Scotland flanker Barclay braced for World Cup axe
Scotland flanker John Barclay has said the experience of a spell in the international wilderness will stand him in good stead should he be omitted from Vern Cotter's squad for the World Cup. Barclay, who plays his club rugby for Welsh regional side Scarlets, spent 18 months out of Scotland contention as he was overlooked first by Scott Johnson and, more recently, Cotter. But the 28-year-old Barclay won his 44th cap when he came off the bench for this month's warm-up defeat by Ireland in Dublin. Now he has been selected in the starting side for Saturday's warm-up clash against Italy at Murrayfield. Barclay knows he cannot take anything for granted ahead of New Zealander Cotter's announcement next week of his final 31-man squad for the World Cup, with the likes of David Denton, Ryan Wilson, Alasdair Strokosch and Hugh Blake all vying for back-row places as well. "After the last Six Nations I thought they would be looking at different players and I wouldn't be part of the World Cup group," said Barclay, who featured in both the 2007 and 2011 finals, after Cotter named his team to face the Azzurri on Thursday. "But Vern spoke to me and told me to just keep my head down and work away. "I've been in the game long enough to know how it works. I wasn't playing my rugby in Scotland but I continued to work with the Scarlets coaches and tried to do the best I could. "Initially it was hard to see the squads coming out and my name not being included but I wasn't playing in Scotland, so I wasn't seeing the Scottish media." Barclay added: "I have much more of a balance in my life now with my family and although it was hard, it wasn't the be all and end all for me. I did miss playing for Scotland but I opted to focus on things that I can control rather than things I can't. "If I play well and put my best foot forward and still don't get picked then that's going to be that. If I do play well and I'm picked, then great. "I'm more pragmatic now, when I was with the training squad ahead of the 2007 World Cup, I was worrying every day about being picked -- but now I feel pretty relaxed."
