Scotland call up two players to Six Nations squad as Edinburgh man is sent back to club
Cherry and Dobie nurse injuries ahead of opener in Rome
Gregor Hiddleston and Gus Warr have been called into Scotland’s Six Nations squad amid continuing concerns over Dave Cherry and Jamie Dobie.
The group have also lost the Edinburgh flanker Liam McConnell who has returned to his club following a rib injury.
Cherry, the Vannes hooker, is nursing a calf strain which caused him to miss his club’s match against Grenoble on Friday. Dobie, the Glasgow Warriors scrum-half/wing, has a bursa on his knee which flared up recently.
Both Cherry and Dobie will stay with the Scotland squad as they work on their recovery. Gregor Townsend’s side begin their Six Nations campaign against Italy in Rome a week on Saturday.
Hiddleston and Warr have been promoted from the A squad, who are due to play an Italian XV in Rieti on the night before the Six Nations opener.
Hiddleston, the Glasgow Warriors hooker, was a surprise omission from Townsend’s original Six Nations squad after some excellent displays for his club, particularly in the Investec Champions Cup. The uncapped 23-year-old from Dumfries now has the chance to impress in training, as does Warr, the Sale Sharks scrum-half.
Dobie, who, like Hiddleston, has been outstanding for Glasgow this season, was one of the three nines in Townsend’s original squad alongside Ben White and George Horne. But Dobie has proved to be equally adept on the wing and it would be a big blow to lose such versatility.
“He had it in November and he played with it,” Townsend said of Dobie’s injury. “His knee was swollen up. It just flared up again a week ago. So again, we don't think it'll be an issue for next week. It's just whether we can see if he can train this week.”
On Cherry’s injury, the Scotland coach said on Monday: “He had a little calf strain. He’s had a scan and nothing came out of it.” The player was due to undergo further tests.
McConnell is another who has enjoyed an excellent season, his first as a regular in the Edinburgh back row. He was man of the match in their win over Toulon in the Champions Cup and won his first Scotland cap in the November international against the USA. The extent of his injury has not been revealed.
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