Ex-Howe of Fife pair George Horne and Matt Fagerson in Scots’ squad for July rugby tests
Ex-Howe of Fife pair George Horne and Matt Fagerson bring more than 100 caps’ worth of experience to the 36-strong Scotland squad named by head coach Gregor Townsend for matches against Argentina, South Africa and Fiji next month in rugby’s new Nations Championship.
Scrum-half Horne, 31, has 45 caps to his name at the moment and back-row forward Fagerson, 27, is on 64.
Their selection follows the Glasgow Warriors teammates both playing for all 80-plus minutes of their club’s 22-21 United Rugby Championship play-off semi-final loss at home to Pretoria’s Bulls at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday,
Both internationals since 2018, they’re among 19 Warriors in a squad captained by their Scotstoun Stadium teammate Sione Tuipulotu, made up of 14 backs and 22 forwards.
Bath fly-half Finn Russell is the most-capped player in the squad, with 94, and at the other end of the experience spectrum are new boys Gregor Hiddleston and Seb Stephen, both hookers for Warriors.
Townsend’s Scots, ranked seventh in the world, start their run of three July fixtures, all on Saturdays, away to Argentina in Cordoba on the 4th. Next up, they visit South Africa in Pretoria on the 11th and they sign off at home at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium to Fiji on the 18th.
Scotland’s other forwards are Ewan Ashman, Josh Bayliss, Magnus Bradbury, Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings, Jack Dempsey, Freddy Douglas, Rory Sutherland, Zander Fagerson, Jonny Gray, Will Hurd, Nathan McBeth, Liam McConnell, Elliot Millar Mills, D’Arcy Rae, Alex Samuel, Pierre Schoeman and Max Williamson.
Horne, Russell and Tuipulotu’s fellow backs are Fergus Burke, Jamie Dobie, Darcy Graham, Rory Hutchinson, Tom Jordan, Stafford McDowall, Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith, Kyle Steyn, Duhan van der Merwe and Ben White.
Announcing his selection, Townsend, 53, in charge of the national team since May 2017, said: “It’s a much tougher tour that we’re undertaking this year than ever before, certainly in the time I’ve been a coach.
“We’re going to different continents, we’re going to different hemispheres and we’re playing some quality sides – No 5 in the world, No 1 in the world and a Fiji team that beat us last summer, who are a very strong side, who will have had three weeks together and three weeks in the UK.
“We know we’re going to have to play close to our best rugby to win those games and build on what we did in the Six Nations and adapt to the travel.
“It’s a different tour than you normally face as well – playing three different international teams in three weeks, rather than being based in one area or one country – but it will prepare us well for the next world cup.
“While there’s less travel in Australia, it’s week-to-week games against international sides, so you have to adapt and learn quickly because you’re into the next match straight away.”