John Houston made his Scotland ‘A’ debut during the IRB Nations Cup 27-3 win over Uruguay and revealed it was the hottest conditions he had ever experienced during his rugby career.

The 26-year-old, Edinburgh’s Newcomer of the Year in 2008, was selected in a starting line-up containing seven other members of the Black and Red Army; Jim Thompson, Simon Webster, Nick De Luca, David Blair, Andrew Kelly, Geoff Cross and Roddy Grant.

Webster scored two tries and Blair contributed 12 points with his boot to ensure Scotland ‘A’ maintained their winning run heading into the final match against France A on Sunday (21 June, kick off 6pm BST, live on Setanta Sports 1). But Houston says it was tough dealing with the incredibly intense heat, which was above 36 degrees. Remember John will be wearing the Castle badge on his chest with pride again next season and you can watch him by signing up for an 09/10 Season Ticket. Call 0131 346 5180 to reserve your place and become part of a team the Capital can be proud of. 

Houston said: “I was absolutely delighted to make my debut for Scotland ‘A’, it’s something I’ve wanted to achieve for a long time.
 
“The Uruguay game will always be memorable as well for another reason; because it was the hottest conditions I’ve ever experienced on a rugby pitch.
 
“When it gets that hot, it can sometimes affect a player’s concentration levels, but I thought we coped better as the game went on.
 
“We know we can improve on our performance and everyone will be aiming to do that against France at the weekend.”
  
Scotland ‘A’: Jim Thompson (Edinburgh); John Houston (Edinburgh), Joe Ansbro (Northampton Saints), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh), Simon Webster (Edinburgh), David Blair (Edinburgh), Rory Lawson (captain, Gloucester); Stuart Corsar (Doncaster), Andrew Kelly (Edinburgh), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), James Eddie (Glasgow Warriors),, Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), Calum Forrester (Glasgow Warriors), Roddy Grant (Edinburgh), Kelly Brown (Glasgow Warriors). Replacements: Scott Lawson (Gloucester), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Craig Hamilton (Edinburgh), Alan MacDonald (Edinburgh), Chris Cusiter (Perpignan), Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), Rob Dewey (Ulster).

Uruguay: Nicolas Morales; Tomas Jolivet, Joaquin Pastore (captain), Alejandro Silveira, Leandro Leivas, Jeronimo Etcheverry, Juan Campomar ; Rodrigo Sanchez, Martin Espiga, Mario Sagario, Juan Miguel Alvarez Zerbino, Ignacio Conti, Rafael Alvarez, Gonzalo Campomar, Carlos Protasi.

Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Replacements: MacDonald for Brown 40, Dewey for Ansbro 40, Low for Corsar 47, Hamilton for Kellock 49, S. Lawson for Kelly 63, Corsar for Cross 67, Jackson for Webster 71.
 
Tries: Webster (2), S. Lawson, Conversions: Blair (3) Penalties: Blair (2)