Scottish Rugby has today announced that the new ‘FOSROC Future XV’ team will join the Super Series ahead of the 2023 FOSROC Super Series Championship.
The new side, who will be built upon the next generation of young Scottish players, will compete against the six existing licenced clubs – Ayrshire Bulls, Boroughmuir Bears, Heriot’s Rugby, Stirling Wolves, Southern Knights and Watsonians – all challenging for the coveted FOSROC Super Series Championship trophy.
The FOSROC Future XV has been introduced to the FOSROC Super Series Championship to better prepare Scotland’s young players for the challenges of international U20 rugby and beyond. The induction of the new team will not only help to ensure our aspiring future Scotland U20 players can better compete and improve their performance at Six Nations & World level, but also provide an additional challenge for the six existing licenced clubs against an exciting new opposition.
Scott Lawson will lead the team as Head Coach, assisted by Euan Clark and Shade Munro. Following the return of the Scotland U20 squad after the World Rugby U20 Trophy in Kenya, the wider U20 coaching team will join the FOSROC Future XV as support, including Scott Forrest and Fergus Pringle.
The 17-week Championship will return at the end of July and run until mid-November. Each of the seven teams will play each other home and away apart from the FOSROC Future XV, who will play all of their games away.
Scottish Rugby’s Performance Director Jim Mallinder said: “We are committed to providing more high-performance opportunities for our players. After the inclusion of the two professional A squads in this year’s FOSROC Super Series Sprint, this is yet another exciting step towards bridging the performance gap between the amateur and professional game.
“Providing a higher-level competition and increased time in high-performance environments for our U20 players ensures that we are best preparing them for the ever-increasing demands of international rugby.”
Tournament sponsor FOSROC will be furthering their already strong partnership with Scottish Rugby by becoming the main sponsor for the new team.
The team will don a red and black playing kit to align with the colour themes of FOSROC, with a new logo to match.
The construction solutions company have supported Super Series (previously known as Super6) rugby since its inaugural season in 2019 and have supported the FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy since 2018.
FOSROC’s Chief Executive Officer Ian Watt said: “FOSROC is excited to be continuing its support of the Super Series competition and now the new ‘FOSROC Future XV’ team.
“After the successful involvement of the pro-teams sides during the first three rounds of competition in the FOSROC Super Series Sprint, it’s fantastic to see our new up-and-coming stars get even more exposure to a higher-level of competitive rugby.
“We hope this support allows more young players further opportunities to develop their skills, and as a result, springboard them into the professional rugby environment.”
Fixtures for the 2023 FOSROC Super Series Championship will be announced in the coming days and broadcasting details will be confirmed in due course.
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Sport Trivia: Alice Annum was the only Ghanian woman to make the final of her event at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Which event was this?Answer: 100m – There were only two female athletes in the Ghanaian team in 1972. They both competed in the 100m sprint, with Alice placing sixth in the final. Her teammate Hannah Afriyie went out in the second round of the heats.
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The Confederation of African Rugby is the governing body of rugby union within Africa and currently has 37 members. It runs various rugby tournaments within Africa including the CAR Super 16 and the Africa Cup.