Scotland's Rugby World Cup battle heats up as Gregor Townsend admits selection dilemma after Summer Tests
Head coach already scratching his head over 33-man squad selection as Nations Championship fixtures prove strength in depth.
The 2025/26 rugby season came to an end with the third and final round of fixtures in the Summer block of the inaugural Nations Championship last weekend.
Scotland have had some incredible highs and a few despairing lows over the past 12 months and managed to finish off with a 33-17 win over Fiji at Murrayfield. It means they will sit second in the Northern Hemisphere table until the competition resumes in November.
Gregor Townsend’s side will face New Zealand, Australia and Japan at home before on final Test against the corresponding Southern Hemisphere team from that section at Twickenham. Those matches will be the penultimate round of games, followed by the 2027 Six Nations Championship, before all eyes turn to the Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Scotland boss already thinking abour Rugby World Cup squad as Nations Championship creates welcome selection dilemma
There may be well over a year before the Scots kick off in that tournament against Uruguay but Townsend says he is already thinking about how his 33-man squad might look. That process has become even more challenging, in the best way possible, after the performances of so many players in their last three Tests.
“It just fills my day every now and again to have a selection 18 months down the line,” explained the Scotland boss. “We'll have a big review after the tour of our players and who's taken a step closer to being in a World Cup squad.
“I'm really pleased we got through Saturday no serious injuries and there was an opportunity for everybody on this tour to play. Nathan McBeth was the only one who didn’t because he got a leg infection during the week in South Africa.
“Everybody that was selected on the tour, which must have been 36 or 37 players, has played. So that's really pleasing that they are now in the competition and increased our depth. Actually, I had a go at it the other day [picking a 33-man squad].
“I'll need to negotiate with John (Dalziel) because normally there are a lot more forwards. But I was thinking, how can we leave some of these backs out a 33-man squad?
“You never know who's available. It tends to happen in the World Cup as most people are available because they've obviously got a three-month build-up to the World Cup, and that's what you'd want.”
Scotland were without two key players this summer in Huw Jones and Blair Kinghorn with the Toulon bound centre injured and the Toulouse full-back rested after a long season. Kyle Rowe and Rory Hutchinson stepped into those positions ad gave great accounts of themselves against Argentina and South Africa.
“Kyle Rowe had an excellent tour, a really, really strong tour. It's going to be interesting next season with the competition that we have throughout the backs in particular.
“It's grown in the forwards too. I think, even on this tour, we had four tightheads that played for us. We’ve now got three hookers that played with Seb (Stephen) getting his first cap, and Gregor (Hiddleston) having such a strong tour.
“We know the second row, Jonny (Gray) coming back and playing two Tests, and Grant Gilchrist was rested for this tour. So that's what you want. You want that as a coach, and it means the players will have to play really well to start for us and keep starting for us.”
Scotland debutant Seb Stephen ready for more hard work to retain place in international squad
Seb Stephen, who came off the bench against Fiji for his debut, is certainly one player who may have ambitions of making it to Australia in 2027. The Glasgow Warriors’ forward is just starting out on his Test match career and now has 12 months to make his case.
The 20-year-old knows that it will take a lot to retain his place in the national team squad with so many other hookers fighting for game time. However, he’s ready for the work to come and right now is just revelling in making his senior international bow at Murrayfield in front of his friends and family.
He said: “There's a lot of good hookers in Scotland, so I think I'll have to do a good job to stay in here, but I think that's just through playing for Glasgow and playing well for Glasgow. Hopefully I'll get another crack at it, but I loved it today. So I just want to keep doing it.
“I originally thought I was going to get on at about 37 minutes because Gregor was a blood replacement. I said I can't see anything on his face so I didn't really know what was wrong with him as he he was running into the tunnel, but he got a two inch gash on his face which they stitched up at half-time [so he had to wait a bit longer]. I was happy to get on nonetheless and to even get 15 minutes was amazing.
“I was saying to the boys in the changing room that I remember being here in 2024 sitting across the other side of the pitch with my dad and my brothers, watching Scotland play South Africa and I thought ‘that's all I want to ever do'. From being at the Junior Academy a year ago in Edinburgh then coming through to Glasgow, never on my radar did I see this opportunity so it has been amazing.
“I probably had about nine of my family in the changing room, so it was a bit cramped, and then more friends and family as well in the stands. It was great that I had their support. They were just kind of at the back of the changing room, but I could see my mum and dad while I was going up to get my cap. I feel like everything they've done for me is amazing, it was very special."
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