Scotland squad talking points: A first for Finn Russell and why Blair Kinghorn wasn't picked

Included in his 36-man squad is Finn Russell who has never played an away Test against the Springboks but now has the opportunity at Loftus Versfeld on July 11.

The stand-off has been excused Scotland tour duties in recent years but will be front and centre this time as international rugby embarks on a new chapter.

The aim of the Nations Championship is to add cohesion and a more competitive edge to the summer and autumn Test windows but it also means a more equitable distribution of fixtures.

For too long Scotland have been denied summer Tests against the southern hemisphere’s top nations but the format of the new competition means all the Six Nations team will get a crack at the best sides in the south across the two windows, in July and November.

Russell’s ankle issue

Scotland’s summer programme is extremely challenging, both in terms of the opposition and the travel schedule. They kick off their inaugural Nations Championship campaign against Argentina in Cordoba on July 4, then travel to South Africa to take on the back-to-back World Cup winners a week later. The final game of the summer is back at Murrayfield, against Fiji on July 18.

“It's a much tougher tour we're undertaking this year than ever before, certainly in the time I've been a coach,” said Townsend. “Three teams that are in the top eight in the world, one of them being the number one team in the world. So we feel that as strong a team as possible will give us the best chance of winning.”

It is why Russell will tour with Scotland in a non-World Cup year for the first time since 2017, despite a long season with Bath which continues with the Gallagher Prem semi-final this Saturday against Exeter and could extend into the following weekend if they make the final.

“He was really keen to go on tour,” said Townsend. “He feels that he gets fit playing games. He's used to playing long seasons.

“Even though he did play a lot of rugby last year, and this year, but especially last year, that's a norm for him. When he played in France [for Racing 92], he was over 30 games a season. I had a good chat with him yesterday as well because he's had this little calf issue, but he's fully fit again.”

Blair Kinghorn absence explained

While Townsend has summoned most of his senior players, there are a handful who have been rested or ruled out by injury. Into the latter category fall Jamie Ritchie, George Turner and Huw Jones, while Blair Kinghorn and Grant Gilchrist have been rested.

Townsend is keen to keep Gilchrist fresh for next year’s World Cup, by which time he will be 37. Kinghorn is in the throes of trying to help Toulouse retain their French Top 14 title. The final is scheduled for the final weekend in June, a week before Scotland play in Cordoba.

Like Russell, Kinghorn went from a long club campaign last year straight into the Lions tour but Townsend feels players in England are looked after better.

“I think there's a difference between Blair and Finn in that there's mandatory rest in England, which there’s not in France,” said the coach. “Blair was playing, I think, after one week of pre-season last year. Finn had 10 weeks off after the Lions tour, so he gets five weeks’ rest and five weeks’ pre-season.”

Once again, Glasgow Warriors dominate the squad, supplying 19 of the 36 players compared to nine from Edinburgh, seven from English clubs and two from France.

Two uncapped players

Among the Glasgow contingent are the only two uncapped players, hookers Gregor Hiddleston and Seb Stephen. Both have had strong seasons and a first cap for Hiddleston in particular feels overdue.

“Gregor has been consistent all season,” said Townsend. “He's developed a real ball-carrying game. He played very well in our emerging game against Italy, at the start of the Six Nations. But his set-piece and his defensive capabilities, that's his big strengths. He's ready for Test level, and he'll get that opportunity this summer.

“Seb has a real physical potential with his ball-carrying, his size in terms of what he can do in defence.”

Fellow Glasgow forwards Gregor Brown and Max Williamson are also included after missing the end of the season through injury, with Townsend confident both will be fit for the Argentina match.

Van der Merwe given Barbarians chance

The Edinburgh representation includes young guns Liam McConnell and Freddy Douglas who have one and two caps, respectively, but have impressed in the back row despite a difficult season for their club.

The capital side’s winger Duhan van der Merwe is also a notable inclusion. An ankle injury robbed him of much of his potency during the campaign and he found himself dropped from the Scotland team for the first time in his career.

He returned to the Edinburgh team for the final couple of games and will have the opportunity to further prove his return to form and fitness after being named in the Barbarians squad for their matches against South Africa and Wales later this month. Van der Merwe will be joined in the Baa-Baas group by McConnell and tighthead prop D’arcy Rae. Van der Merwe and Rae are likely to play against the Springboks in Gqeberha on June 20, with McConnell expected to be involved in the Wales game at Twickenham a week later.

They will then join up with Scotland whose Nations Championship preparations include a training camp in Madrid and hit out against the Spanish national side.

Scotland squad for Nations Championship (caps in brackets)

Forwards: Ewan Ashman – Edinburgh Rugby (35), Josh Bayliss – Bath Rugby (16), Magnus Bradbury – Edinburgh Rugby (22), Gregor Brown – Glasgow Warriors (16), Scott Cummings – Glasgow Warriors (49), Rory Darge – Glasgow Warriors (39), Jack Dempsey – Glasgow Warriors (33), Freddy Douglas – Edinburgh Rugby (2), Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (64), Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (81), Jonny Gray – Perpignan (81), Gregor Hiddleston – Glasgow Warriors (uncapped), Will Hurd – Leicester Tigers (10), Nathan McBeth – Glasgow Warriors (8), Liam McConnell – Edinburgh Rugby (1), Elliot Millar Mills – Northampton Saints (14), D’arcy Rae – Edinburgh Rugby (7), Alex Samuel – Glasgow Warriors (3), Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh Rugby (49), Seb Stephen – Glasgow Warriors (uncapped), Rory Sutherland – Glasgow Warriors (48), Max Williamson – Glasgow Warriors (13).

Backs: Fergus Burke – Saracens (3), Jamie Dobie – Glasgow Warriors (19), Darcy Graham – Edinburgh Rugby (55), George Horne – Glasgow Warriors (45), Rory Hutchinson – Northampton Saints (11), Tom Jordan – Bristol Bears (17), Stafford McDowall – Glasgow Warriors (16), Kyle Rowe – Glasgow Warriors (17), Finn Russell – Bath Rugby (94), Ollie Smith – Glasgow Warriors (12), Kyle Steyn – Glasgow Warriors (33), Sione Tuipulotu – Captain – Glasgow Warriors (38), Duhan van der Merwe – Edinburgh Rugby (53), Ben White – Toulon (36).