Scotland team winners and losers: Gregor Townsend’s ‘sensational selection call’ as trio become ‘victims’ of law change
Scotland winger Darcy Graham and an inset of head coach Gregor Townsend.
Following the announcement of Gregor Townsend’s Scotland matchday 23 for their opening Six Nations game against Italy, here are our winners and losers.
Scotland head into the tournament off the back of a disappointing Autumn Nations Series and will be eager to hit the ground running in Rome against a fired-up Azzurri outfit.
Townsend has made several intriguing calls for the opener against Italy, and without further ado, here are our winners and losers.
Winners
Glasgow Warriors
Over the years, Townsend has repeatedly rewarded form, and for the most part, that is true for the first Test match of the year, with Glasgow Warriors making up the core of the matchday 23.
Franco Smith’s charges are nine from 11 in the United Rugby Championship and four from four in the Investec Champions Cup, which includes a remarkable victory against Toulouse.
Those results have not gone unnoticed by the Scotland coaching team, with 14 of the matchday 23 coming from the Glasgow squad, including nine in the starting XV. It’s not quite the Leinster influence on the Ireland team, but the Warriors look set to be the foundation of the Scotland team this year, with stars who are plying their trade abroad plugging the gaps, ala Finn Russell, Ben White and Tom Jordan.
Tom Jordan
On the topic of the Bristol Bears star, he has earned a well-deserved start in a big Test match for the Scots. Jordan started four Six Nations matches last year, plugging the void captain Sione Tuipulotu left, but his minutes in November were limited.
He came off the bench in the disastrous losses to New Zealand and Argentina, respectively and started at full-back in the hammering of Tonga.
His versatility makes him a huge asset on the bench with his ability to play centre, fly-half and full-back, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t shift into different roles throughout the game.
For the opening game of the Six Nations, he has been backed at full-back over British and Irish Lion Blair Kinghorn, who misses out entirely, and gets a fresh opportunity to stamp his mark on the team and secure more selections as the Championship progresses.
Jamie Dobie
Another form selection from Townsend and rightly so. Jamie Dobie has been scoring tries for fun recently, whether he is starting at scrum-half or on the wing or playing both positions in a game. He grabbed a hat-trick against the USA in November and grabbed braces against Edinburgh and Zebre in the URC.
While he is primarily a scrum-half, Dobie will earn his first Six Nations start after the left wing, perhaps a ploy to mitigate Italy’s brilliance under the high ball, particularly after the outlawing of the escorts.
It’s a sensational selection from Townsend, who drops Scotland’s greatest try-scorers Darcy Graham, who is named on the bench, and Duhan van der Merwe in favour of a scrum-half cum winger.
The selection is totally justified if the head coach sticks to his mantra and standard of selecting based on form.
George Turner
Perhaps going against that selection policy is the call to name George Turner on the bench. Prior to his stint in Japan, he was a go-to selection for Scotland, and his return to the United Kingdom has seen that resume.
However, the 33-year-old hasn’t really dominated since joining Harlequins and has primarily been limited to cameos off the bench for the Famous Quarters.
Still, the coaching staff knows what he is capable of when he does hit his straps and are backing him to do just that.
Adam Hastings
Russell was always going to be the starting fly-half for this match, and probably for the remaining four Tests thereafter, fitness permitting, but with Jordan at full-back, the selection of Adam Hastings on the bench is certainly an intriguing one.
Hastings has yo-yoed in and out of the Scotland squad throughout his career, but has always been behind Russell in the pecking order. He has been in fine fettle for Glasgow of late and is thoroughly deserving of his inclusions.
But the question remains, why has Townsend actually opted for him on the bench? Is Russell actually going to come off the park and Hastings tasked with seeing out the win? Could he come on at full-back and Jordan comes off? We will find out in Rome, but with the bench playing such a pivotal role in modern Test rugby, one has to wonder whether a Stafford McDowall or another back-five forward would have been a better bet to face Italy.
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Losers
Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe
Ask a Scotland fan who they’d expect to be the starting outside backs for the Six Nations opener against Italy and they will have more than likely stated ‘Blair Kinghorn at full-back, Darcy Graham on the right and Duhan van der Merwe on the left’.
Perhaps some will have thrown Kyle Steyn in the mix, considering his performances last November and this season for Glasgow, but few would have believed that all three would have missed out on the starting XV.
Van der Merwe’s aerial struggles and lack of form are probably the reasons for his omission, with a hyper-focus now on a winger’s ability under the high ball. Graham does find a spot on the bench, interestingly so, but his dropping from the run-on team is a sign that he needs to improve.
Kinghorn’s absence could purely be down to the fact that he turned out for Toulouse last weekend and has had a shorter time with the squad than Jordan. However, he was exposed at the back during the November internationals, and perhaps his stocks in the squad are dwindling too. Could the trio be the latest victims of the law change around escorts, joining Damian Penaud? That may well be the case.
Liam McConnell and Freddy Douglas
The two youngest members of the Scotland squad still can feel hard done by despite the stiff competition for places in the loose forwards.
Glasgow star Freddy Douglas has been unreal at the breakdown this season and does get some minutes and an opportunity to further his case for selection with the Scotland A team that will tackle the Italy XV.
However, Liam McConnell will be watching on from the stands this weekend.
Stafford McDowall
The make-up of the bench is screaming out for a centre option, which McDowall could have easily fulfilled, particularly with Huw Jones’ ability to shift to the wing. Instead, it is Graham who fills the number 23 jersey.
It would have been the most surprising call of them had McDowall broken up the Huwipulotu combination for the Six Nations opener. However, it is a shame that the Glasgow star doesn’t feature in either of the two matchday 23s to tackle the respective Italy teams this weekend.
Jamie Ritchie
Former Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie’s stocks have risen, fallen and risen again in recent times, with Townsend often omitting him before recalling him. For the 2026 Six Nations, the trend starts with the former.
His performances during last year’s Six Nations had many suggesting that he’d be a bolter for the British and Irish Lions tour, but that didn’t pan out as planned for the back-rower, who is plying his trade in France.
After starting four of the five Six Nations matches, he featured just twice in the remaining Scotland Tests last year. If the trend continues, we will see Ritchie in action this Championship.
READ MORE: 2026 Six Nations: Comprehensive TV broadcast guide, how to watch the action anywhere in the world
