Gregor Townsend has announced a slightly depleted looking Scotland squad for the 2019 Guinness Six Nations tournament and it looks like even in this World Cup year the Toony Tombola isn’t going to be put into the cupboard just yet.
The list includes 7 uncapped players, three of them hookers (Grant Stewart, Jake Kerr and David Cherry), indicating the struggle to build some depth in that position following injuries to Fraser Brown and George Turner. All three are not yet regular starters for the pro sides but are an injury away from starting a Scotland 6 Nations game. The decision to leave Cockerill with the experience of Ross Ford in the mean time is admirable but does leave Fordy facing the knowledge he is now perhaps Scotland’s 7th choice…
There are call ups for Gary Graham and John Hardie who will be likely to feature in the back row, another area where injuries have hit hard – the erstwhile captain, John Barclay, is yet to return although he had hoped to make the tournament.
In the backs, Chris Dean and Sam Johnson are both in good form and worth their calls. Like Graham (and still-injured Blade Thomson), Johnson was part of the Scotland squad previously but remains uncapped. With the usual suspects of Scott, Bennett, Dunbar and Taylor long on the injured list, we will see some new partnerships alongside Huw Jones. You might not think it to look at him but in terms of defensive leadership certainly, Dean is probably the closest we have to Dunbar.
For sure there is a good, even great XV in there but is there going to be the depth to challenge the top of the table? The 6 Nations adventure begins on February 2nd.
2019 Scotland Six Nations Squad
FORWARDS (22)
Alex Allan (Glasgow Warriors)
Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors)
Simon Berghan (Edinburgh)
Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors)
David Cherry (Edinburgh) – uncapped
Allan Dell (Edinburgh)
Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh)
Gary Graham (Newcastle Falcons) – uncapped
Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors)
John Hardie (Newcastle Falcons)
Jake Kerr (Leicester Tigers) – uncapped
Stuart McInally (Edinburgh)
Willem Nel (Edinburgh)
D’Arcy Rae (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped
Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh)
Sam Skinner (Exeter Chiefs)
Grant Stewart (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped
Josh Strauss (Sale Sharks)
Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors)
Ben Toolis (Edinburgh)
Hamish Watson (Edinburgh)
Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors)
BACKS (17)
Chris Dean (Edinburgh) – uncapped
Darcy Graham (Edinburgh) – 1 cap
Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors) – 6 caps
Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped
Chris Harris (Newcastle Falcons) – 6 caps
Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors) – 7 caps
Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) – 65 caps
George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 4 caps
Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 38 caps
Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 19 caps
Lee Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 10 caps
Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh) – 7 caps
Greig Laidlaw CAPTAIN (Clermont Auvergne) – 66 caps
Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 37 caps
Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 19 caps
Finn Russell (Racing 92) – 40 caps
Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 46 caps
Unavailable through injury: John Barclay, Mark Bennett, Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Lewis Carmichael (Edinburgh), David Denton (Leicester Tigers), Cornell Du Preez (Worcester Warriors), Zander Fagerson, Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Toulouse), Luke Hamilton (Edinburgh), Damien Hoyland (Edinburgh), Byron McGuigan (Sale Sharks), Matt Scott, Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh), Duncan Taylor (Saracens), Blade Thomson (Scarlets), George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), Jon Welsh (Newcastle Falcons).
Possible Scotland Team: Hogg, Graham, H Jones, P Horne, Maitland, Russell, Laidlaw (c); Dell, McInally, Nel, Gray, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Watson, Strauss
Replacements: Bhatti, Cherry, Berghan, Skinner, Hardie, G Horne, Johnson, Kinghorn