'A privilege to play for Scotland' - new boy's reaction to Six Nations call-up

Two uncapped players in Townsend’s squad and recalls for two stalwart forwards

Gregor Townsend said Fergus Burke had no hesitation in committing to Scotland after he told the Saracens stand-off he wanted to include him in his squad for the Guinness Six Nations Championship.

Burke, 25, is also eligible for New Zealand and England but could make his debut in dark blue next month after being named in Townsend’s 37-man selection.

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He is one of two uncapped players in the squad, the other being the Glasgow Warriors back-rower Jack Mann. There are recalls for Dave Cherry and Jonny Gray, two stalwart forwards who have both been absent for over a year.

Fergus Burke in action for Saracens against Northampton Saints.Fergus Burke in action for Saracens against Northampton Saints.
Fergus Burke in action for Saracens against Northampton Saints. | Getty Images

Sione Tuipulotu will continue as captain but there is no place in the squad for Kyle Steyn, the Glasgow winger who injured his knee against Racing 92 on Friday night. Townsend hopes he can return later in the tournament.

Burke, 25, was born on New Zealand’s North Island and is eligible for Scotland through his grandfather from Glasgow. He joined Saracens in the summer as a replacement for Owen Farrell after making his name in his homeland with Canterbury and the Crusaders. He is also eligible for England through his mother but has opted to commit to Scotland.

“I think he's only really had to make that decision in the last few days because he's only been offered a place in our squad earlier this week,” said Townsend. “But when I asked on Monday, when I asked him if he'd commit to Scotland, he said yes. It would be a privilege.”

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Burke is one of three stand-offs in the squad, alongside Finn Russell and Tom Jordan, and Townsend said the Saracens man had been on his radar “for a while”. The facial fracture suffered by Adam Hastings appears to have hastened Burke’s inclusion.

“I chatted to Fergus before he signed for Saracens,” said the coach. “We've known about his Scottish heritage for two or three years now. He missed a year's rugby with the Crusaders before he went to Saracens. So we've kept in touch.

“He was in consideration in November, but we didn't feel his game at that time got him into our squad. He's playing better and better the more he plays.

“There is an opening in our squad with Adam getting injured too. So we feel it was the right time for him. He's someone that really understands the game from an attacking perspective, playing regular rugby at a top team. He's a very good defender. And also he can play full-back.

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“We saw with Tom [Jordan] in November, having that flexibility to play full-back was a bonus for us. And obviously can add to options for the bench if that came around.”

The return of Jonny Gray comes after Townsend tried to include him in his autumn squad only to be rebuffed by the player and his club, Bordeaux-Begles, who both felt it would be better for him to rest and play in the Top 14 as he continued his comeback from a long-term knee issue. That annoyed Townsend at the time but bridges have clearly been mended and Gray, 30, is included despite a recent ankle injury.

Bordeaux-Begles lock Jonny Gray is back in the Scotland squad.Bordeaux-Begles lock Jonny Gray is back in the Scotland squad.
Bordeaux-Begles lock Jonny Gray is back in the Scotland squad. | AFP via Getty Images

“It's been an unfortunate time for him with injury,” said Townsend. “He obviously rested in the November period, had a couple of games and then injured another part of his body. Which means that he's got some work to do just ahead of the Italy game. But he did play really well leading up to November. He was in excellent form.

“There was a reason why Bordeaux wanted to rest him and that was because he'd played so many games for Bordeaux, who are the leading team in France right now. So yeah, having his experience, having his ability and his personality back in the group is something we're looking forward to seeing again.”

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Scotland open their campaign with back-to-back home games, against Italy and Ireland on February 1 and 9. They then face England at Twickenham on February 22, Wales at Murrayfield on March 8 and France in Paris on March 15.

Townsend feels his experienced squad is in “a good place” and is looking forward to them continuing to progress after a solid autumn campaign during which Scotland beat Australia, Fiji and Portugal. They lost to South Africa but the the coach felt their performance against the world champions was one of their best in recent seasons.

“We love the group we've got,” said Townsend. “We feel they're driving more and more of our standards, our game, our training and we just want to build on what we did in November and add an extra layer.”

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