coming through, the best there has been for many a year especially in positions where scotland have struggled like 10 and 12. I do think the exiles network is a good thing though too as scotlands player pool is tiny compared to many nations and we can never have too many players to chose from especially if the exiled players offer something even more.