Rugby: Kiwi-born Simon Berghan gets Scotland call-up

Simon Berghan playing Canterbury club rugby for Sydenham. Photo / Photosport

The Scottish forward pack will have a distinct Kiwi flavour as they gear up for the Six Nations.

Former Canterbury and Crusaders prospect - plying his trade with Edinburgh since 2014 - Simon Berghan has been included in expat Vern Cotter's 37-man squad named on Thursday.

Christchurch born Berghan joins fellow Kiwi born players John Hardie and Sean Maitland in the Scottish side.

Th 26-year-old prop qualifies for Scotland through his grandfather, while clubmate Cornell du Preez - the other uncapped foward in the Scotland squad - recently qualified for Scotland through the three year residency rule.

Scotland begin their Six Nations campaign on February 4, playing Ireland at Murrayfield.

"It's a well-balanced and exciting group that have played a lot of rugby together, know each other well and are ambitious to do well in a Scotland jersey," Cotter said in a statement.

"I think if we get our mind-set right we can be competitive and push for wins in every game in this campaign."

Scotland finished the 2016 Six Nations in fourth place.

SCOTLAND SQUAD

Alex Allan, Simon Berghan, Allan Dell, Zander Fagerson, Willem Nel, Gordon Reid, Jon Welsh, Fraser Brown, Ross Ford, Stuart McInally, Jonny Gray, Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Tim Swinson, Ben Toolis, John Barclay, Cornell Du Preez, John Hardie, Rob Harley, Josh Strauss, Hamish Watson, Ryan Wilson, Greig Laidlaw (captain), Ali Price, Henry Pyrgos, Finn Russell, Duncan Weir, Mark Bennett, Alex Dunbar, Huw Jones, Matt Scott, Duncan Taylor, Stuart Hogg, Damien Hoyland, Sean Maitland, Tommy Seymour, Tim Visser