Townsend names five uncapped players in Scotland Six Nations squad

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has named a 39-man squad for the upcoming Six Nations, including five uncapped players.

Saracens back-rower Andy Christie and London Irish pair Ben White and Kyle Rowe are three of the new faces, with Glasgow Warriors duo Rory Darge and Ben Vellacott also in the group ahead of the tournament opener against England on February 5.

Bath centre Cameron Redpath has recovered from injury and is back in the squad, while Northampton centre Rory Hutchinson is named despite not having played for his country in 2021.

Stuart Hogg is in as captain and backed by an experienced core of players including Finn Russell, Ali Price, Zander Fagerson, Chris Harris, Rory Sutherland, Duhan van der Merwe and Hamish Watson.

Townsend has also named a handful of players who made their debuts during the Autumn Nations Cup and impressed the head coach, with Ewan Ashman, Jamie Hodgson, Josh Bayliss, Javan Sebastian, Pierre Schoeman, Rufus McLean and Sione Tuipulotu all part of the Six Nations group.

The players will meet up on January 24 to begin training together for the England test and the challenges beyond.

Head Coach Gregor Townsend has named a 39-man squad for the upcoming @SixNationsRugby

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Townsend said: “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.

“We are able to call-up several new players into the squad such as Andy Christie, Kyle Rowe and Ben White. We have been aware of all of the uncapped players for a while now and recently they have all experienced a breakthrough in terms of their performances at club level.

“A key part of the squad selection was rewarding form and that definitely applies to Ben Vellacott and Rory Darge who have been excellent for their clubs this season.

“We’re delighted to be able to include Cameron Redpath in the squad after missing the last few months with injury. He managed to get a game under his belt prior to the squad selection so we’ll see how he performs for Bath and in our training over the next couple of weeks.

“The Guinness Six Nations is the best competition we have in rugby so to be involved in it is a real privilege, especially starting with our oldest rivals in front of a sold-out home crowd.”