Cotter: Saffas are Scots at heart
South Africa have overtaken New Zealand as the biggest offshore supplier of 'Scottish' players.
The addition of Josh Strauss, Willem Nel and Allan Dell – along with stalwart David Denton – to Scotland's 46-man World Cup training camp, means there are four players with their roots in South Africa.
In the Six Nations in February and March, where Scotland finished last, they had three Kilted Kiwis – Blair Cowan, Hugh Blake and Sean Maitland – in their squad.
Scotland's New Zealand coach, Vern Cotter, said he has no problem in relying on imports to make the Scots a force at the World Cup in September and October.
"Every team entering the World Cup wants to win, but to win a World Cup you first have to qualify from your pool, and that's our major focus," Cotter said.
"[We have] two games in five days [Japan and the United States], followed by another in six [days, against South Africa] and another in seven [days, Samoa].
"We'll focus on preparing appropriately for each of those matches, so that we can become as effective as possible in this Rugby World Cup."
Cotter is adamant there is nothing wrong with selecting so many imports, especially the latest batch from South Africa.
Strauss captained the Lions in Super Rugby and the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup, while he also represented the Boland Cavaliers and Stellenbosch University – before he moved to Glasgow Warriors in September 2012.
Nel, who joined Edinburgh in July 2012, previously represented Free State Cheetahs, Western Province and the Boland Cavaliers, .
Dell qualifies for Scotland through his grandmother Joan Carmichael, who was born in Paisley and brought up in Edinburgh, was educated at Queens College in Eastern Cape, made 13 senior appearances for the Sharks in the Vodacom and Currie Cup competitions – as well as having played for the South African Schools and lifting the Junior World Championship trophy with the Under-20 side in 2012. He made his Edinburgh debut in October 2014.
Nel is just days away from passing the residency criteria, while Strauss – who became a Pro12 champion with Glasgow at the weekend – will qualify just under a week before Cotter's team kick-off their World Cup against Japan on September 23.
"I am happy to see these players pull on a jersey and play for Scotland, because I think they want to and I think they deserve to," the Scots' Kiwi coach said.
"Just look at Josh [Strauss, playing] for Glasgow at the weekend. He was outstanding. WP's [Nel's] children were born in Scotland.
"When you talk to these players they are very passionate about this being their country.
"This is where they live now.
"I think they will add value to the team. If it's going to make this team perform well, that's a good thing."
The 46-man group, which will be reduced to 31 for the tournament in England this September, will convene at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility on Monday, June 15, for a range of strength and conditioning tests.
Cotter was keen to stress that the squad was by no means a closed group.
"Flexibility and being able to adapt are among our key themes as we move towards the final 31 and the World Cup. This is not a firmly fixed squad, it's a living document," he added.
"There are a number of players we've spoken to who will be working on things with their clubs and looking for form, and may well feature in our warm-up games as a chance to push for selection."
Cotter added: "Our priorities will focus on the major aspects of the game.
"Physically we'll be working very hard to find peak form. We know that teams play better in the Rugby World Cup, and we want to be one of those teams.
"We have four matches before the tournament; four 80-minute spells in which we can practice our combinations and work our plays, in attack and defence, providing opportunities for a number of players to compete for a place in the final 31.
Scotland will face France, Ireland and Italy as part of the national team's build-up to the World Cup 2015.
The four-match schedule – played on consecutive Saturdays from mid-August – will begin when Cotter's men travel to face Ireland at the in Dublin on August 15.
Back-to-back fixtures against Italy will follow in Turin (August 22) and Edinburgh (August 29), before concluding preparations against France in Paris on September 5.
The final squad will leave for Gloucester on Wednesday, September 16, ahead of their opening World Cup 2015 Pool match against Japan at Kingsholm Stadium on Wednesday, September 23.
The Scots will face the United States at Elland Road in Leeds (Sunday, September 27), followed by South Africa and Samoa on consecutive Saturdays (October 3 and 10) at St James Park, Newcastle.
