Zürcher Nachrichten - Scotland pick five uncapped players in Six Nations squad

EUR -
AED 3.849531
AFN 71.26801
ALL 97.489577
AMD 407.133958
ANG 1.888735
AOA 957.394851
ARS 1052.235814
AUD 1.609184
AWG 1.889117
AZN 1.791112
BAM 1.948361
BBD 2.11583
BDT 125.23708
BGN 1.955359
BHD 0.395016
BIF 3036.735477
BMD 1.048054
BND 1.408323
BOB 7.241353
BRL 6.093912
BSD 1.047904
BTN 88.545444
BWP 14.307376
BYN 3.429805
BYR 20541.851716
BZD 2.112535
CAD 1.464126
CDF 3007.913807
CHF 0.929383
CLF 0.036979
CLP 1020.374446
CNY 7.58351
CNH 7.604227
COP 4600.169523
CRC 532.71786
CUC 1.048054
CUP 27.773422
CVE 110.700709
CZK 25.372333
DJF 186.259983
DKK 7.459244
DOP 63.303486
DZD 140.007168
EGP 52.063095
ERN 15.720805
ETB 129.33436
FJD 2.406641
FKP 0.827247
GBP 0.832107
GEL 2.855927
GGP 0.827247
GHS 16.611633
GIP 0.827247
GMD 74.411853
GNF 9044.703289
GTQ 8.090113
GYD 219.262881
HKD 8.156703
HNL 26.384765
HRK 7.476038
HTG 137.59468
HUF 411.518243
IDR 16686.95315
ILS 3.893142
IMP 0.827247
INR 88.546488
IQD 1373.47432
IRR 44128.299527
ISK 146.119923
JEP 0.827247
JMD 166.434573
JOD 0.743174
JPY 161.922177
KES 135.721253
KGS 90.647778
KHR 4244.617195
KMF 492.218524
KPW 943.247896
KRW 1467.647167
KWD 0.322423
KYD 0.873366
KZT 519.705991
LAK 23015.258108
LBP 93853.205449
LKR 304.92583
LRD 188.911965
LSL 18.979978
LTL 3.09463
LVL 0.633958
LYD 5.119716
MAD 10.495157
MDL 19.084139
MGA 4895.458406
MKD 61.536096
MMK 3404.037402
MNT 3561.286277
MOP 8.401263
MRU 41.833101
MUR 48.629757
MVR 16.192506
MWK 1819.421082
MXN 21.389077
MYR 4.679539
MZN 66.973014
NAD 18.980034
NGN 1775.591527
NIO 38.557996
NOK 11.596507
NPR 141.673109
NZD 1.78734
OMR 0.403491
PAB 1.047999
PEN 3.977392
PGK 4.219989
PHP 61.814724
PKR 291.266876
PLN 4.34356
PYG 8225.282947
QAR 3.815701
RON 4.977107
RSD 117.009991
RUB 106.166872
RWF 1436.881566
SAR 3.934587
SBD 8.757045
SCR 14.317421
SDG 630.390661
SEK 11.590944
SGD 1.411131
SHP 0.827247
SLE 23.670312
SLL 21977.166166
SOS 598.957702
SRD 37.106378
STD 21692.594729
SVC 9.16999
SYP 2633.266111
SZL 18.99125
THB 36.403062
TJS 11.161487
TMT 3.678668
TND 3.304543
TOP 2.454645
TRY 36.144389
TTD 7.11384
TWD 34.114983
TZS 2779.814551
UAH 43.266675
UGX 3872.069131
USD 1.048054
UYU 44.658222
UZS 13498.931116
VES 48.495894
VND 26644.144146
VUV 124.427036
WST 2.925737
XAF 653.462161
XAG 0.034053
XAU 0.000392
XCD 2.832418
XDR 0.799448
XOF 651.889416
XPF 119.331742
YER 261.9079
ZAR 18.971032
ZMK 9433.736719
ZMW 28.899665
ZWL 337.472851
  • RBGPF

