Scotland's rugby depth chart: The A+ area, positions of concern and Blair Kinghorn question

Gregor Townsend’s side won away to Argentina and beat Fiji at Murrayfield either side of pushing the Springboks all the way in South Africa and picking up a bonus point in defeat. One of the most pleasing things has undoubtedly been a demonstration of the strength in depth the Scots now have in their ranks.

Several players who have been regular starters over the past few years like Huw Jones, Blair Kinghorn, Grant Gilchrist and George Turner were left out for various reasons, while Finn Russell wasn’t fit for the opening match in Cordoba and the team was heavily rotated to take on the Fijians. The likes of Gregor Hiddleston, Rory Hutchinson and Kyle Rowe all put their hands up for more game-time going forward, which will cause a welcome selection headache for Townsend when international rugby returns in the Autumn.

Following the end of the Summer Tests, we’ve analysed the depth that Scotland have in each position. We have graded it on a scale of A+ to F to see where the best strength is available and where things look a little thin:

Props: B-

Pierre Schoeman remains the obvious first choice at loose-head with Rory Sutherland an experience back-up. Beyond those two, things look a bit light and with Sutherland’s injury history, that does cause some concern.

Zander Fagerson is likewise the strongest option at tight-head, while the likes of Elliot Millar Mills and Will Hurd are both playing regularly for top English sides. However, it’s a significant drop off in Test level experience from the Glasgow prop to the next options.

Ollie Blyth-Lafferty is ageing out of the under-20s and could be in line for a breakthrough season with Edinburgh. There’s no doubt he has a bright future, and Townsend admitted he was considered for this summer, so don’t be surprised to see him making his senior international debut sooner rather than later.

Hookers: B

Gregor Hiddleston has taken to Test match rugby like a duck to water and was impressive across all three Summer fixtures. He and Ewan Ashman should have an interesting battle over the next 12 months to see who is first choice going into the World Cup.

The Edinburgh man edges it for now and offers a bit more dynamism in the loose, but the Glasgow forward is going to be hot on his heels. George Turner didn’t feature this Summer, but his 50 caps of international experience are excellent to have in reserve should any injuries occur.

Seb Stephen made his debut against Fiji but, like Blyth-Lafferty, he’ll need to establish himself at club level first before he sees regular international game-time. Under-20s skipper Joe Roberts is another that offers a lot of promise for the future.

Locks: B-

Scott Cummings is now the lynchpin for the Scotland forward pack and is operating at the very highest level. He’s a clear leader in the team and one of the best second rows in the northern hemisphere.

In terms of the second man in the engine room, that probably goes to Gregor Brown, who has been impressive and also brings great versatility meaning Townsend can have more freedom when selecting his replacements. Max Williamson and Alex Samuel are both solid enough back-ups, but Grant Gilchrist is likely still the main man after Cummings and Brown.

Jonny Gray is still capable at Test level, but doesn’t offer anything like the same impact he did earlier in his career. It’s good to have his experience in reserve, but he could be one to drop out of future squads completely if everyone else is fit and available.

Back row: A-

Scotland have both a wealth of options and versatility in their back row, which is incredibly pleasing. Matt Fagerson is an elite-level number six and more than capable of switching to eight or seven.

Behind him you have Josh Bayliss, another who can play across the back-row and has been effective when used, and Jamie Ritchie who has the ability to massively impact matches. The other side of the scrum is where things are slightly more concerning.

Rory Darge is of the highest quality, but after him you’re probably looking at 21-year-old Freddy Douglas. A good player with a bright future, but a long-term injury to Darge does raise the question if he’s truly ready to be thrown into the deep end as a starting seven for a whole tournament like the Six Nations.

Liam McConnell is another with a promising career ahead of him while Bayliss, Fagerson, Ritchie and Magnus Bradbury could do a job there is called upon. However, none of those are specialists in the seven jersey the way Darge or Douglas are.

As for number 8, there are still some question marks around Jack Dempsey’s long term availability after his move to Japan. His absence is noticeable when not available.

