Ollie Leatherbarrow: what Newcastle forward will bring to Scotland squad as Gregor Townsend explains selection

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has revealed the qualities in Ollie Leatherbarrow’s game that have earned him his first call up to the men’s senior national team.

The Newcastle Red Bulls back row was the surprise inclusion in the 37-man group that that has been selected ahead of their matches with New Zealand, Australia and Japan at Murrayfield. They will also play a fourth Test at Twickenham next month as part of the Nations Championship’s ‘Finals Weekend’.

England born Leatherbarrow, 24, qualifies for Scotland due to his grandmother being from Perth and he has represented Scotland at Under-16s and 20s levels. He began his career at Exeter Chiefs before moving to Newcastle Red Bulls in 2023.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has revealed the quality in Ollie Leatherbarrow's game that he has been most impressed by (Pic: Getty) | Getty Images

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend reveals the qualities in Ollie Leatherbarrow’s game that have impressed him the most

On Leatherbarrow’s selection, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend said: “We've watched Ollie for a while now. He had an excellent season last year and he's built on that. He's a player that is really suited to the way we play, someone that can have a big impact either side of the ball like back rowers have to, hit a lot of contacts, have to do a lot of tackling but it's his ball carrying that's really stood out this year. He was a player who played very well for Scotland under 20s a few years ago and it's great he's now getting this opportunity with the senior team."

Scotland squad for November Nations Championship Test matches

Here is the 37-man Scotland squad for their November Nations Championship Test matches:

Forwards: Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh), Josh Bayliss (Bath), Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings, Alex Craig, Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson, Zander Fagerson (all Glasgow Warriors), Jack Dempsey (Toshiba Brave Lupus), Jonny Gray (Perpignan), Gregor Hiddleston (Glasgow Warriors), Will Hurd (Leicester Tigers), Ollie Leatherbarrow (Newcastle Red Bulls), Nathan McBeth (Glasgow Warriors), Liam McConnell (Edinburgh), Elliot Millar Mills (Newcastle Red Bulls), Jamie Ritchie (Glasgow Warriors), Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh), Rory Sutherland, Seb Stephen, Max Williamson (all Glasgow Warriors). Backs: Fergus Burke (Saracens), Jamie Dobie (Glasgow Warriors), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints), Huw Jones (Toulon), Tom Jordan (Bristol Bears), Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse), Stafford McDowall, Kyle Rowe (both Glasgow Warriors), Finn Russell (Bath), Ollie Smith, Kyle Steyn, Sione Tuipulotu, capt (all Glasgow Warriors), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh), Ben White (Toulon).

Scotland Nations Championship 2026 November Test matches

Here are the opponents, dates, kick off times and venues for Scotland’s four November 2026 Test matches:

• Scotland v New Zealand, date: Saturday 7 November 2026, venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh, kick-off: 2:10 pm GMT
• Scotland v Australia, date: Sunday 15 November 2026, venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh, kick-off: 3:10 pm GMT
• Scotland v Japan, date: Saturday 21 November 2026, venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield, Edinburgh, kick-off: 2:10 pm GMT
• Nations Championship Finals Weekend, date: 27–29 November 2026, venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London, opponent, match date and kick-off: To be determined based on standings.

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