Robinson includes Paterson in St Andrews camp squad
Scotland rugby coach Andy Robinson has named Chris Paterson in a 37-man squad, which will train in a camp at St Andrews.
The camp is being used to prepare the team for the autumn test matches against New Zealand, which will give Robinson a chance to see how much the side have developed.
Paterson's inclusion is big news for the Scottish team because he had been suffering from a bad kidney injury that he picked up against Wales in his 100th cap for the country.
The camp can have a number of benefits for the team as they prepare to play the best current side in world rugby. There will also be a chance for the staff of the team to take a much closer look at players like Paterson who have just returned to full fitness ahead of the new domestic season.
Benefits of the camp
There are a number of obvious benefits to the training camp at St Andrews. It will be a very thorough and productive fitness workout for the entire squad ahead of some very tough matches. This will mean they should be able to compete for longer during intense games.
It will allow the team to bond and morale will grow stronger because of this. Squad members will be going through some harsh fitness and training work but they will be in it together and they will help each other through it.
Players will get a chance to impress the coach and show why they deserve to be in the side. This will be refreshing to many as commonly the only way for players to impress the national coach is to play well during games.
Robinson said: "St Andrews is an important camp for us. It's about restating our collective values and our commitment to strive for improvement. I was pleased with how we ended last season (three successive away Test match victories) but now our focus has to be on how we start this season, especially our opening game against the All Blacks."
Returning to fitness
Paterson is one of the players that the staff of the team will be keeping a very close eye on during the camp. He and the likes of Rory Lamont have just returned to full fitness after long spells out with injury.
The camp will allow the coaches to nurse the players back in to the daily routines of intense training. This should mean that there is no chance of injuries popping up again.
The camp will also allow the coach to examine these players closely. The season may be coming a little too soon for some and if this is the case then he has given himself time to adjust and make a few changes to the squad for the game against New Zealand. New Zealand has looked to be in top form as of late, and will provide a very stiff challenge to any rugby side in the world.
Not every player got invited, as some have to work on their fitness more.
Robinson added: "I have not invited Jason [White] to the St Andrews camp as I think the priority for Jason at the moment is to concentrate on his pre-season duties at Clermont Auvergne after the leg injury he suffered last season - We will be closely monitoring form over the opening weeks of the season and there will be opportunities for those out of the squad for St Andrews to be considered for the autumn Tests."
Betting advice
When it comes down to it Scotland will have to have the best training camp the world has ever seen if they are going to beat New Zealand. The Kiwis have been beating everyone out of sight in recent times and are strong favourites to win all the matches they play against Scotland.
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