Scotland have released 25 players from their training camp back to their clubs in advance of the Calcutta Cup game against England a week on Saturday, holding back a further eight to be rested this week.
All exile players attached to clubs in England and France have returned, as well as nine each to Glasgow and Edinburgh, whose depleted teams both lost their PRO12 matches at the weekend. The Warriors host bottom club Zebre at Scotstoun on Friday, while Edinburgh are at Benetton Treviso on Saturday.
Mark Bennett, Fraser Brown, Alex Dunbar, Jonny Gray, Stuart Hogg and Euan Murray of Glasgow and front-row duo Alasdair Dickinson and Ross Ford of Edinburgh have been retained at BT Murrayfield. Ford is undergoing treatment for a severe back spasm that curtailed his presence during Saturday’s 22-19 loss to Italy.
Finn Russell, who missed Saturday’s match due to a ban for his retrospective red card against Wales, is one of the players heading back to Scotstoun as his suspension expired yesterday. Sean Lamont, Ryan Grant, Rob Harley, Peter Horne, Tommy Seymour and Tim Swinson have all been released to Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend for consideration for Friday’s game. Adam Ashe and Alex Allan had already returned to the club and played in the loss to Munster in Cork on Saturday night.
Edinburgh’s Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Matt Scott, Ben Toolis, Greig Tonks and Hamish Watson, all replacements in Saturday’s game, are heading back to the capital club. Tim Visser, High Blake, David Denton and Dougie Fife were released to Alan Solomons last week and played in Sunday’s loss at Cardiff.
All the exiles are headed back to their clubs although under World Rugby’s protocols Scotland could insist they stay in the international training camp. Captain Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester), Johnnie Beattie (Castres), Jim Hamilton (Saracens) Moray Low (Exeter), Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan) Blair Cowan and Geoff Cross (both London Irish) are available for their respective clubs’ league games this weekend.
Scotland face England at Twickenham, where they have not won since 1983, at 5 pm on March 15.