Why Scotland have turned to France for summer tour squad and the Premiership title winner rejected by Glasgow

You would have got long odds on Gregor Townsend picking two Oyonnax players in his Scotland summer tour squad but that’s exactly what the national coach has done with the selection of Rory Sutherland and Ewan Johnson.

Sutherland’s inclusion was expected. The loosehead prop, who will move to Glasgow Warriors next season, won a recall for the final match of the Six Nations and retains his place for the trip to North and South America.

It is the inclusion of another player from the smalltown club in south-eastern France that is perhaps the most interesting pick in the 37-man squad. Johnson is a 6ft 8in lock forward who has lived in France since he was four. He began playing rugby in Brittany where his parents settled then attended high school in Paris before joining the Racing 92 academy. He featured for Scotland Under-20s in the 2019 U20 Six Nations and World Rugby U20 Championship and made his senior Racing debut against Lyon in the Top 14 later that year. He then moved to Vannes and spent three seasons playing regularly in the second-tier Pro D2 for the Brittany club before joining Oyonnax for the 2023-24 season.

He made 16 appearances in all competitions this season but, unfortunately for him, Oyonnax finished bottom of the Top 14 while his old club, Vannes, have been promoted. He was born in Cheshire and qualifies for Scotland through his father from Bathgate and Townsend believes he has the raw materials to step up to Test rugby.

“What we’ve seen over the last few weeks is someone who is physically capable of playing at the highest level,” said the Scotland coach. “He’s 6ft 8in, about 125kg, and he shows that physicality when he plays. Over the last three months he’s been playing a lot of the teams that finished in the top half of the Top 14 and performing well. He moves well - there’s some areas of the game that he can improve, but in general he’s someone who has a very good set piece, carries the ball well, is skilful, and that size will help him in the set piece and in other areas.”

Johnson is one of 10 uncapped players in the squad for the newly dubbed Skyscanner Americas Tour which opens in Ottawa against Canada on July 6, moves to Washington DC for a match with the United States on July 12 then heads into South America for games against Chile in Santiago on July 20 and Uruguay in Montevideo seven days later. The aim is obviously to win all four but it will also be an opportunity for Townsend to run the rule over the new blood and see how many are suitable for the stiffer tests that lie await in the autumn.

Robbie Smith gets his chance to show his worth after being part of the Northampton Saints squad which won the English Premiership. The 25-year-old hooker, who came off the bench ten times for his club, has built a good career down south after being released from the Glasgow Warriors academy. He spent time at Brentford and Newcastle but is perhaps best remembered for captaining Scotland U20 to a famous victory over their England counterparts at Myreside in 2018.

Ewan Johnson of Oyonnax charges down a kick from Grant Williams of Hollywoodbets Sharks during the EPCR Challenge Cup match at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on January 13, 2024 in Durban, South Africa. Johnson has been named in the Scotland summer tour squad. (Photo by Steve Haag Sports/Shutterstock)

“He is a passionate Scottish rugby player desperate to play for his country,” said Townsend. “He didn’t get the opportunity in Scotland to get a pro contract but worked hard first at Newcastle and then at Northampton to get a contract and contract extension. We’ve been in regular conversation with the Northampton coaches throughout the season. They’ve been very impressed with him.”

Smith is one of four hookers in the squad alongside Ewan Ashman, Dylan Richardson and Patrick Harrison. The South Africa-based Richardson was capped once by Scotland at flanker against Japan in 2021 but has since changed position and helped the Sharks win the Challenge Cup last month, coming off the bench in the final against Gloucester at Tottenham. Harrison is included despite being used sparingly by Edinburgh this season and gets the nod ahead of Glasgow pair Gregor Hiddleston and Angus Fraser on the strength of his performances for Edinburgh’s second string team.

“Paddy Harrison is a great story of someone who has not had the opportunities with Edinburgh over the last few weeks but has played really well in those three games for Edinburgh A,” said Townsend. “He’s competing with the likes of Angus Fraser and Gregor Hiddleston.”

As expected, the Sale Sharks scrum-half Gus Warr is part of the touring squad. Manchester-born Warr, whose mother is from Strathaven, South Lanarkshire, was a key man in Sale’s surge into the Premiership play-offs and he’ll be vying for the No 9 jersey with George Horne and Jamie Dobie. He’ll be joined by Sale team-mate Arron Reed, the winger who was part of Scotland’s Six Nations squad but didn’t feature. Will Hurd, the Leicester Tigers prop who was selected for the Six Nations but had to withdraw because of injury before the championship started, also now gets the opportunity to win his first cap.

Robbie Smith of Northampton Saints has been called up to the Scotland squad for the summer tour. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

The uncapped Glasgow Warriors trio of Nathan McBeth, Max Williamson and Gregor Brown are rewarded for a fine season with their club. Townsend was particularly impressed with the way Brown, 22, played in the second row against the Bulls and Lions when Glasgow were in South Africa last month but the Aberdonian is more accustomed to playing at flanker. “He’s someone who can play across the back row and now second row too,” said Townsend. “We love his toughness, how he takes the game to the opposition.”

McBeth, 26, will go on tour to compete with Pierre Schoeman and Sutherland at loosehead. The South African-born prop qualifies through his grandfather who was born in Edinburgh. Williamson, 22, only made his Glasgow debut in November but has gone to feature 18 times for the Warriors, helping them into the URC semi-finals, and now finds himself on the cusp of a Scotland debut.

Matt Currie, a veteran of the 2022 summer tour to South America, is rewarded for a fine season with Edinburgh. The centre played in the A international against Chile two years ago but was one of the players who returned home before the Test series with Argentina. The 23-year-old now gets the chance to step up and win a full cap.

• The 10 uncapped players picked by Scotland for summer tour including 6ft 8in France-based wildcard