Duncan Hodge To Lead Scotland A.

Out-half Duncan Hodge will be one of 10 senior players in the Scotland A side that take on Ireland in Bridgehaugh on Saturday but Doddie Weir misses out through injury. Hodge has only played 20 minutes of rugby since breaking his thumb in December while Weir misses out having hurt himself in a car crash last week.

For their part Ireland are not short of stars and include two Lions Rob Henderson and Eric Miller plus the emerging talent of Donncha O’Callaghan (pictured) and Jeremy Staunton.

Ireland A. Jeremy Staunton (Munster/Garrryowen), James Topping (Ulster/Ballymena), Gordon Darcy (Leinster/Lansdowne), Rob Henderson (Munster/Young Munster), John Kelly (Munster/Cork Constitution); Barry Everitt (London Irish), Neil Doak capt (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins); Justin Fitzpatrick (Ulster/Dungannon), Paul Shields (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins), Simon Best (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins); Donnacha O’Callaghan (Munster/Cork Constitution), Mick O’Driscoll (Munster/ Cork Constitution); Simon Easterby (Llanelli), Kieron Dawson (London Irish), Eric Miller (Leinster/Terenure College).
Replacements: 16 – James Blaney (Munster/Shannon), 17 – Peter Bracken (Connacht/Galwegians), 18 – Bob Casey (London Irish), 19 – Aidan McCullen (Leinster/Lansdowne), 20 – Brian O’Meara (Leinster/ Cork Constitution), 21 – Bryn Cunningham (Ulster/Dungannon), 22 – David Quinlan (Leinster/Blackrock College).

Scotland A.Stuart Moffat (Glasgow Rugby); Simon Webster (Edinburgh Rugby), James McLaren (Bordeaux-Begles), Andrew Henderson (Glasgow Rugby), Craig Joiner (Edinburgh Rugby); Duncan Hodge capt (Edinburgh Rugby), Graeme Beveridge (Glasgow Rugby); Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh Rugby), Robert Russell (Saracens), Craig Smith (Edinburgh Rugby); Jason White (Glasgow Rugby), Iain Fullarton (Sale Sharks); Andrew Rennick (The Borders), Jon Petrie (Glasgow Rugby), Andrew Wilson (Glasgow Rugby).
Replacements. 16 Dougie Hall (Edinburgh Rugby), 17 David Hilton (Glasgow Rugby), 18 Nathan Ross (Glasgow Rugby), 19 Andrew Dall (Edinburgh Rugby), 20 Iain Fairley (The Borders), 21 Calvin Howarth (Glasgow Rugby), 22 Derrick Lee (Edinburgh Rugby).

Referee: Christophe Berdos (France).
Touch-judges: Daniel Dartigeas and Jean-Michel Schutz (France).