Scotland Six Nations: Sione Tuipulotu injury timeline revealed amid tour hope as 3 contenders considered

As one door closes, another opens and Gregor Townsend has urged Scotland’s other inside centres to seize the opportunity created by Sione Tuipulotu’s injury.

The national coach thinks Tuipulotu will be out for four to five months but is hopeful he can return before the season ends and go on tour in the summer, either with Scotland or the British and Irish Lions.

He also believes the other big personalities in his squad will step up to compensate for the loss of the captain but admitted the timing was terrible with the Guinness Six Nations Championship just 10 days away.

Captains Jac Morgan of Wales, Maro Itoje of England, Antoine Dupont of France, Caelan Doris of Ireland, Rory Darge of Scotland and Michele Lamaro of Italy at the Colosseum ahead of the Guinness Six Nations 2025 launch in Rome. | Six Nations

Townsend was in Rome on Tuesday for the tournament’s official launch at Spazio Field, an art space sited in a former palace in the city centre. It was as lavish as you would expect and included coaches and captains on a catwalk and opera singers performing Nessun Dorma. Puccini’s aria translates as ‘Let no-one sleep’ and the Scotland coach has probably struggled for shut-eye this week.

But lying awake fretting over the loss of your skipper and talisman is not conducive to preparing for the year’s big event.

“As a team we have to move on,” said Townsend. “We're really disappointed for Sione. But the team have to realise it could be someone else tomorrow. There's someone now who's going to get an opportunity to play 12 who never thought he would play.”

Townsend has narrowed the options down to three and will run the rule over the candidates over the coming days. “Tom Jordan, Stafford McDowall, Rory Hutchinson [are the] three guys in the mix. They probably weren't expecting to be playing 12 when Sione was our captain. So now they're going, ‘great, I'm going to make the most of this opportunity’. And these are three quality players.”

Townsend said “cohesion” was an important factor which suggested he is leaning towards either McDowall and Jordan, both of Glasgow Warriors, who are used to playing alongside Huw Jones, a certainty to start at outside centre. But he is mindful of the fact that more rugby is to be played this weekend and more injuries could occur.

Tom Jordan, left, and Stafford McDowall, right, are in contention to replace Sione Tuipulotu for Scotland's opening Six Nations match. | SNS Group

“To be honest, we've not made that choice yet,” he said. “The guys are training at the moment. We'll have an eye on who goes back to Glasgow and Edinburgh [for matches against Connacht and Scarlets, respectively] and who we want to train with us on Friday.

“And then over the weekend, there might be more injuries. We've got two players in the Bath squad [Finn Russell and Josh Bayliss] playing on Sunday, so we'll leave any decision until next week. But cohesion will be something that we'll look at.

“There are two Glasgow players and they're running for that position. And also there's Rory Hutchinson who has been playing really well and played well for us against Portugal and fitted in that day outside Stafford. So we have options. But we'll wait until Monday until everybody turns up at training.”

Cam Redpath, the Bath centre, will come into contention later in the tournament. He is nursing an unspecified leg injury but Townsend hopes he will be available for the third match, against England.

Rory Hutchinson played against Portugal in November. | SNS Group

There were more injury woe yesterday. Dylan Richardson, the Sharks hooker, has been sent back to his club in South Africa because of a shoulder problem. He is unlikely to play any part in the Six Nations and may require surgery. There is also mild concern around Duhan van der Merwe who is carrying “niggles”. Townsend believes he will be fit to face Italy but has called Sale winger Arron Reed into his squad as a precaution.

Scott Cummings is also out, of course, and Scotland will consider calling up another second-row forward next week, and perhaps other players too. Cummings is a big loss but it’s Tuipulotu’s absence that continues to dominate. Townsend hopes the centre can link up with the squad over the course of the championship but admitted the player had been left “devastated”.

“We got the phone call on Thursday,” said Townsend. “We didn't know at that stage how serious it was, but there was a feeling that it could be serious. Speaking to Sione over the weekend, he's obviously devastated with missing out at the chance to be part of a team that he's led in our most recent games.”

The injury is to a pectoral muscle but Townsend believes the Glasgow Warriors player can recover in time to play again for his club this season and be part of Scotland’s summer tour to New Zealand and the Pacific Islands or the Lions’ trip to Australia.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend flanked by Fabien Galthie of France, left, and Gonzalo Quesada of Italy, right, at the Guinness Six Nations 2025 launch event at Spazio Field in Rome. | Getty Images

“He was running,” explained Townsend. “The Glasgow team that were playing against Harlequins were preparing. And he joined in at training and just had his arm out. And it was his chest, the torn muscle and the pec which requires surgery.

“It's a longer injury. We're talking four or five months. It's a serious injury obviously to be at that length of time. But I'm optimistic for him that he'll be back playing at the end of the season for Glasgow. He'll be fresh whether it's a summer tour with us or a summer tour with the Lions. The way he's been playing, he's definitely done all he could to be in that mix. And if everything goes well, he'll be back a few weeks before that tour.”

In the meantime, Russell and Rory Darge will lead the team as co-captains but Townsend would also like some of their team-mates to become more vocal in Tuipulotu's absence.

“We've got other big personalities. We've got a leadership group. Last year the co-captains were Rory and Finn. And also Sione didn't play in Dublin when we performed really well [Scotland lost narrowly to Ireland]. So the team adapts, I hope.

“I still hope and expect Sione to be around our environment. I chatted to him yesterday. He's keen to do that. Maybe do some rehab with us and connect with the leaders. So, other players might have to add their voice because Sione did talk a lot on the field and off the field.”