The Scottish Rugby Academy provides Scotland's up and coming rugby stars a dedicated focused routeway for development into the professional game. Entry is restricted to Scottish qualified students and both male and female entrants are accepted into 4 regional academies. The 2019-20 season sees the fifth year of the academy, now sponsored by Fosroc.
Season overview
This was the fifth year of the Scottish Rugby Academy.
Regional Academies
The Scottish Rugby Academy runs four regional academies in Scotland:- Glasgow and the West, Borders and East Lothian, Edinburgh and Caledonia. These roughly correspond to the traditional districts of Glasgow District, South, Edinburgh District and North and Midlands.
Stages
Players are selected in three stages:-
Supported stages
Stage 1 - Regionally selected and regionally supported players Stage 2 - Nationally selected and regionally supported players
Contracted stage
Stage 3 - Nationally selected and regionally supported players assigned to a professional team.
Academy Players
Stage 3 players
Stage 3 players are assigned to a professional team. Nominally, for the men, Glasgow Warriors receive the Stage 3 players of Glasgow and the West and Caledonia regions, while Edinburgh Rugby receive the Stage 3 players of the Edinburgh and Borders and East Lothian regions. The women are integrated into the Scotland women's national rugby sevens team and the Scotland women's national rugby union team.
This season some of the Stage 3 players were additionally loaned out to Stade Niçois for their development.
This year, in addition to being assigned to Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby, the male Stage 3 players are also assigned to the professional Super 6 sides. Thus, half of the Super 6 teams are allied to Glasgow Warriors:- Stirling County, Ayrshire Bulls and Boroughmuir Bears; the other half allied to Edinburgh Rugby:- Watsonians, Southern Knights and Heriot's Rugby.
Borders and East Lothian
Jacob Henry and Nathan Sweeney join the Borders Academy at Stage 3 this season; Henry being promoted from Stage 2 and Sweeney a direct entrant. Fraser Renwick drops out from last year.
Caledonia
Angus Fraser, Gregor Brown and Grant Hughes all join the Caledonia Academy this season; Fraser and Hughes being promoted from the Stage 2 section of last year's academy, Brown as a direct entrant . Ollie Smith transfers in from the Glasgow Academy; Murphy Walker transfers from the Caledonia Academy to the Glasgow Academy.
Edinburgh
Matt Currie, Dan Gamble, Sam Grahamslaw, Charlie Jupp, Scott King, Jack Mann, Harry Paterson and Cameron Scott all join as Stage 3 players this year in addition to stalwarts Shaun Gunn, Dan Winning, Connor Boyle. Jupp and Gamble were promoted from last year's Stage 2; the others joining as direct entrants. Rufus McLean transfers to the Glasgow Academy. Duncan Ferguson, Callum Atkinson, and Robbie Davis all drop out. Ross Dunbar has signed with Stade Niçois.
Glasgow and the West
Rufus McLean transfers in from the Edinburgh Academy. Murphy Walker transfers in from the Caledonia Academy. Ollie Smith transfers to the Caledonia Academy. Kaleem Barreto is loaned out to Stade Niçois. Logan Trotter has signed for Super 6 side Stirling Wolves. The lock Rory Jackson is promoted from Stage 2
Stade Niçois
Stade Niçois is a French rugby union side. In season 2019-20 they play in the French third tier, in Fédérale 1. They have a partnership agreement with the SRU.
Cammy Hutchison from last year's Academy has now signed with Heriots Rugby.
Supported players
The inductees for the 2019-20 season are split into their regional academies. The male players are still in Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the academy and not yet deemed professional players. The women named, however, may be international players, using the academy for support.
Borders and East Lothian
Archie Bogle (Melrose / Duns) - Prop Scott Clark (Preston Lodge) - Fly Half Kieran Clarke (Earlston HS / Melrose) - Full Back Sam Derrick (Earlston HS / Melrose) - Flanker Patrick Harrison (Peebles) - Hooker Thomas Jeffrey (Jed Forest) - Prop James Johnstone (Preston Lodge) - Hooker Vangel Kacori (Watsonians) - Center Matthew Kindness (Kelso) - Center Ben Pickles (Preston Lodge) - Center Matt Reid (Galashiels Academy / Wanderers) - Wing Mak Wilson (Southern Knights) - Prop Lana Skeldon (DMP Sharks) Corey Tait (Hawick HS / RFC)
Caledonia
Tim Brown (Dundee HSFP) - Flanker Euan Cunningham (Stirling County) - Fly Half Jack Duncan (Ellon) - Fly Half Archie Falconer (Ellon) - Hooker Thomas Glendinning (Kirkcaldy) - Center Michael Gray (Dollar Academy) - Center Joe Halliday (Strathallan) - Hooker Mikey Heron (Stirling Wolves) - Full Back Josh King (Stirling County) - Flanker Ross McKnight (Dollar Academy) - Wing Alex Samuel (Stirling County) - Lock Ben Salmon (Dollar Academy) - Wing Callum Stephen (Deeside Rugby) - Wing Max Williamson (Dollar Academy) - Lock/Flanker Siobhan Cattigan (Stirling County) Mairi Forsyth (Corstorphine Cougars) Emma Wassell (Corstorphine Cougars) Megan Kennedy (Stirling County).
Edinburgh
Callum Anderson (George Heriot’s School) - Lock Ryan Daley (George Watson’s College) - Wing Angus Hoffie (George Watson’s College) - Wing Duncan Hood (Stewart’s Melville College) - Hooker Michael Jones (Stewart’s Melville College) - Flanker/Prop Cole Lamberton (Edinburgh Accies) - Prop Fraser MacAslan (Royal High School) - Hooker Gregor Scougall (George Watson’s College) - Prop Struan Whittaker (Edinburgh Accies) - Lock Patrick McVeigh (Heriot’s Rugby / Edinburgh University) - Flanker Cameron Scott (Watsonians) - Scrum Half Robbie Simpson (Edinburgh Accies) - Hooker Christian Townsend (Stewart’s Melville College) - Fly Half Sarah Denholm (Edinburgh University) Megan Gaffney (Watsonians) Nicola Howat (Edinburgh University) Sarah Law (DMP Sharks) Liz Musgrove (DMP Sharks) Panashe Muzambe (Edinburgh University / Watsonians) Annabel Sergeant (Heriot’s) Hannah Smith (Watsonians) Lisa Thomson (DMP Sharks) Molly Wright (Watsonians)
Glasgow and the West
Trystan Andrews (Melrose) - Flanker George Breese (Stirling County) - Prop Finlay Callaghan (GHK) - Full Back Jamie Campbell (Biggar) - Lock Scott Clelland (Ayr) - Hooker Jordan Craig (GHA) - Wing Jamie Drummond (Marr) - Prop/Hooker Dean Hunter (Stirling County) - Prop Adam Scott (GHA) - Center Joseph Strain (Glasgow Hawks) - Fly Half Gavin Wilson (Ayrshire Bulls) - Flanker Cameron Young (Ayr) - Flanker Sophie Anderson (Hillhead Jordanhill) Rachel McLachlan (DMP Sharks) Louise McMillan (Hillhead Jordanhill)
Super 6 intake
Ayrshire Bulls
Boroughmuir Bears
Heriots Rugby
Southern Knights
Stirling County
Watsonians
Graduates of this year
Players who have signed professional contracts with clubs:
Cameron Henderson to Leicester Tigers Marshall Sykes to Edinburgh Rugby Rufus McLean to Glasgow Warriors
References