Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France
36 - 31
FT
Six NationsScotlandGregor TownsendStuart Hogg

Scotland name 38-man squad for the Six Nations

Scotland boss Gregor Townsend has named his latest Six Nations squad (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Scotland boss Gregor Townsend has named a 38-man squad for the 2020 Guinness Six Nations that will be skippered by Stuart Hogg.

ADVERTISEMENT

The two-time championship player of the tournament (2016 and 2017) and British and Irish Lion is the most experienced player in the group selected by Townsend, starting 71 of his 72 caps to date.

Reflecting on the appointment, Townsend said: “Stuart is very passionate about playing for Scotland and he’s determined to do all he can to improve Scotland. He really cares about playing for his country, what the jersey represents and also getting the best out of his teammates.

“He’s a really intelligent rugby player who’s is learning and improving with every season. He’s very good at bringing others into the game and building relationships with those around him.

“He’s very well respected by our coaching and playing group but that isn’t based on the accolades he’s earned. It’s more about what he does every day at training.

(Continue reading below…)

Video Spacer

“He brings energy, is very accurate, he stays out longer to work on his game and more often than not he’s the loudest player on the field, guiding or congratulating his teammates.”

The squad includes six uncapped players – four forwards and two backs: Glasgow Warriors trio Tom Gordon (back row), Kyle Steyn (wing/centre) and Ratu Tagive (wing) are joined by Edinburgh back row pair Luke Crosbie and Nick Haining, with Gloucester’s former Scotland under-20s lock, Alex Craig, completing the group.

ADVERTISEMENT

The squad also features the return of Edinburgh pair Matt Scott (centre) and Rory Sutherland (prop) – who last featured for Scotland in victories on the road over Australia (2017) and Japan (2016) respectively – as well as Worcester Warriors back row Cornell du Preez, who earned his most recent of six caps against Wales in 2018.

Townsend added: “We’ve put a bigger emphasis on form as a guide for our selection, with those picked backed to go out and grab their opportunity.

“A number of young players have broken through at their clubs, while the bulk of the squad [23/31] from Japan has been reselected based on some strong individual performances and huge effort throughout our World Cup camp.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We’re on to our next campaign now and it’s going to be very tough given the competition we face. Ireland have only lost one championship game at home in the last five years, and England were in great form in Japan.

“It’s a great focus for everyone when you’ve got Ireland away and England at home for your first two games in the tournament. The focus has to be on the future and how we find a way to win those games.”

SCOTLAND SQUAD 2020 GUINNESS SIX NATIONS

FORWARDS (21)

Simon Berghan (Edinburgh) – 24 caps

Jamie Bhatti (Edinburgh) – 15 caps

Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh) – 11 caps

Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 46 caps

Alex Craig (Gloucester) – uncapped

Luke Crosbie (Edinburgh) – uncapped

Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) – 8 caps

Allan Dell (London Irish) – 28 caps

Cornell du Preez (Worcester Warriors) – 6 caps

Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 25 caps

Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh) – 40 caps

Tom Gordon (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped

Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 55 caps

Nick Haining (Edinburgh) – uncapped

Stuart McInally (Edinburgh) – 33 caps

Willem Nel (Edinburgh) – 35 caps

Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh) – 14 caps

Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh) – 3 caps

Ben Toolis (Edinburgh) – 22 caps

George Turner (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps

Hamish Watson (Edinburgh) – 28 caps

BACKS (17)

Darcy Graham (Edinburgh) – 11 caps

Chris Harris (Gloucester) – 14 caps

Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors) – 16 caps

Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs) CAPTAIN – 72 caps

George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 10 caps

Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints) – 3 caps

Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps

Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 23 caps

Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh) – 17 caps

Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 44 caps

Byron McGuigan (Sale Sharks) – 9 caps

Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 28 caps

Henry Pyrgos (Edinburgh) – 28 caps

Finn Russell (Racing 92) – 49 caps

Matt Scott (Edinburgh) – 39 caps

Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped

Ratu Tagive (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped

WATCH: RugbyPass have made something truly special with the Barbarians rugby team

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Argentina v France | HSBC SVNS Hong Kong 2025 | Men's Match Highlights

New Zealand v Australia | HSBC SVNS Hong Kong 2025 | Women's Match Highlights

Tokyo Sungoliath vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Reds vs Force | Super Rugby W 2025 | Full Match Replay

Behind the Scenes with the Australian Rugby Sevens Team in Hong Kong | HSBC SVNS Embedded | Episode 9

The Rise of Kenya | The Report

New Zealand in Hong Kong | Brady Rush | Sevens Wonders | Episode 4

The Fixture: How This Rugby Rivalry Has Lasted 59 Years

Trending on RugbyPass

1

Bath Rugby turnover breaks £20m but losses increase

2

Gloucester Rugby accounts reveal £3 million drop in turnover

3

Exeter Chiefs close to revealing new attack and backs coach

4

Duhan van der Merwe's Lions tour thrown into doubt

5

Multiple clubs swarming to lure Chris Harris from Gloucester

6

Catalogue of logistical mishaps leads to crazy numbers in Test match

7

Women’s Six Nations: 4 things we learned in round two

8

Finn Russell apologises for role in incident that broke female rugby fan's wrist

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

LONG READ

Clermont's comeback gathers pace as fallen European heavyweights plot path to redemption

