Uncapped props named in Scotland squad for 2016 RBS 6 Nations

Jan 19 • General News, International, Six Nations • 2310 Views • Comments Off on Uncapped props named in Scotland squad for 2016 RBS 6 Nations

Head Coach Vern Cotter today named uncapped props Zander Fagerson and Rory Sutherland in a 35-man Scotland squad for the 2016 RBS 6 Nations.

Glasgow Warriors’ tighthead Fagerson turns 20 tomorrow (Wednesday 20 January) meaning he could become the fourth youngest prop in Scottish history, and the youngest to represent Scotland for more than half a century (since Bill Black debuted against France at Murrayfield 1948).

Fellow propping prospect Sutherland (23) plies his trade at the opposite end of the M8 and earns selection through his increasingly impressive showings for Edinburgh Rugby since signing from Gala last season.

The young pair are among four changes to Scotland’s front-row options originally named for Rugby World Cup 2015, with 29-times capped Exeter Chiefs tighthead, Moray Low, and six-times capped Glasgow Warriors hooker, Pat MacArthur, earning selection for the first time since the summer of 2014.

Scotland Head Coach Vern Cotter, said: “We’ve selected a mixture of experience with some exciting young players coming through, some of whom have experienced the Rugby World Cup and are eager to move forward, take the RBS 6 Nations head on and show that we can develop our game and be competitive.

“I think there should be confidence. The guys have worked hard and improved. There are positive signs that we can compete, and this Championship will give us another opportunity to measure ourselves against very good opposition in a tough competition.

“The guys believe that we can compete, dominate and secure victories in these games.”

Some 23 players capped during Rugby World Cup 2015 have earned reselection – six missing out, at this juncture, through injury (Fraser Brown, Grant Gilchrist, Henry Pyrgos, Jon Welsh, Richie Vernon) and retirement (Alasdair Strokosch) – while Cotter has rewarded the form of back-row forwards John Barclay (Scarlets), Adam Ashe and Chris Fusaro (both Glasgow Warriors), and versatile Wasps back Ruaridh Jackson, with selection.

Other notable inclusions see centres Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors) and Duncan Taylor (Saracens) recover from the injuries that ruled them out of last year’s international opportunities, despite winning Guinness PRO12 and English Premiership titles respectively.

Scotland will once again be captained by Gloucester scrum-half Greig Laidlaw, who requires the same number of appearances (four) to mark a half-century caps and to equal David Sole’s record as most-times as Scotland captain (25).

Lock Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby) and scrum-half Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) have been invited to train with the squad when it convenes for a pre-Championship camp in St Andrews this Sunday, before returning to their clubs to continue their recovery from groin and wrist injuries respectively.

Scotland’s RBS 6 Nations campaign gets underway with the sold-out fixture against England at BT Murrayfield on Saturday 6 February (kick-off 4.50pm) – live on BBC.

SCOTLAND SQUAD FOR THE 2016 RBS 6 NATIONS

– FORWARDS –

Hooker
Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) – 94 caps
Pat MacArthur (Glasgow Warriors) – 6 caps
Stuart McInally (Edinburgh Rugby) – 2 caps

Front-row
Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh Rugby) – 52 caps
Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped
Moray Low (Exeter Chiefs) – 29 caps
Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) – 8 caps
Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors) – 15 caps
Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh Rugby) – uncapped

Lock
Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 19 caps
Richie Gray (Castres) – 51 caps
Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) – 17 caps
Ben Toolis (Edinburgh Rugby) – 1 cap

Back-row
Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors) – 6 caps
John Barclay (Scarlets) – 45 caps
Blair Cowan (London Irish) – 15 caps
David Denton (Bath) – 32 caps
Chris Fusaro (Glasgow Warriors) – 4 caps
John Hardie (Edinburgh Rugby) – 5 caps
Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors) – 5 caps

– BACKS –

Scrum-half
Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh Rugby) – 8 caps
Greig Laidlaw CAPTAIN (Gloucester) – 46 caps

Stand-off
Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors) – 15 caps
Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors) – 21 caps

Centre
Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps
Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors) – 14 caps
Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 15 caps
Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby) – 33 caps
Duncan Taylor (Saracens) – 12 caps

Wing
Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors) – 101 caps
Sean Maitland (London Irish) – 20 caps
Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 22 caps
Tim Visser (Harlequins) – 23 caps

Full-back
Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) – 38 caps
Ruaridh Jackson (Wasps) – 27 caps

– TRAINING WITH THE SQUAD –
Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby) – 12 caps
Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) – 17 caps