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Beattie backs new caps to boost Scotland

JohnnieBeattieEnglandBS
Johnnie Beattie believes Scotland will have a stronger pool of players to pick from during next year’s RBS 6 Nations after blooding fresh talent in South Africa.

Johnnie Beattie believes Scotland will have a stronger pool of players to pick from during next year’s RBS 6 Nations after blooding fresh talent in South Africa.

Scotland ended their summer tour on a high when they secured a last-gasp win over Italy thanks to Alasdair Strokosch’s late try.

It was credit to the character of Scott Johnson’s side that they hit back to claim their first win of the tour having being beaten comprehensively by Samoa before impressing in defeat to South Africa.

They also returned home safe in the knowledge that they had capped ten new players, with Greig Tonks, Alex Dunbar, Pat MacArthur, Steven Lawrie, Peter Horne, Duncan Taylor, Peter Murchie, Tommy Seymour, Tim Swinson and Fraser Brown all stepping up to international rugby.

And while Beattie was disappointed to pick up just one win the 27-year-old No.8 expects Scotland’s new caps to play a big role over the next 12 months.

“The main thing was to try and win the three games we had but we were also there to broaden our base of players and introduce some young kids into the squad. Individually, it was important to see how those boys got on,” he said.

“We were happier with our performance against South Africa but lost the game. We won against Italy but were disappointed with our performance.

“We got one victory in the end but it was more important to see how those guys got on. That was where the value of the tour was.

“I thought the boys who got their chance did fantastic. The main positive for the tour for me was getting to know different people on a personal level, but also seeing how they got on in a Test environment.”