Perthshire rugby brothers to play for Scotland at Murrayfield

Nov 13 2009 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PERTHSHIRE pair Sean and Rory Lamont have been called up by Scotland coach Andy Robinson to play Fiji at Murrayfield tomorrow.

The Blairgowrie brothers look set to win their 38th and 20th international caps respectively against a side ranked ninth in the world, one place above their hosts.

Toulon star Rory (27), who has been picked to play at full-back in place of Chris Paterson, plays alongside a rejuvenated Jonny Wilkinson in France and has benefited from his team’s spell in the spotlight.

Commenting on his opponents from the Southern Hemisphere, he said: “I expect hard hits, the occasional high one and the odd swinging arm – as you do against the islanders.

“They’re just a little bit different to British players. They’re strong and quick, but I feel ready for it.

“There are times when you have a few niggles, and you might adapt your game a little bit, but as long as my body will let me, I’ll push myself to the limit.”

Llanelli Scarlets wing Sean (28) is aiming to put the knee ligament injury he suffered a few weeks after the 2007 Rugby World Cup firmly behind him.

And he admits moving from Northampton, and a change of position, has given him a new lease of life.

He said: “I went through a stage where I wasn’t running into tackles as hard as I should.

“I hadn’t realised that. I thought I was running full pace, but Andy picked up that I was putting the handbrake on once I reached contact.

“He also said I was playing like a winger at centre. I’ve been loving my time in the middle, though – but the guys outside me are probably hating it because the distribution is slightly on the low side.”

In all, there are ten changes in personnel from the Scotland team that started their last international against England at Twickenham in March.

Former England coach, Andy Robinson, said: “We have selected a side that’s full of power, that has the pace but also has the skill level to break down the Fijians.

“Fiji are above us in the rankings and are a very dangerous team to play against. They are very strong and powerful – we have to match fire with fire.”

Tickets for the capital encounter are on sale now via: 0844 335 3933, through the Scottish Rugby website: www.scottishrugby.org, or from the ticket office at Murrayfield.