STIRLING WOLVES have retained 19 players and added 15 to their 34-strong Super Series Sprint squad ahead of kicking off their campaign at home to Boroughmuir Bears next Friday night (7th April). Among the new faces are former Glasgow Warriors full-back Glenn Bryce, experienced former Southern Knights duo Ruaridh Knott and Craig Jackson, and former Boroughmuir Bears scrum-half Kyle McGhie.
Wolves are also boosted by the return of hooker Reyner Kennedy following a long-term injury to captain the Bridgehuagh outfit.
“We feel that the players coming in will add strength and depth to our existing core playing squad and the coaches are excited about the undoubted potential within the group,” said acting head coach Eddie Pollock. “Pre-season has shown that the players have a real work ethic and willingness to learn, which will stand us in good stead in the coming weeks. We are all looking forward to our first home match against the Bears at Bridgehaugh.”
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Stirling County President John Gibson added: “As President of Stirling County and a big advocate of the Super Series, I am delighted to get back to business and the start of the FOSROC Super Series Sprint competition.
“This time, the Super Series Sprint will include ‘A’ teams from Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby. The Wolves will play the Warriors on Friday 21st April at Bridgehaugh with a 7.35pm kick-off. This is a great development and will only help to improve the quality of the game in Scotland.
I’m very positive about this season and I am sure Eddie Pollock and his coaching team of Duncan Hodge and Sean Kennedy will bring the best out of this group. We look forward to the kick-off at Bridgehaugh, with our first game at home against Boroughmuir Bears on Friday 7th April.”
Stirling Wolves 2023 Super Series Sprint squad –
Props – Adam Woods, George Breese, Lewis Skinner, Lliam Quarm, Moby Ogunlaja and Callum Norrie*
Hookers – Gregor Hiddleston and Reyner Kennedy (captain)
Second-rows – Hamish Ferguson, James Pow, Ruaridh Hart, Tom Smith and Harris McLeod*
Back-rows – Benny Grant, Connor Gordon, Jake Spurway, Ruaridh Knott and Shaun McDonald
Scrum-halves – Eric Davey, Kyle McGhie and Finlay Burgess*
Stand-offs – Craig Jackson and Marcus Holden
Centres – Craig Jardine, Josh Laird, Mikey Heron, Ryan Southern and Ben Salmon*
Back three – Finlay Callaghan, Glenn Bryce, Gregor Smith, Korie Winters, Stevie Hamilton and Logan Jarvie*
11 new faces in Ayrshire Bulls squad for 2023 Super Series Sprint
Alistair Munro – same across all squads thus far and highlights the issue with the concept of Super 6. Ayr with Frazier Climo is probably even worse , 36 years old…where is the sense in this ??
These selections are being made by coaches to try and win games , in turn enhancing their own reputations , nothing about development. To trot out the nonsense about the benefits of younger players playing with and against these experienced players is simply nonsense, just a smoke screen for picking the strongest squads that funding will allow.
Until the coaches change mindset the Super 6 will remain not fit for purpose and not fulfilling its descriptors.
There is also a huge difference in the quality of the teams , Watsonians and Ayr again have just recruited squads based solely on winning a meaningless tournament.
The Knights Super 6 squad that is visible on the Melrose newsletter albeit they had not completed their recruitment is by comparison very lightweight and weak in experience as well. They have given opportunities to a handful of local club players and obviously had a day out and raided Northumberland Uni but in doing so are significantly weaker than their counterparts. The final group of players yet to be recruited will have to be of serious quality if the Knights are again to avoid being at the lower end of process. The drubbing by a young Newcastle Falcons team confirms the issue.
We have yet to see the Edinburgh and Glasgow A squads but I imagine these teams are likely to be very strong and if anything they will take recruitment options away from the other Super 6 franchises.
The SRU should be working to ensure there is equity across the franchises, I don’t know the intricacies of the financing of these teams but it is clear some are better funded than others. The Knights / Melrose have been generally acknowledged to be in significant financial trouble and the squad has looked weak for some time and to me are operating on a different financial plain to certainly Ayr and Watsonians at least.
I expect to see some one sided games as the process moves on and as squad depth is challenged, again huge disparity in squad depth between the squads.
It highlights a problem when a week before the Super 6 Sprint starts that all squads are not yet finalised or announced. I don’t understand how the paying spectators are meant to buy into a process where they have no knowledge or background of the players in their respective teams.
Sorry but what is Super 6. Glenn Bryce great player now 31 was going to retire taking a place from a youngster. Is this not to be a development structure as opposed to a soft exit structure. How many Super 6 teams are selecting players on an exit plan rather than a development plan. Recipe for disaster.