Gregor Townsend can finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing Greig Laidlaw and Stuart Hogg will be on hand to strengthen the Scottish Six Nations dream.

Laidlaw forgoes his captaincy and his No9 shirt, but after breaking his leg in France a year ago, his inclusion in the 40-man squad is a welcome shred of good news for the Scots. John Barclay will continue captaining the team through the competition.

Star fullback Stuart Hogg has been champing at the bit to get his name added to the teamsheet, according to Glasgow Warriors attack coach Jason O’Halloran.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend. Pic: SWNS

Four uncapped players bring fresh energy to the squad, while Cornell du Preez is finally feeling back to his best after his 2014 ankle break.

Scotland’s Cornell du Preez finally feels 100% after 2014 ankle break

Scotland travel to Wales in the first game of the competition so expect a cauldron of passion from the 74,500-strong crowd on February 3rd.

The odds are only slightly tipped in Wales’ favour, but come match day anything can happen and Scotland have never been a nation to turn away from a battle.

If you’re not travelling to Cardiff to wave the saltire aloft, we’ve covered much of what you need to know in the video above.

The game is showing live on BBC 1 at 2.15 on Saturday 3rd Febrary. so get ready for a battle

Wales v Scotland: Everything you need to know including kick-off time