Fagerson is probably the next in line at eight and he’s more than capable there but is far better as a six. Bradbury is the next biggest ball carrier of the lot to fill any Dempsey-sized hole, but he needs to try and translate his form with Edinburgh to Test match rugby.

Scrum half: A

Ben White remains the undisputed first choice at number nine. He’s beyond consistent in a Scotland shirt and goes about his business so well.

Jamie Dobie would be the man to step in to the starting XV if the Toulon star was unavailable and having him starting on the wing allows for George Horne to take up a place on the bench. That’s where Glasgow’s player of the 2025/26 season is most effective, a real running threat late in the game against tired legs.

You then have Gus Warr, who missed out on the recent squad, who is playing regularly for Sale Sharks in England. Scotland qualified New Zealander Louie Chapman will also get a chance to show supporters his abilities with Edinburgh next season, so watch out for him.

Fly half: A

There’s nothing we can say about Finn Russell that hasn’t already been said - the man is simply a once-in-a-lifetime sensation that we all just need to enjoy while we have him.

The Argentina game showed that Tom Jordan and Fergus Burke both have what it takes to carry the team from 10 at Test level if needed, but it’s still a significant drop-off just by Russell being who he is. Burke struggled in the first half against Fiji but looked more assured when Sione Tuipulotu was introduce outside him, so perhaps he just needs a bit more of that elite-level ability either side of him to grow as a Test match player.

We have to mention Jake Dalziel as well, who at just 17-years-old is already vice captain and an integral player for the under 20s. We’re a good few years away from seeing him in the senior team, but if he fulfils his massive potential then it will go a long way to softening the blow when Russell hangs up his boots down the line.

Centres: A-

This was incredibly hard to grade because, on the one hand, the pairing of Sione Tuipulotu and Rory Hutchinson looks tailor-made to get the best out of the way Scotland want to approach matches. Having the Northampton man as a second playmaker outside the immensely physical skipper just works so well to maximise the strengths of the current Scotland team.

Then you’ve got Huw Jones, who was unavailable for the Summer. A very different type of centre to Hutchinson, but someone who can change a game in the blink of an eye.

Stafford McDowall has never let Scotland down but, like a few other positions, the drop in quality from Tuipulotu to him is noticeable at Test level. That’s not a dig at the stand-in captain either. If anything, it says more about the impotence of their first choice inside-centre.

There in lies the problem. The first half against Fiji showed that it can be hard to get things working right without Tuipulotu on the pitch and while the likes of Burke or Jordan can fill in for Russell, you can’t really say the same about any of the other options in the squad when it comes to the captain.

Back three: A+

You can comfortably put Scotland’s back three options up against any other nation in the world. They’re that good and run that deep.

Kyle Steyn is arguably the first name on the whole team sheet. His aerial ability is unrivalled. Then you have Jamie Dobie, who as well as bringing dangerous running and stepping gives the aforementioned ability to move to nine and free up space on the replacements if needed.

The fact we’re speaking about record try-scorer Darcy Graham as potentially Scotland’s third-choice winger shows how influential the two Glasgow men have become. The Edinburgh ace’s record speaks for itself and he has the ability to bring an x-factor to a match like few others.

His club teammate Duhan van der Merwe, on the other hand, has slipped right down the pecking order. He showed glimpses of his former self in the second half against Fiji but he’s just not the same threat he used to be and is some way off displacing any of the players above him in the starting XV.

Ollie Smith, who has such great versatility, looked more lively on the wing against Fiji once the Glasgow familiarity of Tuipulotu and McDowall at centres was introduced. Arron Reed can’t even get a proper look-in despite regularly showing his quality with Sale Sharks.

Then you have the full-back question. Blair Kinghorn was rested this summer but the Toulouse man is surely still the first choice at 15, right? Well, Kyle Rowe might have something to say about that after outstanding performances against Argentina and South Africa.

Rowe could perhaps find his place on the wing when Kinghorn returns but, as we’ve just said, competition there is so fierce so no obvious solution to this welcome selection headache seems apparent.

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