After the golden years of Rougerie, Parra, Fofana and Keyser, Clermont's fall was swift but there are signs the tide is turning

LONG READ

Four Australians racing into contention to face the Lions

Reds prop Alex Hodgman, ACT blindside Tom Hooper, NSW No.8 Langi Gleeson and Force No.10 Ben Donaldson are all pushing hard for selection.

LONG READ

How does a World Rugby consultant help emerging nations?

Often unseen but hugely influential, these wise rugby owls play a crucial part in growing the sport across the world.

Comments on RugbyPass

J
JWH 12 minutes ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

IDK what your on about, a lot of people down here were very much tuned in on the All Blacks

47 Go to comments
J
JWH 14 minutes ago
Can Samoa and Tonga ever become contenders when their top talent is skimmed?

? The ABs are chocker full of born-and-nurtured talent.

4 Go to comments
H
Head high tackle 24 minutes ago
'I'm really disappointed': Former All Blacks disagree with Anzac Test outcome

Typical RA. Want all the revenue and always played in Perth every year. Absolutely nothing in this proposal for NZR sorry. Maybe if RA came back with a fair and decent offer it could be a goer.

6 Go to comments
G
GP 25 minutes ago
‘Current form doesn’t matter’: Commentator on potential All Blacks midfield

Reiko does attract attention because he is not viewed by many as a 13. I am one of those. Two others that could be mentioned. One is David Havili . He was been in great form as a 12 for the Crusaders . Captaincy has brought the best out of him. But at centre , one is his Crusaders team mate Braydon Ennor. Unfortunately he is injured at the moment , but in in his one appearance against the Western Force he was brilliant . He has speed that others have not got. David Havili like him missed the Moana Pasifika game. Havili was missed.

1 Go to comments
H
Helen Johnson 33 minutes ago
25 Six Nations Memorable Moments: 5 to 1

HOW TO RECOVER YOUR STOLEN CRYPTOCURRENCY WITH THE HELP OF A CERTIFIED CRYPTO RECOVERY EXPERT WIZARD GEORGE CYBER SERVICE.


After losing a huge amount of crypto to a crypto investment scam, I felt completely lost. But Wizard George Cyber Service turned things around. From the start, their team was professional, transparent, and genuinely helpful. They kept me updated throughout the process and, most importantly, helped me recover my funds. The whole experience gave me peace of mind, and I’m incredibly grateful for their expertise. If you should ever find yourself in such situation do not panic consult WIZARD GEORGE CYBER SERVICE to help you successfully recover your stolen funds: G mail : WIZARDGEORGECYBERSERVICE @ g mail dot com

1 Go to comments
J
JW 47 minutes ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

Lakai? Hell no, Kirifi is the like for like. I could never imagine Lakai throwing a dummy like Ardie, his had’s and offload are probably his best asset. Still a good option to replace Ardies function within the group. Happy for that to phase in slowly over the next two years.


Kirifi is someone demanding attention as Ardie’s/the teams go to back up option though. Like with you’re Kaino ref though, happy for that to reverse back again if Lakai simply starts outperforming him again. The Kaino role has really been filled by Cane (perhaps because they didn’t find a replacement) and the 6’s that have been used are more like a Read/Jones/Flavell/Fifita.


I really do like the idea of that rock being a little bigger and a little tougher than Cane though. Miracle looks like that guy, and there are few possible young kiwis coming through too. Barrett over Vaa’i for me, he just has a little of the mongrol and flair you also want.

47 Go to comments
H
Head high tackle 1 hour ago
Can Samoa and Tonga ever become contenders when their top talent is skimmed?

I think you have gone in the wrong direction here Nick. I think you need to delve down into the rules etc around Moana Pacifica’s selection policies and then you need to understand that a lot of KIWI BORN rugby players have PI heritage. It appears ok for the 4 home nations to pillage NZ born players constantly without retribution but you want to question whether NZ BORN players should be eligible for NZ? Seems a real agenda in there.

Go back and look at the actual Aims and agenda for MP becoming a entity and you see lots of things enshrined in policy that you arnt mentioning here. EG there is an allowance for a percentage of MP to be NZ eligible. This was done so MP could actually become competitive. Lets be real. If it wasnt this way then MP would not be competitive.

There also seems to be some sort of claim ( mainly from the NH ) that NZ is “cashing in” on MP, which , quite frankly is a major error. Are you aware of how much MP costs NZR Financially?

39 NZ born rugby players played at the last world cup for Samoa or Tonga. PLUS plenty for Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales.

