Scotland squad: Under pressure Gregor Townsend reveals MEGA Six Nations group as they look to recover from ‘painful’ autumn

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has named his squad for the 2026 Six Nations, claiming that some of his players are in “really good form” ahead of the Championship.

Townsend’s selection is supplemented by a 15-strong A group ahead of an Italy A clash on the eve of Scotland’s opening Test of the campaign, against Italy on Saturday, February 7.

The boss said consistency and form were the key drivers behind his selections, with many players having featured in recent Six Nations while continuing to impress in the club game.

In really good form

“The Six Nations squad is full of players that are either in really good form or have been in Six Nations squads before,” Townsend explained. “Some of them are in really good form as well, so it was a difficult squad to select.”

Scotland have also fielded a strong A side against Italy A, fielding such players as Ollie Blyth-Lafferty and Alec Hepburn.

“It’ll be a really strong A team that we put out, and we expect a tough game against Italy A,” Townsend said.

19 Glasgow Warriors players are included in the 40-player group, reflecting their strong domestic and European form.

“They’ve been in great form,” the boss said. “They’ve played at a really high level, particularly in Europe, with some cracking atmospheres. You can see the cohesion and connectedness of that group, and they’ve been rewarded for both individual performances and how they’re playing as a team.”

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Edinburgh pair Liam McConnell and Freddy Douglas have also earned selection after continuing to develop following their Scotland debuts.

“Liam really impressed us in his first cap against the USA, and he’s been very consistent for Edinburgh this season,” Townsend said.

Douglas, meanwhile, has stood out in one particular area of the game.

“He’s got a super strength, which is winning the ball back in the tackle area,” Townsend added. “He’s been one of the best in the world right now at that. But he’s also developing other parts of his game — his mauling, his ball carrying, defensively. There’s real growth and more to come from him.”

Return of the duo, Cherry and Gray

The return of Dave Cherry and Jonny Gray brings valuable experience into the group ahead of a physically demanding tournament.

“Dave started every game for us in last year’s Six Nations,” Townsend said. “He’s gone well this year for Vannes and we feel his experience and how he’s playing is important going into this tournament.”

Gray’s form in France has also impressed the coach.

“Jonny’s playing at one of the best clubs in Europe right now in Bordeaux,” Townsend said. “When he gets opportunities, you see his work rate, his experience and what he can do, particularly defensively.”

Townsend believes Scotland must convert the lessons of the Autumn Nations Series into tangible progress, particularly after narrow defeats to New Zealand and Argentina.

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“We had opportunities to beat New Zealand, which would have been the first time in our history,” he said. “We’re really disappointed we didn’t take those opportunities.”

The Argentina loss, in particular, still stings.

“That was a painful one because we put a really good game in place and then let Argentina back into it,” Townsend said. “But I believe going through that experience means that if we find ourselves in that situation again, we’ll be much better prepared.”

Painful autumn

Townsend believes Scotland must convert the lessons of the Autumn Nations Series into tangible progress, particularly after narrow defeats to New Zealand and Argentina.

“We had opportunities to beat New Zealand, which would have been the first time in our history,” he said. “We’re really disappointed we didn’t take those opportunities.”

With only one fallow week and three matches to start the tournament, Townsend expects squad depth and recovery to be vital.

“It’s a more condensed tournament,” he said. “Teams will definitely look at using their squad more to play three Test matches on the bounce.”

Scotland open away to Italy before hosting England and travelling to Wales in quick succession.

“Italy away is a cracking start — what a venue and what a place to visit,” Townsend said. “Then you’re straight into England at home and Wales away, so three games that come around really quickly.

“It’s important we’re cohesive, that we recover well between games and that we take what we learn into our performances.”

Scotland squad for 2026 Six Nations

Forwards: Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh Rugby), Josh Bayliss (Bath Rugby), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh Rugby), Gregor Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Dave Cherry (Vannes), Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), Alex Craig (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors), Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors), Freddy Douglas (Edinburgh Rugby), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby), Jonny Gray (Union Bordeaux Bègles), Nathan McBeth (Glasgow Warriors), Liam McConnell (Edinburgh Rugby), Elliot Millar Mills (Northampton Saints), D’arcy Rae (Edinburgh Rugby), Jamie Ritchie (Perpignan), Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby), Rory Sutherland (Glasgow Warriors), George Turner (Harlequins), Max Williamson (Glasgow Warriors)

Backs: Fergus Burke (Saracens), Jamie Dobie (Glasgow Warriors), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby), Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Tom Jordan (Bristol Bears), Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse), Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors), Finn Russell (Bath Rugby), Kyle Rowe (Glasgow Warriors), Ollie Smith (Glasgow Warriors), Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors, captain), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby), Ben White (Toulon)

Scotland A squad

Forwards: Ollie Blyth-Lafferty (Edinburgh Rugby), Cameron Henderson (Leicester Tigers), Alec Hepburn (Scarlets), Gregor Hiddleston (Glasgow Warriors), Will Hurd (Leicester Tigers), Alexander Masibaka (Montpellier), Harri Morris (Edinburgh Rugby), Andy Onyeama-Christie (Saracens), James Whitcombe (Edinburgh Rugby)

Backs: Ben Afshar (Glasgow Warriors), Dan Lancaster (Glasgow Warriors), Harry Paterson (Edinburgh Rugby), Cameron Redpath (Bath Rugby), Arron Reed (Sale Sharks), Gus Warr (Sale Sharks)

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