Courtesy Newcastle City Council

The Royal Grammar School in Jesmond have welcomed the Scotland national rugby team to use their facilities for a three-day training camp ahead of their autumn tests, beginning next weekend. Scotland will also use the school for their 2015 World Cup preparations.

Scotland will play three matches in November for their autumn tests, taking on Argentina and New Zealand at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, and Tonga at Rugby Park in Kilmarnock.

Twitter/Scotland Rugby

In preparation for these matches, Vern Cotter, Scotland’s head coach since May 2014, has had his men training at the Royal Grammar School in Jesmond, Newcastle’s oldest institution of learning.

Newcastle is among one of the 10 English hosting cities (plus Cardiff) for the England 2015 Rugby World Cup that will host 48 matches overall. St James’ Park will welcome three matches to Tyneside.

The Royal Grammar School will also be Scotland’s camp for next October’s World Cup Pool B matches against South Africa and Samoa. The matches against South Africa and Samoa will take place at St James’ Park. Japan and USA complete Scotland’s World Cup group schedule, with the matches being played at Kingsholm, Gloucester, and Elland Road, Leeds, respectfully.

Bernard Trafford, headmaster of the Royal Grammar School, took to Twitter to herald the arrival of the international team at the school:

A good day with Scotland squad @RGSNewcastle ahead of #RWC2015: big media interest in our hosting team, local news tonight BBC & Tyne Tees

— Bernard Trafford (@bernardtrafford) October 29, 2014

Former Scotland international Jim Pollock, who won eight caps for his country between 1982 and 1985, is now a rugby union coach and PE teacher at the school. Pollock told The Scotsman: “I’m just delighted that Scotland are training here this week and that they’re going to be based here for their two Newcastle games in the Rugby World Cup. To have had any country at our school for the World Cup would have been fantastic but to have Scotland coming is magnificent”.

Scotland’s best World Cup performance is a fourth place finish in 1991. They failed to advance from their pool at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

According to SkyBet, Scotland are 10th favourites to win the 2015 World Cup, with odds currently as long as 400/1.

Scotland have plenty of rugby to look forward to before next years World Cup with the Six Nations on the horizon in February and March 2015. They are yet to win the Six Nations in its current format.