Scotland have made their first capture in a new initiative to unearth fresh talent by signing up a former England Rugby League Under-16 captain.
Callum McLelland joins Edinburgh from Super League team Castleford Tigers where he was a member of their academy, having joined the club in August 2016.
FULL STORY | Edinburgh sign Castleford Tigers stand-off Callum McLelland as part of Scottish Rugby’s new SQ programme. #WelcomeCallum
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— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) November 27, 2017
He played rugby union up to the age of 13 before focusing on league, representing Castleford based Lock Lane ARLFC club and attending Castleford Academy School.
The 18 year-old stand-off captained England U16s in league and recently played for the England Academy in their two-match series against France in October, scoring a match winning drop-goal in a 19-18 victory in the opening game.
He qualifies for Scotland through a grandfather born in East Ayrshire.
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Edinburgh Head Coach, Richard Cockerill, said: “Callum is a young and gifted stand-off so it will be exciting to see him continue his development as he makes the switch from league into union.
“I’m delighted that he sees his future with Edinburgh – a club, that for him, has the right culture and environment where he can work hard and realise his potential.”
The Scottish Qualified (SQ) programme, which replaced the previous Exiles programme in October this year, has broadened the network of scouts across England and abroad to identify players eligible to play for Scotland living outside its borders.