Kellock leads 'experienced' Scots
Alastair Kellock will lead an experienced Scotland team at the World Cup tournament in New Zealand next month.
Head coach Andy Robinson named his 30-man squad on Monday and installed the 30-year-old Glasgow Warriors second row forward, Kellock, as his captain.
Kellock, who won his 34th cap at the weekend, a Test victory over Italy, has led Scotland eight times from the outset of a match and has also assumed the leader’s role during matches, most notably in victory over the Wallabies at Murrayfield in 2009.
He is among 12 players selected as part of a Scotland World Cup squad for the first time. One of that dozen, his Glasgow Warriors team-mate, Richie Gray, is the youngest in the Scots’ party. The lock celebrates his 22nd birthday on Wednesday.
That said, however, it is an experienced squad. All 30 players are capped internationalists with the list headed by Scotland’s most capped player, centurion Chris Paterson (Edinburgh), who will be playing in an unprecedented fourth World Cup for a Scot.
The squad is drawn from 13 clubs with 15 home-based players (seven from Edinburgh, eight from Glasgow Warriors) and 15 Exiles.
In all they have played 1038 internationals scoring a grand total of 82 tries.
Head coach Andy Robinson said: “I want to pay tribute to the dedicated and professional approach of all those in our provisional squad.
“Eight players have been unfortunate to miss out from that squad but that is because of the talent we have been able to assemble in our final 30.
“As a squad we have our values and uppermost among them is to inspire the nation by the way in which we conduct ourselves and through winning performances on the international rugby field.”
Kellock, who was praised for his dignity when he missed out on selection for the 2007 World Cup, added: “Today [Monday] is not a time for looking back. It’s about reflecting on the huge honour of being selected for the squad in the first instance, which is magnified by being asked to captain the squad.
“I intend to do my utmost to reward the coaches’ faith in me and make the country proud by what we achieve in New Zealand.”
Scotland squad:
Backs: Joe Ansbro (London Irish), Mike Blair (Edinburgh), Chris Cusiter (Glasgow Warriors), Simon Danielli (Ulster), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh), Max Evans (Castres), Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Lamont (Toulon), Sean Lamont (Scarlets), Rory Lawson (Gloucester), Graeme Morrison (Glasgow Warriors), Dan Parks (Cardiff Blues), Chris Paterson (Edinburgh).
Forwards: Alastair Kellock, John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors), Kelly Brown (Saracens), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), Alasdair Dickinson (Sale Sharks), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors), Jim Hamilton (Gloucester), Nathan Hines (Clermont Ferrand), Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh), Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors, captain), Scott Lawson (Gloucester), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Euan Murray (Newcastle Falcons), Ross Rennie (Edinburgh), Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester), Richie Vernon (Sale Sharks)
