Scotland coach Townsend turns to trio of uncapped hookers

A trio of uncapped hookers have been named in Scotland’s squad for the Six Nations, which sees back row John Hardie make his return.

With Fraser Brown and George Turner injured, hookers David Cherry, Jake Kerr and Grant Stewart are among seven uncapped players selected by head coach Gregor Townsend.

Back row Gary Graham, tighthead prop D’Arcy Rae and centres Sam Johnson and Chris Dean are also in line to win their first caps after being named in the 39-man squad.

Newcastle Falcons’ Hardie, meanwhile, is selected for the first time since last year’s Six Nations.

Jonny Gray and Tommy Seymour could reach a half century of caps for Scotland, who start their tournament against Italy at Murrayfield on February 2.

“There’s certainly been a lot of improvement from this group of players in recent seasons and I believe there’s much more to come. They’ve a genuine desire to get better and reach their potential in what is a huge year for our sport,” Townsend said.

“In the past 18 months we’ve played 18 Test matches and have introduced 18 new players to Test-level rugby. Once again, our squad features players aiming to take that step, which is a testimony to their performances this season and the growing strength in depth of Scottish rugby.

BREAKING | Head Coach Gregor Townsend has named seven uncapped players in a 39-man Scotland squad for the 2019 Guinness Six Nations #AsOne pic.twitter.com/DfogLMrVaa

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) January 16, 2019

“We are very proud of what a number of our players have achieved since the autumn Tests, particularly with Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors both aiming to make the last eight of the Heineken Champions Cup for the first time and both sitting in strong positions in their respective Guinness Pro14 conferences.

“We’ve also seen some excellent performances from players representing clubs in France and England, which is a credit to their commitment and work ethic.

“It is a privilege for our players to be involved in the Guinness Six Nations, which is such a prestigious tournament and will be highly competitive once again.

“We look forward to taking on the challenge of Italy and working hard as a squad over the next two weeks to deliver a winning performance.”

Scotland squad in full:

Forwards: Alex Allan (Glasgow Warriors), Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors), Simon Berghan (Edinburgh), Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors), David Cherry (Edinburgh), Allan Dell (Edinburgh), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Gary Graham (Newcastle Falcons), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), John Hardie (Newcastle Falcons), Jake Kerr (Leicester Tigers), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Willem Nel (Edinburgh), D’Arcy Rae (Glasgow Warriors), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Sam Skinner (Exeter Chiefs), Grant Stewart (Glasgow Warriors), Josh Strauss (Sale Sharks), Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), Ben Toolis (Edinburgh), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors).

Backs: Chris Dean (Edinburgh), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors), Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors), Chris Harris (Newcastle Falcons), Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Lee Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Greig Laidlaw (captain) (Clermont Auvergne), Sean Maitland (Saracens), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors), Finn Russell (Racing 92), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors).

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