Team Scotland has confirmed today that it will be competing in men’s Rugby Sevens at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Speaking at the announcement  captain of  the Scotland Sevens team, Scott Riddell, expressed how he and the rest of his team can’t wait for the experience.

After finishing sixth at Glasgow 2014, there are much higher expectations for the team to achieve success in the Gold Coast, especially after their great results in the 2016-17 Sevens World Series.

Riddell commented: “We certainly have high aspirations, we’ve been playing well and so something special could potentially happen, but we just need to make sure we prepare well for the Games. After the victory over New Zealand last year, there’s no team that we haven’t beaten, so it’s an exciting prospect to play at the Gold Coast and hopefully be successful.”

“Every experience I have had at the Games has been special, firstly in Delhi in 2010 and especially in 2014, where I was lucky enough to be selected to play in my home country. Therefore I aim to make my third appearance at the Games a successful one.

“Being part of a wider Team Scotland is great fun and there’s a great buzz about the place. Being with all sorts of people from different sports and backgrounds and being part of the whole experience is what makes the Commonwealth Games so special. The fact that Team Scotland has never achieved a Rugby Sevens medal at the Games gives us even more motivation to go on and potentially win a medal and make history.”

The rugby at the Gold Coast will be played at the 27,000-seater Robina Stadium and there are hopes that the crowd numbers will match those of the 2014 Glasgow Games at Ibrox, where world record numbers attendedd.

New head coach, John Dalziel, believes that crowd support can play a key role in the team’s success and added: “The memories of Glasgow 2014 and the way the Scottish crowd got behind the team are very special, the players and everyone involved in 2018 will be looking to inspire those supporters and we look forward to their passionate support in the Gold Coast.”

Individual player selection will not be made until early in 2018 to ensure form and fitness.