23 hours Ago By [email protected] (Stuart McFarlane)
It was a special afternoon for Stirling’s Jamie Bhatti as he notched his first international try for Scotland on a points-laden afternoon at Murrayfield. The Glasgow Warriors prop was making his 35th appearance for his country against Portugal on Saturday and powered over the line to score his first points - the sixth of nine tries scored in a comfortable 59-21 win for the hosts. Bhatti’s landmark wasn’t the only reason for celebration for Stirling’s rugby community, with former Stirling County star Alex Samuel making his debut for his country after coming off the bench.
Second-rower Samuel played for County at under-18 level before being quickly promoted to the first XV while still a teenager as the Bridgehaugh side contested a National One campaign. His career has continued to shine with a move up to play for Glasgow - and gaining his first Scotland cap at the weekend. Scotland boss Gregor Townsend insisted the match against the minnows had been a worthwhile fixture.
He told The Offside Line: “I thought Portugal really tested us at times. “When you play such an ambitious attacking game you might make errors, and I felt like our defence got rewards at times in getting the ball back. “But also if you’re attacking so much – and I thought they were accurate with their attack – you’re going to cause the defence problems.
They did that more in the second half, so credit to them for that. “They brought a lot of physicality and line-speed that we had to just adjust to and find solutions and the players did that.” It will be a quick return to action for both Bhatti as he has been named in the Scotland ‘A’ side that will face Chile at the Hive Stadium on Saturday evening.
The match - which will feature more of Scotland’s development talent - will also see former Stirling Wolves Jare Oguntibeju and Ben Afshar possibly make appearances from the bench. Meanwhile, some big names linked to Stirling rugby - including star fly-half Finn Russell and second-rower Grant Gilchrist - are set to be included in the squad for the full international against Australia at Murrayfield on Sunday..
