Scotland all set for Commonwealth Games

All eyes will be on Birmingham - and on rugby - from tomorrow as the Commonwealth Games gets underway in earnest with rugby sevens taking centre stage.

Scotland’s Women and Men will contest what is sure to be a series of exciting fixtures in Coventry over the course of Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Representing their country under the Team Scotland banner, Scotland’s two squads will each play twice on the opening day, with the women’s group, at their inaugural Games, drawn to face Fiji and Australia before finishing their Pool B campaign against South Africa on Saturday.

Scott Forrest’s charges, led by Helen Nelson and Lisa Thomson, are aiming to add further gloss to a year that will see many of the 13-player group take part in the rescheduled Rugby World Cup in New Zealand later in 2022.

When the squads were announced on 8 July, Forrest said: “There’s a special feeling going into these Games, given they are the first Scotland has qualified for. The players have put in so much effort to prepare for Birmingham and we can’t wait to get started.

Scotland’s men will play Tonga and then Malaysia tomorrow, before they also take on South Africa in a potentially Pool B-defining tie on Saturday. Captained by Jamie Farndale, who has also been named as a Team Scotland Sustainability Captain, the squad are targeting a successful tournament and finished in sixth place four years ago at the Gold Coast Games.

Ciaran Beattie, Head Coach for Team Scotland’s Men’s squad, said: “The 2022 Commonwealth Games is almost upon us and it’s a proud day to announce the players who will represent Team Scotland in Birmingham. It’s the culmination of a great deal of hard work over the past few years and I know how excited the squad is at the prospect of competing on such a grand stage.”

All of the Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens matches will be available to watch live on BBC television, website or iPlayer.