Scotland's squad has been announced for the upcoming Six Nations tournament, with a mix of experienced players and young talent. Jonny Gray, who had a bench role for Bordeaux last year, will be returning to the team after largely not playing for Scotland in over a year. Dave Cherry, 35, who is currently playing second division rugby in France, has also been called up.
Gray's inclusion may raise eyebrows given his lack of recent form with Scotland, but head coach Gregor Townsend believes he still has something to offer. "He's someone that has played well for us and we can rely on him if required during this championship," Townsend said. Cherry's experience is seen as important, despite playing for a second division team.
There are also places in the squad for young players like Liam McConnell and Freddy Douglas, who have both made their Scotland debut. The team will be looking to improve on their fourth-place finish last year, with Townsend aiming for a top-three result.
The squad looks strong, but there is one notable omission: Gregor Hiddleston, the Glasgow hooker who had been expected to be part of the squad. Tom English, BBC Scotland's chief sports writer, was baffled by Hiddleston's exclusion, calling it "a total puzzler."
Scotland will open the tournament in Rome on February 7 and go on to host England before a trip to Cardiff. The team then faces France at Murrayfield on March 7 and ends the tournament with a visit to Dublin seven days later.
The squad includes a mix of experienced players like Scott Cummings, Grant Gilchrist, and Huw Jones, as well as younger talent like McConnell and Douglas. The back three selection is also strong, with Blair Kinghorn, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith, and Duhan van der Merwe all options at full-back.
Overall, Scotland's squad looks promising for the upcoming Six Nations tournament, but there are still some questions over the team's strategy and player selection.
Gray's inclusion may raise eyebrows given his lack of recent form with Scotland, but head coach Gregor Townsend believes he still has something to offer. "He's someone that has played well for us and we can rely on him if required during this championship," Townsend said. Cherry's experience is seen as important, despite playing for a second division team.
There are also places in the squad for young players like Liam McConnell and Freddy Douglas, who have both made their Scotland debut. The team will be looking to improve on their fourth-place finish last year, with Townsend aiming for a top-three result.
The squad looks strong, but there is one notable omission: Gregor Hiddleston, the Glasgow hooker who had been expected to be part of the squad. Tom English, BBC Scotland's chief sports writer, was baffled by Hiddleston's exclusion, calling it "a total puzzler."
Scotland will open the tournament in Rome on February 7 and go on to host England before a trip to Cardiff. The team then faces France at Murrayfield on March 7 and ends the tournament with a visit to Dublin seven days later.
The squad includes a mix of experienced players like Scott Cummings, Grant Gilchrist, and Huw Jones, as well as younger talent like McConnell and Douglas. The back three selection is also strong, with Blair Kinghorn, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith, and Duhan van der Merwe all options at full-back.
Overall, Scotland's squad looks promising for the upcoming Six Nations tournament, but there are still some questions over the team's strategy and player selection.
guess he just didnt make the cut 
anywayz i think the squad looks fire 
especially w/ the young talent like mcconnell & douglas 
hopefully they can improve on last year's 4th place finish 
tom english needs to chill tho 
anyways, can't say im surprised about gregor hiddleston being left out, dude's been having some major form issues lately 
. I mean, he's been out of the game for a while, but I guess you can never say never right? 
The guy's been playing well for Glasgow, I thought he was a shoo-in for the starting lineup. Guess you never know how things are gonna go down in the final 15 minutes of team selection drama 
.
. Fingers crossed for Scotland! 
. The young guys like McConnell and Douglas are gonna bring some freshness to the team, but can they hold their own against the other top teams? 
. On a positive note, I'm hyped for Liam McConnell and Freddy Douglas - they're gonna bring some fresh energy to the team 
And I know Gregor Hiddleston wasn't in the squad, and I'm kinda confused about that too... was he really that bad off form? 
That would be a big win for them! 
. Rome is gonna be a tough opener, but they'll need all the luck they can get! 
! i mean, gray's back in the mix and cherry's got experience under his belt 
, i think it's cool they went for the youngsters like mcconnell & douglas - the future of scottish rugby looks bright 
! btw, where's tom english getting his info from tho? seems a bit sketchy 
I'm not sure about Gray's comeback, to be honest... 
The squad looks solid tho, love the mix of experience and youth! 
they got a mix of vets and youngbloods which is nice 
anyway, scotland looks good to go for this six nations thingy 
️ let's see if they can actually back up their squad selection 