Scotland cut four players from Rugby World Cup training squad

Scotland have cut four players from their Rugby World Cup training squad as they step up preparations for the tournament in France next month.

Adam Hastings, Cameron Henderson, Stafford McDowall and Kyle Rowe have returned to their clubs ahead of the warm-up match against France in Saint-Etienne this weekend. It means there are 37 players left in the squad which will be cut further, to 33, for the World Cup. Gregor Townsend, the Scotland head coach, will reveal his final selection on August 16.

The news will be tough to take for all four but is particularly cruel on Hastings who injured his ankle playing for the World XV against the Barbarians in May and was unable to play in either of Scotland’s two home warm-up matches, against Italy and France. The Gloucester stand-off also missed this year’s Six Nations due to injury. It now seems certain that Townsend will take just two dedicated stand-offs to the World Cup - Finn Russell and Ben Healy - with the versatile Blair Kinghorn also able to provide cover but now seen primarily as a full-back. Cameron Redpath, the Bath centre, also has limited experience of playing at 10 and is set to be part of the final squad following McDowall’s return to Glasgow Warriors. McDowall made his Scotland debut in the 25-13 win over Italy last month but didn’t see a lot of the ball in a rather laboured victory.

Henderson, the Leicester Tigers second row, also made his Test bow in the Italy game but it now appears that Townsend will stick with the more experienced Richie Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings and Sam Skinner as his World Cup locks. Rowe was not part of the original World Cup training squad but was called in when Ruaridh McConnochie had to withdraw with an Achilles problem.

Adam Hastings during a Scotland training session at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

After the game in Saint-Etienne this Saturday, Scotland will face Georgia in their final warm-up game at Murrayfield on August 26. They will open their World Cup campaign against South Africa in Marseille on September 10, then face further Pool B matches against Tonga, Romania and Ireland. Townsend’s side defeated France 25-21 in Edinburgh on Saturday but tighthead prop Zander Fagerson was sent off and is now likely to be suspended and could potentially miss the start of the World Cup. A disciplinary hearing is expected to take place this week. Ben White, the Scotland scrum-half, limped off after half an hour against France after sustaining an ankle injury in a high tackle by winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey.