SRU promote 14 young players to full-time tier

Fourteen of the most talented young rugby players in Scotland have been promoted to the top level of the Academy system below the pro game ahead of the 2018-19 season.

Scottish Rugby has confirmed the players who have been recruited, retained and promoted into the full-time tier of the Fosroc Scottish Rugby Academy.

In total there are 27 stage threeplayers.ofthe14newfaces, the two coming from outwith the Academy structure are Rufus Mclean (Watsonians) and Marshall Sykes (Ayr).

Twelve have been promoted and they include Shaun Gunn, the prop from Edinburgh Accies, and Glasgow Hawks’ Scotland Under-20 stand-off Ross Thompson.

The academy aims to accelerate the development of players out of four regional centres – Aberdeen, Cumbernauld, Edinburgh and Galashiels.

Below the stage three players there are others around the country who are Academy-supported players.