mens
nations-championship
Forwards Jamie Ritchie (knee) and Elliot Millar Mills (leg) have withdrawn from Scotland Nations Championship lineup due to injury.
Both Ritchie and Millar Mills, who have 77 caps between them, picked up shots playing for their respective clubs at the weekend, Glasgow Warriors and Newcastle Red Bulls.
It is a bitter blow especially for Ritchie, who has returned home Scotland this summer after a spell France with Perpignan and was hoping to add to his 62 caps, the latest of which was won during this year’s Six Nations.
Head coach Gregor Townsend decided to bring on three players as cover, Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, Freddy Douglas and D’arcy Rae.
The Edinburgh The trio have now joined the national squad as they prepare for the Test matches against New Zealand, Australia and Japan on consecutive weekends at Murrayfield.
Hard-nosed Blyth-Lafferty (20) has been a threat for some time to win his first cap and has carried his form from last season into this one, while back Douglas, who is a year older, has three games to his name and is yet to taste defeat in navy at senior level.
D’ardy Rae has won eight games over a seven-year period since his debut against Ireland in February 2019 until his last appearance against Fiji in the third round of the Nations Championship. His return from a calf injury proved most timely.
Sale Sharks Scrum-half Gus Warr, who won two caps on the 2024 summer tour of America, will train with the squad this week, while soon-to-be-eligible Glasgow full-back Josh McKay will join the group as he continues his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury.