Gregor Townsend names Scotland squad for Nations Series games

Gregor Townsend has named his Scotland squad for the upcoming Nations Series games.

The national team will host Fiji, South Africa, Portugal and Australia at Murrayfield.

Glasgow Warriors centre Sione Tuipulotu will captain the side for the games that will be played across November, starting with Fiji next week and ending with a game against Australia on November 24.

Townsend announced his 45-man squad on Wednesday.

There are five uncapped players named, with Glasgow Warriors pair Alex Samuel and Tom Jordan joining Edinburgh Rugby trio Ben Muncaster, Freddy Douglas and Sione’s brother, Mosese Tuipulotu.

There are also recalls for D’Arcy Rae and Rory Hutchinson.

Captain Sione Tuipulotu will join his brother as one of six centres, alongside Hutchinson, Huw Jones, Stafford McDowall and Matt Currie.

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.

There are four scrum-halves named, with Ben White, George Horne, Ali Price and the versatile Jamie Dobie vying for the starting jersey.

Blair Kinghorn and Harry Paterson are named as full-backs. Duhan van der Merwe, Kyle Rowe and Arron Reed are joined by Darcy Graham, who returns from injury for the first time since last year’s Rugby World Cup as options on the wing.

Among the 26 listed forwards, Rory Darge will remain, like Russell, a vice-captain, and form a back row selection including Jamie Ritchie, Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey, Luke Crosbie, Josh Bayliss and Gregor Brown, as well as the uncapped Muncaster and Douglas.

Ewan Johnson returns to the squad after impressing on summer tour and joins Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings, Max Williamson, Alex Craig and Alex Samuel as primary second-row options.

The squad is completed by players in the front row, with hookers Ewan Ashman, Dylan Richardson and Patrick Harrison joined by props Pierre Schoeman, Zander Fagerson, Jamie Bhatti, Will Hurd, Nathan McBeth, Elliot Millar Mills, Rory Sutherland and Darcy Rae.

Scotland squad in full (caps in brackets)

Forwards:

Ewan Ashman – Edinburgh Rugby (19)
Josh Bayliss – Bath Rugby (7)
Jamie Bhatti – Glasgow Warriors (34)
Gregor Brown – Glasgow Warriors (3)
Scott Cummings – Glasgow Warriors (39)
Luke Crosbie – Edinburgh Rugby (11)
Alex Craig – Scarlets (4)
Rory Darge – Glasgow Warriors (22) VICE-CAPTAIN
Jack Dempsey – Glasgow Warriors (20)
Freddy Douglas – Edinburgh Rugby (uncapped)
Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (47)
Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (67)
Grant Gilchrist – Edinburgh Rugby (72)
Patrick Harrison – Edinburgh Rugby (2)
Will Hurd – Leicester Tigers (2)
Ewan Johnson – Oyonnax (3)
Nathan McBeth – Glasgow Warriors (2)
Elliot Millar Mills – Northampton Saints (5)
Ben Muncaster – Edinburgh Rugby (uncapped)
D’Arcy Rae – Edinburgh Rugby (1)
Dylan Richardson – The Sharks (3)
Jamie Ritchie – Edinburgh Rugby (51)
Alex Samuel – Glasgow Warriors (uncapped)
Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh Rugby (34)
Rory Sutherland – Glasgow Warriors (32)
Max Williamson – Glasgow Warriors (4)o;

Backs:

Matt Currie – Edinburgh Rugby (3)
Jamie Dobie – Glasgow Warriors (6)
Darcy Graham – Edinburgh Rugby (39)
Adam Hastings – Glasgow Warriors (30)
George Horne – Glasgow Warriors (32)
Rory Hutchinson – Northampton Saints (7)
Huw Jones – Glasgow Warriors (50)
Tom Jordan – Glasgow Warriors (uncapped)
Blair Kinghorn – Toulouse (53)
Stafford McDowall – Glasgow Warriors (5)
Harry Paterson – Edinburgh Rugby (3)
Ali Price – Edinburgh Rugby (67)
Arron Reed – Sale Sharks (2)
Kyle Rowe – Glasgow Warriors (7)
Finn Russell – Bath Rugby (80) VICE-CAPTAIN
Mosese Tuipulotu – Edinburgh Rugby (uncapped)
Sione Tuipulotu – Glasgow Warriors (27) CAPTAIN
Duhan van der Merwe – Edinburgh Rugby (41)
Ben White – Toulon (22)