Gregor Townsend names Scotland squad for summer tour

Former Glasgow Warriors coach Gregor Townsend has named his first squad since taking over the Scottish national team. Picture: SNS

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Glasgow prop D’arcy Rae, Edinburgh hooker George Turner and Glasgow centre Nick Grigg are the new faces in the 34-man party who will travel to face Italy in Singapore before Tests in Australia and Fiji.

Edinburgh prop WP Nel is included after missing most of the season with a neck injury and Sale-bound Josh Strauss, who injured his kidney during the Six Nations, are both included.

There are recalls for Glasgow wing Lee Jones, Edinburgh scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne and Harlequins utility back Ruaridh Jackson.

There is no place for the Edinburgh duo of hooker Stuart McInally and lock Grant Gilchrist.

Scotland will face their opponents on consecutive Saturdays, starting with a Test match against Italy in Singapore (10 June), followed by Australia in Sydney (17 June) and Fiji in Suva (24 June).

Townsend, said: “We’re looking forward to what will be a challenging tour of three different countries, playing three quality sides.

“This tour is all about learning and competing. As a coaching group we will be learning more about our players and how they perform in a different environment against three sides with contrasting styles of play.

“We have assembled a strong squad, and this is an opportunity for them work with us for the first time. We’re going to have three week’s preparation in Scotland before we head overseas, which will enable us to implement the key components of how we will play.

“Ultimately, though, this is a tour that will be about competition – for each individual to compete for a starting place and for them to work hard and find a way to win every time they play.”

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SCOTLAND SQUAD – 2017 SUMMER TOUR

FORWARDS (20)

PROP (6)

Alex Allan (Glasgow Warriors) – 3 caps

Allan Dell (Edinburgh Rugby) – 8 caps

Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps

Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) – 15 caps

D’Arcy Rae (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped

Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors) – 24 caps

HOOKER (3)

Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 25 caps

Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) – 107 caps

George Turner (Edinburgh Rugby) – uncapped

SECOND-ROW (4)

Richie Gray (Toulouse) – 64 caps

Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 33 caps

Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) – 29 caps

Ben Toolis (Edinburgh Rugby) – 1 cap

BACK–ROW (7)

CAPTAIN John Barclay (Scarlets) – 60 caps

Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh Rugby) – 1 cap

John Hardie (Edinburgh Rugby) – 15 caps

Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors) – 19 caps

Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors) – 11 caps

Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby) – 10 caps

Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) – 27 caps

BACKS (14)

SCRUM-HALF (3)

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh Rugby) – 9 caps

Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 5 caps

Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) – 21 caps

STAND–OFF (2)

Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 23 caps

Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors) – 27 caps

CENTRE (4)

Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors) – 24 caps

Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped

Matt Scott (Gloucester) – 37 caps

Duncan Taylor (Saracens) – 18 caps

BACK-THREE (5)

Damien Hoyland (Edinburgh Rugby) – 2 caps

Ruaridh Jackson (Harlequins) – 30 caps

Lee Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 4 caps

Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 28 caps

Tim Visser (Harlequins) – 31 caps

Unavailable following British & Irish Lions selection: Stuart Hogg, Greig Laidlaw, Tommy Seymour