by The Scrum March 14, 2018
Glasgow Hawks’ hooker Paul Cairncross starts his first game for Scotland under-20 at Bari’s Stadio della Vittoria against Italy in the final match of the 6 Nations this Friday (kick-off 3pm local time).

Cairncross comes in as influential Captain Robbie Smith, who suffered an ankle injury in Dublin last weekend, has been unable to recover in time for the trip.

In the backs, Stirling County’s Logan Trotter replaces the injured Rory McMichael on the wing, with Glasgow Hawks’ Sam Yawayawa named on the bench.

As a result of Smith’s absence his Ayr team mate Stafford McDowall is skipper.

The young team go into the match looking to build on a win over England a losing bonus point against Ireland.

Head Coach Steve Scott said: “Our attack against Ireland was the best it has been in the tournament so far.

“We created a lot of opportunities and thoroughly deserved the bonus point, but we are disappointed that we didn’t win the game because we had a chance to do that

“This group has grown considerably from the start of this process. Where they are now, compared to when they first came into camp is a credit to them as a team.

“It would be a really good championship for us if we can win this game in Italy. It will be a challenge, but the squad have trained well this week and we’re really looking forward to the fixture.”