ROSS DUNBAR has signed for Stade Niçois, Scottish Rugby’s associate French club, meaning that he will not, as expected, be involved with the Boroughmuir Super 6 outfit next season.
The 20-year-old prop who, was introduced to the game at Linlithgow Rugby Club, also had a two year spell at Stirling County before linking up with Boroughmuir where he came under the tutelage of former Scotland and British & Irish Lions front-rower Peter Wright.
Dunbar, who was a Level 3 Academy player last season, had surgery on a shoulder injury in April but is expected to be fit by August. He previously played for Scotland at Under-18, Under-19 and Under-20 levels, and was part of the squad at both the 2017 and 2018 World Rugby U20 Championships.
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He is the first Scot announced as joining Stade Niçois for next season and is expected to link up with his former Boroughmuir colleague Archie Erskine, who is set for his second year at the club.
Dunbar will be looking to follow the example of Charlie Capps, whose good form while playing for the third-tier Federale 1 side secured a professional contract with Glasgow Warriors.
Stade Niçois will play in the same league next season after successfully appealing against a relegation imposed for failing to operate within agreed financial budgets. However, a points deduction ruled them out of the promotion play-offs at the end of the league campaign.
Of the other Scots who have been plying their trade on the French Riviera over the past 12 months, Cameron Hutchison is returning home and is expected to join a Super Six club, while Tyrone Homes is also heading back to start work as a fitness coach and Nick MacLennan has retired. He will focus on a business in his native New Zealand.
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Alastair
With you on this one.
Wonder if any will be sent to Old Glory, the team that lost heavily to our less than stellar U20s.
I also understand that S6 contracts prevent players from joining invitational sides like your Waterboys
A real shame given recent global success.
Not invented here control freakery?
Try being a Boroughmuir supporter and sponsor with this scenario. Makes no sense to create S6 then take the players away.
Struggling with this one.
When Sean Lineen was asked the purpose of S6 at a forum meeting about 18 months ago, after a somewhat lengthy pause he stated “we need somewhere for our academy boys to play since they all have agents these days and are off to France and other places. When asked how many he said 29.
Now with S6 about to start, and a real need for it to succeed, one such academy boy is being sent by the SRU, to an outfit not setting much on fire, other than it seems it’s own league status.
Friendly fire?
Or another “we have no strategy or plan so we will just make it up as we go along”