Five high-profile Scotland absentees as Gregor Townsend names squad for Nations Championship

Huw Jones, Blair Kinghorn, Jamie Ritchie, Adam Hastings and George Turner are the high profile absentees in the Scotland squad chosen by Gregor Townsend for the start of the inaugural Nations Championship.

The head coach has included Glasgow Warriors hookers Gregor Hiddleston and Seb Stephen as the only uncapped players in his 36-man selection for next month’s matches against Argentina and South Africa away and Fiji at Murrayfield.

There are also returns to the squad for Edinburgh’s young back-rowers Liam McConnell and Freddy Douglas who have one and two caps each, respectively.

Uncapped Glasgow Warriors hooker Gregor Hiddleston has been called up for Scotland's summer matches. | SNS Group

Duhan van der Merwe, whose season was interrupted by injury and who was dropped by Scotland, is included and will join Edinburgh team-mates D’arcy Rae and Liam McConnell in the Barbarians before joining the Scotland squad. The Barbarians take on South Africa in Gqeberha on June 20 and Wales in Cardiff on 27 June.

Scotland are in action a week later, opening their Nations Championship campaign against Argentina in Cordoba on July 4. They will then travel to South Africa to face the world champions Springboks at Loftus Versfeld on July 11 before returning to Edinburgh to host Fiji on July 18. The second part of the Nations Championship will be played in the autumn.

Kinghorn and Jones are high profile omissions. Kinghorn, the Toulouse full-back, has helped his club through to the Top 14 semi-finals and could still be involved in club duties until the end of June. Ollie Smith and Tom Jordan are options at full-back for Scotland.

Jones has had to contend with a number of injuries, the latest affecting his foot. Ritchie, who will move from Perpignan to Glasgow next season, is another who is injured. Turner, the Newcastle-bound hooker, played a major role in the Six Nations but is not included this time as Townsend opts for Ewan Ashman, Hiddleston and Stephen as his three hookers.

Finn Russell is selected, with Fergus Burke and Jordan providing back-up at 10, but Hastings is not selected.

Japan-bound Jack Dempsey is in the squad, as are his erstwhile Glasgow team-mates Max Williamson and Gregor Brown who both missed the end of the season through injury. However, veteran Edinburgh Rugby second row Grant Gilchrist has been rested.

Full Scotland squad

Forwards: Ewan Ashman – Edinburgh Rugby (35), Josh Bayliss – Bath Rugby (16), Magnus Bradbury – Edinburgh Rugby (22), Gregor Brown – Glasgow Warriors (16), Scott Cummings – Glasgow Warriors (49), Rory Darge – Glasgow Warriors (39), Jack Dempsey – Glasgow Warriors (33), Freddy Douglas – Edinburgh Rugby (2), Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (64), Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (81), Jonny Gray – Perpignan (81), Gregor Hiddleston – Glasgow Warriors (uncapped), Will Hurd – Leicester Tigers (10), Nathan McBeth – Glasgow Warriors (8), Liam McConnell – Edinburgh Rugby (1), Elliot Millar Mills – Northampton Saints (14), D’arcy Rae – Edinburgh Rugby (7), Alex Samuel – Glasgow Warriors (3), Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh Rugby (49), Seb Stephen – Glasgow Warriors (uncapped), Rory Sutherland – Glasgow Warriors (48), Max Williamson – Glasgow Warriors (13).

Backs: Fergus Burke – Saracens (3), Jamie Dobie – Glasgow Warriors (19), Darcy Graham – Edinburgh Rugby (55), George Horne – Glasgow Warriors (45), Rory Hutchinson – Northampton Saints (11), Tom Jordan – Bristol Bears (17), Stafford McDowall – Glasgow Warriors (16), Kyle Rowe – Glasgow Warriors (17), Finn Russell – Bath Rugby (94), Ollie Smith – Glasgow Warriors (12), Kyle Steyn – Glasgow Warriors (33), Sione Tuipulotu – Captain – Glasgow Warriors (38), Duhan van der Merwe – Edinburgh Rugby (53), Ben White – Toulon (36).