Scotland Under-20 Six Nations call-up Olujare Oguntibeju catches eye of Gregor Townsend

The under-20 men’s Six Nations always gives stars of the future the chance to shine - and Scotland head coach Kenny Murray believes 6 foot 8 second-row Olujare Oguntibeju is a real prospect, stating “he has really caught the eye”.

The age-grade tournament mirrors the men’s senior event and the young Scots get their campaign underway at home to England at the DAM Health Stadium in Edinburgh on Friday, February 4 (8pm).

Given the Scots finished bottom of the table last year and England completed a Grand Slam, it could be a daunting opener for some, but you get the feeling that 19-year-old Oguntibeju will take it all in his stride if selected.

The Nigerian-born forward spent his latter teens in South Africa, but lived in Edinburgh from the age of two to 14 and went to St Augustine’s High School for a spell.

While in the Scottish capital he played a lot of football and basketball, but when he was in South Africa coaches could see his natural size and skill for rugby and it became a big focus for him.

At the start of the 2020/21 season, then 18, he had a trial with Edinburgh Rugby and, that October, he joined the Ealing Trailfinders Academy set-up down south and he is still with them.

His 12 years living in Scotland earlier in life make him Scottish qualified and on Thursday he was one of a number of uncapped players named by new head coach Murray in a 30-strong squad for the upcoming event.

“I was actually chatting to [Scotland head coach] Gregor Townsend about Olujare on Wednesday night because Gregor has been watching a bit of him as well, he has really caught the eye,” Murray said.

“He is a wee bit raw in terms of his rugby experience, but even in training over the last few days you can see that he is a guy who has real