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| Wright to plan for hot reception |
| 12 August 2005, 12:00 am |
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Scotland under-19 head coach Peter Wright will be taking medical advice in order to best prepare his players for the IRB under-19 world championships, which will be staged in Dubai next April.
The IRB announced this week that for the first time the Middle East will stage a world championship rugby tournament. The competition, between 4-21 April, will be sponsored by Emirates Airline.
IRB Head of Rugby Services Mark Egan reflected that Dubai was well-placed to host the event, given the success of its sevens tournament on the IRB circuit.
He said: Dubai has already proved it can host major international sporting events and we are very pleased that the best under-19 rugby players on the world stage will be on display in such a thriving sporting metropolis.
Maximum temperature in Dubai in April ranges from 30-35C.
Last seasons championship was held in Durban, South Africa and Wright said weather conditions there had presented a challenge to teams from the northern hemisphere.
I imagine Dubai will be warmer still and asking young players to contest five games of rugby in 16 days in those sorts of conditions will be a test. Well be sitting down with the Scottish Institute of Sport and our medical and fitness staff to decide the best way to prepare.
We put the boys into a heat chamber last year to give them some experience of exercising in heat. Something similar this year might be on the cards, he added.
Scotland under-19 begin their preparations for the season towards the end of this month when a squad will visit the Royal Marines camp at Arbroath.
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