    -0.5000

    59.69

    -0.84%

  • CMSD

    0.1850

    24.445

    +0.76%

  • CMSC

    0.1200

    24.64

    +0.49%

  • GSK

    0.3500

    33.7

    +1.04%

  • SCS

    -0.0300

    13.04

    -0.23%

  • RIO

    0.1800

    62.57

    +0.29%

  • NGG

    -0.1700

    63.1

    -0.27%

  • AZN

    1.0600

    64.26

    +1.65%

  • RELX

    0.6500

    45.76

    +1.42%

  • RYCEF

    0.1800

    6.79

    +2.65%

  • BCC

    2.9500

    140.36

    +2.1%

  • BP

    0.4400

    29.52

    +1.49%

  • JRI

    0.0000

    13.23

    0%

  • VOD

    -0.1000

    8.84

    -1.13%

  • BTI

    -0.1000

    36.98

    -0.27%

  • BCE

    -0.3200

    26.68

    -1.2%

Scotland pick five uncapped players in Six Nations squad
Scotland pick five uncapped players in Six Nations squad

Scotland pick five uncapped players in Six Nations squad

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend on Wednesday named five uncapped players in his 39-man Six Nations squad but there was no place for Gloucester fly-half Adam Hastings.

Text size:

Saracens back-row forward Andy Christie and London Irish scrum-half Ben White are among those hoping to make a Test debut during the tournament.

Rory Darge, Ben Vellacott and Kyle Rowe have also been included ahead of the Dark Blues' tournament opener against England at Murrayfield on February 5.

Bath centre Cameron Redpath, who impressed on debut against England last year, has recovered from injury and is now in contention for the match in Edinburgh.

Stuart Hogg, fresh from becoming Scotland's all-time leading try-scorer, retains the captaincy.

Hogg is joined in the squad by fellow British and Irish Lions internationals Finn Russell, Ali Price, Zander Fagerson, Chris Harris, Rory Sutherland, Duhan van der Merwe and Hamish Watson.

- 'Strength and depth' -

Hastings, who came off the bench in Scotland's defeat against world champions South Africa in November, is among the most notable omissions along with Fraser Brown, Sean Maitland and George Horne.

Townsend, himself a former Scotland fly-half, explained the omission of the 25-times capped Hastings, the son of Scotland great Gavin, saying: "We just feel at the moment Blair (Kinghorn) and Finn (Russell) are playing better.

"Adam knows he's got things to work on, and if he works on them and shows his form, of course the door is still open for him and the others that missed the squad."

Townsend said he was happy with the players at his disposal.

"When you look through the squad this is the most competitive I've seen it in so many areas and that's testament to the strength and depth we have," he said.

The recent relaxation of Covid restrictions in Scotland mean Townsend's men will be roared on by a capacity Murrayfield crowd of 67,000 when they face England in the latest edition of rugby union's oldest international fixture.

Despite enjoying away wins in behind-closed doors games over England -- their first Calcutta Cup triumph at Twickenham in 38 years -- and France, the Scots finished fourth in last season's Six Nations due to narrow home defeats by Wales and Ireland.

"Logic would say that it helped us because we won in London and Paris but we lost two games at home last year," said Townsend.

"In normal seasons it's been the other way round. But each game tells its own story and you've got to win whether there are crowds or not."

"But Murrayfield helps us...the reception the players get when they run out onto the field, the anthems, the noise when they are playing well, you don't get that in any other walk of life," the former Scotland playmaker added.

"This year's it's back to being a 'proper' Six Nations with 60,70, 80,000 supporters behind the home team but that's a challenge our team is ready for."

Squad

Backs: Mark Bennett (Edinburgh), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Chris Harris (Gloucester/ENG), Stuart Hogg (Exeter/ENG, capt), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton/ENG), Sam Johnson (Glasgow), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Rufus McLean (Glasgow), Ali Price (Glasgow), Cameron Redpath (Bath/ENG), Kyle Rowe (London Irish/ENG), Finn Russell (Racing 92/FRA), Kyle Steyn (Glasgow), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow), Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester/ENG), Ben Vellacott (Edinburgh), Ben White (London Irish/ENG)

Forwards: Ewan Ashman (Sale/ENG), Josh Bayliss (Bath/ENG), Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Andy Christie (Saracens/ENG), Scott Cummings (Glasgow), Rory Darge (Glasgow), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Jonny Gray (Exeter/ENG), Nick Haining (Edinburgh), Jamie Hodgson (Edinburgh), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), WP Nel (Edinburgh), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh), Javan Sebastian (Scarlets/WAL), Sam Skinner (Exeter/ENG), Rory Sutherland (Worcester/ENG), George Turner (Glasgow), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh)

T.Gerber--NZN