Scotland A lost the final of the tournament 36-19 to England Saxons - but their opponents were flattered by that scoreline.

Rob Moffat’s side were leading 19-16 at the midway point of the match at the Toyota Stadium in Chicago after thanks to a try from scrum-half Colin Gregor and the kicking of stand-off Gordon Ross.

But tries from Nick Abendanon, Jordan Crane and Ugo Monye gave the Saxons victory in a closely-fought game.

Hastings, the midfield partner for Scotland assistant coach Sean Lineen during the early 1990s, feels many of the backline put up their hand for elevation to the full squad.

The former Watsonians star said: “Scotland were patient in their build-up and were able to find gaps in the England defence.

“The half back pairing of Gregor and Ross were sound and Calum MacRae was a constant threat to England alongside big Rob Dewey in the centre.

“A lot of this Scotland side are very young and many didn’t play a lot of rugby with their professional sides this season so this is excellent exposure for them.

“They can now take great confidence from this tournament as they go into the next season trying to progress their games.”