Murrayfield comes to Merchant Taylors’ with Scottish Rugby partnership

Scottish Rugby has chosen Merchant Taylors’ School as the North West hub for its Scotland Qualified Pathway Programme.

The UK-wide programme aims to identify and develop young players who live outside Scotland but are eligible to play for its national teams because they, their parents or grandparents were born north of the border.

From Sunday 24 September, boys and girls aged between 14 and 17 can take part in training and assessment sessions led by SRU coaches, with a selected group of players going on to take part in further training camps and play in a regional game series in January. Each session will be at Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School on Liverpool Road in Crosby.

Coaches from grassroots rugby clubs and other schools are invited to nominate eligible young players from their teams to take part in the programme, while players can also apply directly with support from their parents or guardians.

Rob Brierley, SQ Pathway Manager at Scottish Rugby, said: “We are delighted to be forming a link with Merchant Taylors’, a school with an excellent rugby union pedigree. The support received from staff and the use of facilities will enable us to provide high-quality coaching and opportunities for Scottish qualified players from across the North West of England.

Jonny Matthews (Glasgow Warriors and Scotland)

“Scotland has benefited at age group level and beyond from the region’s talent, with players such as Jonny Matthews (Glasgow Warriors and Scotland – pictured left), who was originally from Liverpool, and we look forward to unearthing many more new talents through the programme.

“We are also looking forward to working the Merchant Taylors’ rugby department, sharing best practice and coaching ideas with staff so that all students will benefit from our new partnership.”

Sam Cooke, head of sport at Merchant Taylors’, said: “Rugby has always been a key feature of life at Merchant Taylors’ and it remains so to this day. Our new relationship with Scottish Rugby will not only offer new opportunities for eligible players to pursue a potential international pathway with Scotland, but it will also bring fresh perspectives and experience to our own rugby coaching.

“We have a number of pupils who have already signed up to the sessions and I would encourage boys and girls from all local clubs and schools to engage with the programme if they think they qualify and would relish an exciting new challenge.”

Interested players should contact Scottish rugby by email at: [email protected]