Taumoefolau is a BORN AND BRED NZer. However I very strongly doubt he will be an AB, but who do you believe he should be allowed to play for? Levi Aumua is ALSO a born and bred Kiwi.

Aumua was eligible to represent Samoa and Fiji for the Pacific Nations Cup in July that year but ended up playing for neither. He IS eligible for his nation of Birth too Nick

He is a Kiwi. Are you saying an NZ born, raised Kiwi cant play for NZ now?

Sorry Nick Kiwi born and bred actually qualify for NZ.

4 Go to comments
R
Rodrigo N 1 hour ago
Can Samoa and Tonga ever become contenders when their top talent is skimmed?

Rugby's eligibility laws are so bad that allows these cases, usually to the detriment of emerging nations. In these days, every Tier1 nation wants to have their islander (or Saffa in the last years?). Only SA and AR fill their positions with truly national talent. Under this scenario, no Tier 2 nation will be able to develop.

4 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

Yeah, Richie certainly stepped up for the ABs in 2022 and 2023 and proved he could translate his skills into the test arena. You have to understand many fans checked out at that point though, only to tune back in for a directionless WC final.

47 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

Razor would have known at the start of that SR season, before Foster had his mare and the spotlight for him became absolutely certain (if Richie needed it to be that obvious), that Riche was looking at his options in Japan. Everyone else did.


He couldn’t persuade him to stay and he couldn’t persaude NZR to change their policy, but he really should have been perfectly comfortable with the situation after the following SR season.

47 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

By not thinking that he would play for Tonga or Samoa like he’d suggested he was going to do from the very start. But that’s outside you’re world isn’t it GP lol

47 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

And Cane himself was someone who only got that chance to surprise Razor because of injuries.

47 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

Yeah I think he is indeed naive enough to correlate “open mind” to “constant change” in all aspects of application. It’s a nice theory you’ve read somewhere Razor, but it doesn’t work like that.

47 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

Yeah he’s just the backups backup instead, so he still needs to be playing 10 constantly.


The four other franchises are the ones looking likely to produce someone to take his position in the team.

47 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

Yes the author must be on roids or something, it’s definitely time for Pero to prove he’s learn’t his craft. If the Blues season becomes toast soon you may indeed see those two towards the end.

47 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

Yeah for sure. Like I’ve said a hundred times though they do need to be cutting edge, and if there is some arbitrary number of tests a player needs to earn a sabbatical, and IF that could have meant say, Richie stays in the team for the first year of the two or three he’s away, returning on the 3rd/4th, then things do need to be looked at/aren’t in the right place.


Imagine how much better the results would have been last year if a) BB had of been able to retain his role as bench impact and occasional starter at 15, and b) Richie had of been the second 10 used in some important games, when giving the team a different approach and managing Dmacs minutes. Not to mention I think it would have provided great intel to see how Mo’unga performed if given a game in say the key tests like SA.


Ultimately though, if your looking for these margins to ensure victory, it rests on Razor to select the right players in the right games, and Dmac didn’t need to be managed as he was. He should have started against the French at a minimum, so that’s on Razor and his team.


If it had of been Richie providing back up, even if that meant Dmac got even less minutes, I think that would have benefited his progress towards taking over completely in these 3 years come much more than been disillusioned as he no doubt was last year.

47 Go to comments
B
Brett McKay 2 hours ago
Four Australians racing into contention to face the Lions

There’s certainly an expectation about Kailea JM, and I think you’re right about his prospects. Does feel like Hodgman has come past him though, on current form. And he’s only 31, I had it in my head he was older than that..

5 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

And he talks a lot? 🤣


Yeah I didn’t see that game, all small guys need to go through the same education when they hit these ranks though, no different than what Hurley or Godfrey have received I’d bet. Robinson is certainly a fairly basic 10 but I like that his two core skills, accuracy with pass and kick, serve him well there.

47 Go to comments
J
JM 2 hours ago
Four Australians racing into contention to face the Lions

Hopefully Isaac Kailea can kick on at the Tahs, surely he has more upside than Lambert who feels like one of those players that seem to hang around the Tahs for years while other talented players look elsewhere and go ahead in leaps and bounds under another coach.

Tupon needs some angry pills, AAA is miles ahead of him this season.

5 Go to comments
D
DM 2 hours ago
Can Samoa and Tonga ever become contenders when their top talent is skimmed?

The Taumoefolau situation is a bit of a strange one to make the case on. He was born, raised, and developed in NZ. He is a NZer.


Why did he play for Tonga? Not sure and only he can answer that one but it clear he has always had ambitions to play for the ABs, and who knows, maybe he never even plays for Tonga as a 19/20 year old if he knew that would stop him ever playing for the ABs.


Hard for people to criticise NZ Rugby for picking a player who was born and fully developed in their system.

4 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Women’s Six Nations: 4 things we learned in round two Women’s Six Nations: 4 things we learned in round two
Search