JUBA, South Africa – A bulldog who is also an English bulldog has signed with Scotland for the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament.
Bulldog and English bulldogs have been competing in international competitions for more than 150 years and the English bulldoghouse has also won the Eurovision Song Contest, a competition held by Denmark in Sweden.
Bulldogs are now entering the competition for the first time in the world after winning the Euro-2016 competition in 2019.
They are currently in the middle of their preparations for the 2017 Rugby World Cup, which begins in France in May.
“Bulldogs have played a crucial role in our history and are a unique breed, but we are excited to welcome the Bulldog into Scotland’s squad,” said Scotland head coach Vern Cotter.
In addition to his duties as head coach, Cotter is also a head of the Rugby Football Union and the Scottish Rugby Football Federation.
He will join the squad after a year-long trial period, where he will spend a season training with the squad.
Cotter has previously trained with the English Bulldog, and he has trained with English bullhounds in the past.
The two breeds are a blend of English bull and bulldog breeds.
A Scottish Bulldog and a Bulldog are not the same breed.
The team will be coached by Scot and English Bull Dog coach Stephen Larkins.
“I am thrilled to be joining this Scottish team and looking forward to working with Vern Cotters excellent coaching team,” said English Bull dog rider John Halligan.
“I’ve been training with him in the UK for the past year and a half and have developed a great friendship with him.
I’m delighted that we can share our love of horses and have come to terms with the idea of working together as a team.”
“Our new squad has a proven track record of success, both domestically and internationally, and will be a strong, solid group for the team,” added Cotter, who has coached Scotland in the English and Welsh bulldog events for over 20 years.
Scottish Rugby Football League (RFL) head coach Vern Larkin has coached the English Bulldogs for a number of years and said the new team is a good addition to the squad for the World Cup.
Cotters assistant, Stephen Lalkins, said: “The Scots have been winners at international competitions and we have the best of both worlds with Vern and his staff.
He is a fantastic coach and we look forward to welcoming him to the Scotland squad.”
A representative for the Scottish Football Association (SFA) said:”We are delighted to welcome Vern Cotts English Bulldoghood into our squad, who is an absolute delight to coach.
He has been with the Scottish RFL for the last year and he will be joining the squad as a trainer.”
The team is expected to start its training camp at the end of March.