Fortress Scotland next for Williams

EX-LEINSTER coach Matt Williams has outlined a controversial plan entitled “Fortress Scotland” which will eventually see the international side being made up of home-based players only.

The new Scotland coach made his first squad announcement yesterday since taking over from Ian McGeechan after the World Cup.

But the surprise inclusion of 14 uncapped players was nothing compared to his plans for a massive overhaul of the Scottish game.

Williams has warned players they will not be selected for future teams if they continue to ply their trade in a different country while Edinburgh Rugby, Glasgow Rugby and The Borders will be limited to just two overseas players in the future.

He explained: “We are going to implement a policy over the next few years that we are calling Fortress Scotland.

“Scottish players must be playing in Scotland to play for their country and the captain will be coming out of the professional teams in Scotland.

“Our policy of sending our players to England to save costs is counter-productive and it will lead to the end of Scottish rugby being competitive on the international stage. We have to control our own players and at the World Cup France, Australia, New Zealand and England had no players playing outside their borders.

“By the next World Cup our aim is to have every player that goes to that World Cup playing in the pro teams in Scotland.

“It will benefit the players and benefit the pro teams to perform better on the international stage. We need our pro teams to be performing on that stage.

“We also hope next season to bring in pro teams having a maximum of two overseas players. Ideally there will be no overseas players in our professional teams.”

Williams has already switched his side’s training headquarters to Stirling from Murrayfield for the training camp from December 21 to 23.

He wants to make the national stadium “special” again and that only players playing for their country get to use the changing rooms there.

He continued: “I can’t guarantee that we will win in our following matches because the next 18 months are going to be very hard.

All of the players at the World Cup currently available have been selected, although Andrew Mower is still sidelined through injury.

They have been joined by back-row forward Simon Cross, who is currently qualifying for the country through residency, scrum-half Chris Cusiter, hooker Ross Ford, stand-off/centre Phil Goodman, back-row forward Allister Hogg and lock Alastair Kellock.

Also drafted in were wing Sean Lamont, centre Graeme Morrison, full-back Gareth Morton, prop Euan Murray, stand-off Dan Parks, centre Tom Philip, scrum-half Sam Pinder and stand-off Alistair Warnock.

The sweeping changes follow the retirements of Martin Leslie, Kenny Logan, James McLaren, Glenn Metcalfe, Bryan Redpath and Gregor Townsend.

Williams will be assisted by Todd Blackadder and former internationals George Graham, and Andy Nicol.