38-man Scotland squad named for 2020 Six Nations
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Stuart Hogg will lead Scotland in the 2020 Six Nations after Gregor Townsend confirmed his squad for the tournament.
British and Irish Lions full-back Stuart Hogg is a two-time championship player of the tournament and is the most experienced player in the 38-man squad.
The Exeter Chiefs full-back replaces Edinburgh's Stuart McInally, who led the national side during last year's Rugby World Cup with former captain Greig Laidlaw also retiring.
Hogg's sole game as skipper came in a loss to the USA in June 2018, but he has been vice-captain several times.
The 38-man squad includes six uncapped players – four forwards and two backs.
Glasgow Warriors trio Tom Gordon (back-row), Kyle Steyn (wing/centre) and Ratu Tagive (wing) are joined by Edinburgh back-row pair Luke Crosbie and Nick Haining, with Gloucester’s former Scotland U20 lock, Alex Craig, completing the group.
The squad also features the return of Edinburgh pair Matt Scott (centre) and Rory Sutherland (prop) – who last featured for Scotland in victories on the road over Australia (2017) and Japan (2016) respectively – as well as Worcester Warriors back-row, Cornell du Preez, who earned his most recent of six caps against Wales in 2018.
Townsend added: “We’ve put a bigger emphasis on form as a guide for our selection, with those picked backed to go out and grab their opportunity.
“A number of young players have broken through at their clubs, while the bulk of the squad [23/31] from Japan has been reselected based on some strong individual performances and huge effort throughout our World Cup camp.
“We’re on to our next campaign now and it’s going to be very tough given the competition we face. Ireland have only lost one championship game at home in the last five years, and England were in great form in Japan.
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT 🏴
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) January 15, 2020
38-man Scotland squad named for 2020 Guinness Six Nations Championship! #AsOne pic.twitter.com/2UxgVpjfX4
