Today head coach Gregor Townsend announced his 2026 Guinness Six Nations squad for a tournament that given the autumn Scotland had, it almost looked like he might not be in charge for – at least outside the spires of Murrayfield.
The squad is a mix of old and new, but more of the former, including returns for Johnny Gray and Dave Cherry who has somehow kept Gregor Hiddleston out, despite the need to build depth for the next World Cup where it is debatable either will feature.
Some newer faces are involved, such as Freddy Douglas and Liam McConnell, and relative newcomer Fergus Burke is in there too, however the back selection in particular is pretty tried and tested as it has been for the last few squads.
Sione Tuipulotu will once again captain the side, presumably with a selection of vice captains as the fixtures dictate. A resurgent Huw Jones back from surgery and looking even faster through gaps for Glasgow, will no doubt partner him in the midfield. One possible alternative is the returning Ollie Smith who has been featuring at 13 recently, and his versatility comes in at the expense of guys like Arron Reed (more on him below).
By not reaching wholesale for some of the pro-teams more younger, dynamic and in-form players, Townsend is perhaps suggesting the focus is allowing this group of players (ie what’s left of the “golden” generation) to salvage some form of legacy for his international coaching career. You can’t mess around with the Six Nations, but to be honest large portions of the Scotland support are tired of our team failing to make an impact on the tournament even with good players.
As usual, there will be a battle for back row slots, with combative guys like McConnell and Gregor Brown in particular pushing the same old faces hard for inclusion and could be the key to giving the pack an edge it has long missed.
In the second row, it seems unlikely that we will see the continuation of the Jonny Gray/Grant Gilchrist combo that seemed a little bit like it was passed its sell-by date in 2019, but with Townsend spinning the tombola, who really knows?
As usual backup tight head is probably the biggest worry? D’arcy Rae did well in the autumn and will probably be Zander’s main backup alongside Eliot Millar-Mills, at least to begin with. There’s no place yet for young Ollie Blythe-Lafferty.
In the backs the big question as always is what do you do if Finn Russell gets injured, and Adam Hastings has at least been in excellent form for Glasgow; there’s always Blair Kinghorn too, who featured at standoff recently for Toulouse.
Another interesting – and for once not a negative – conundrum is what to do with Jamie Dobie, who is in outstanding form for Glasgow. He is perhaps not the first choice 9, nor indeed a first choice on the wing if Duhan, Darcy and the Kyles are all fit, and so his utility may well find its home on the bench.
Scotland 2026 Guinness 6 Nations Squad
Forwards: Ewan Ashman, Josh Bayliss, Magnus Bradbury, Gregor Brown, Dave Cherry, Scott Cummings, Alex Craig, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey, Freddy Douglas, Matt Fagerson, Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Jonny Gray, Nathan McBeth, Liam McConnell, Elliot Millar Mills, D’arcy Rae, Jamie Ritchie, Pierre Schoeman, Rory Sutherland, George Turner, Max Williamson.
Backs: Fergus Burke, Jamie Dobie, Darcy Graham, Adam Hastings, George Horne, Rory Hutchinson, Huw Jones, Tom Jordan, Blair Kinghorn, Stafford McDowall, Finn Russell, Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith, Kyle Steyn, Sione Tuipulotu (capt), Duhan van der Merwe, Ben White.
Scotland A Squad Named to face Italy
Scotland A return to action next month with a training squad also announced today ahead of their away match against an Italy XV on Friday 6 February. It is another small but important step in the revived A programme, which is now being positioned by the SRU as a central part of the performance pathway rather than an occasional extra.
Nigel Carolan will lead the group as head coach, alongside assistants Scott Forrest and Stevie Lawrie, giving the setup a familiar Glasgow and Edinburgh feel. The squad itself reflects that balance between development and experience. There are uncapped players such as hooker Gregor Hiddleston and tighthead prop Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, both of whom have impressed at club level this season.
They are backed up by players who already know the demands of Test rugby. Andy Onyeama-Christie and Cameron Redpath bring senior experience, while Harri Morris, who made his Scotland debut in November, is also included among the hookers.
In the backs, son of A-Cap Stuart Dan Lancaster earns a first Scotland call-up after a run of strong performances for Glasgow, with Gus Warr and Ben Afshar providing options at scrum-half. Harry Paterson, Arron Reed and Redpath round out the squad, giving the group a solid spine as Scotland A look to build on last year’s momentum and give the next tier a genuine platform to push on while keeping players match sharp should injuries arise in the 6 Nations proper.
Scotland A Squad
Forwards: Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, Cameron Henderson, Alec Hepburn, Gregor Hiddleston, Will Hurd, Alexander Masibaka, Harri Morris, Andy Onyeama-Christie, James Whitcombe.
Backs: Ben Afshar, Dan Lancaster, Harry Paterson, Cameron Redpath, Arron Reed, Gus Warr.