Sione Tuipulotu will captain the Scotland squad for the 2024 Autumn Nations series as Gregor Townsend brings mostly familiar faces back for the series where Scotland will face Fiji, South Africa, Portugal and Australia.
The group contains five uncapped names including Edinbrugh’s Mosese Tuilpulotu – who makes another pair of brothers in the squad alongside Zander and Matt Fagerson. The other uncapped players are Glasgow Warriors pair Alex Samuel and (freshly qualified) Tom Jordan alongside Ben Muncaster and Freddy Douglas of Edinburgh.
There are recalls for D’Arcy Rae and Northampton Saints’ Rory Hutchinson and Dylan Richardson returns at hooker having impressed in the summer.
Like Richardson, Ewan Johnson returns to the squad after impressing on the summer tour and he joins Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings, Max Williamson, Alex Craig and Alex Samuel as Scotland’s primary second-row options – that means no Gray brothers in site, and no grand send-off for Richie Gray who is off to play in Japan at the end of November. Brutally unsentimental as usual from Toony.
The front-rowers in the pack have all featured before, but of course will be without the vast experience of the recently retired WP Nel. Also gone are Fraser Brown (retired) and George Turner (Japan), while once again try-machine Johnny Matthews misses out.
Finn Russell, named as vice-captain, is one of three stand-offs in the squad with Adam Hastings and Tom Jordan also listed in the play-making role. After Finn and Zander, Sione is probably the next name on the team sheet and makes sense as he thrives in a leadership role, leads by example and none of the back-rowers are guaranteed a fiercely contested shirt in any given match-day team.
“[Sione] often sets the emotional tone and mindset required for the team and he also contributes significantly to both our attack and defence. Last season we looked to deepen our leadership group and we now have a number of people who could step up as captain. Sione is aware that he will have leaders around him to offer support and share the leadership responsibilities needed throughout the week and during the game.”
Gregor Townsend
It’s a good omen for the in-form Ben Muncaster if former skipper Rory Darge doesn’t automatically slot in at openside. He is one of nine back-rows selected compared to just six taken on the summer tour.
There are four scrum-halves named including the versatile Jamie Dobie; hopefully not appearing on the wing now that Darcy Graham is fit for the first time since the last World Cup. As is the way with these things, his erstwhile replacement Kyle Steyn is in turn now absent through injury – and probably one of the reasons Tuipulotu Jr has earned a call-up. So it’s slightly less of a selection headache on the wing for Townsend than if they were both fit.
Other names who miss out include Magnus Bradbury, Javan Sebastian, Ben Healy, Ross Thompson, Hamish Watson and Murphy Walker.
Tickets have now sold out for Scotland’s matches against Fiji, South Africa and Australia and sales for Portugal reported at around the 50,000 mark.
Forwards (26)
Looseheads: Jamie Bhatti, Nathan McBeth, Pierre Schoeman, Rory Sutherland
Hookers: Ewan Ashman, Patrick Harrison, Dylan Richardson
Tight-head prop: Zander Fagerson, Will Hurd, Elliot Millar Mills, D’Arcy Rae
Second-rows: Scott Cummings, Alex Craig, Grant Gilchrist, Ewan Johnson, Alex Samuel, Max Williamson
Back-rows: Josh Bayliss, Gregor Brown, Luke Crosbie, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey, Freddy Douglas, Matt Fagerson, Ben Muncaster, Jamie Ritchie.
Backs (19)
Scrum-halves: Jamie Dobie, George Horne, Ali Price, Ben White
Stand-offs: Adam Hastings, Tom Jordan, Finn Russell
Centres: Matt Currie, Rory Hutchinson, Huw Jones, Stafford McDowall, Mosese Tuipulotu, Sione Tuipulotu (capt)
Back-three: Darcy Graham, Blair Kinghorn, Harry Paterson, Arron Reed, Kyle Rowe, Duhan van der Merwe.
Players ruled out through injury: Javan Sebastian, Murphy Walker, Robbie Smith, Cam Henderson, Sam Skinner, Andy Christie, Euan Ferrie, Cameron Redpath, Kyle Steyn, Ollie Smith.