'Set-piece glue': Gregor Townsend explains Six Nations Scotland recall for French second tier hooker

Cherry, 35, who plays in the French second tier with Vannes, played no part in this season’s Autumn Nations Series and missed the summer tour through injury but now returns for the first time since last year’s Six Nations.

He is one of three hookers - alongside Ewan Ashman and George Turner - in the 40-man squad named by Townsend on Tuesday. There is no place for Gregor Hiddleston, the Glasgow Warriors hooker, who has been a key player in the club’s stellar European run which has seen them beat Sale, Toulouse, Clermont and Saracens, all with a bonus point. Also missing is Dylan Richardson, who is injured.

Hiddleston may have been overlooked but 19 of his Warriors team-mates are included alongside nine players from Edinburgh and 12 exiles in a squad which is largely filled with experienced campaigners. There are also recalls for Jonny Gray and Alex Craig and returns from injury for Huw Jones and Zander Fagerson.

In the only real nod to youth there are first Six Nations call-ups for Edinburgh’s in-form back-rowers Liam McConnell, 21, and Freddy Douglas, 20. Sione Tuipulotu will captain Scotland who open their campaign against Italy in Rome on February 7.

Cherry’s scrummaging ability and his accuracy at the lineout make him one of the best technical hookers available to Townsend and the coach hopes he can be the “glue” which holds the Scotland set-piece together. He said he had no concerns about either Cherry’s age or the fact he was playing in Pro D2.

“It's a good level,” said Townsend. “I was watching Vannes play Brive at the weekend. It was a sell-out crowd and Brive have obviously got a strong squad. Vannes are top of the table and beat Brive quite easily.

“I think Dave said they've had 34 sell-outs in a row now at Vannes. It feels like you're watching a Top 14 team. Obviously it's not the same level and we've got to look at Dave's performances within that.

“Dave played really well last year in the Six Nations and we know that experience is important for this tournament.

“Autumn did give us an opportunity to look at others. At the time we felt Ewan and George were our number one and two, so to bring Dave over and maybe not be involved in games, it would have been better having a younger guy based in Scotland, which is what we did with Patrick [Harrison], and obviously Harri was involved.”

Cherry, who moved in the summer from Edinburgh to Vannes, was a latecomer to international rugby, making his Test debut in the historic Calcutta Cup win over England at Twickenham in 2021 at the age of 30. He now has 16 caps and enjoyed his longest run in the team last season when he started all five of Scotland’s games in the Six Nations.

“I think he was obviously delighted to play in the Six Nations last year and he played really well,” said Townsend. “We don't see a drop-off in his form, his physical stats. And you can play now until your late 30s. If you want to, the support, the science is there to make sure that your bodies can function well.

“We've got some hookers up, got some outstanding strengths. Ewan Ashman's one of the best ball carriers in world rugby right now. You've got George Turner who has big moments in attack and defence and Dave is a smart rugby player, glue around the set-piece and that's what we feel is really important coming into the Six Nations.”

The consolation for Hiddleston is that he has been named in the Scotland A squad for the game against an Italy XV in Rieti on February 6 alongside several others who can consider themselves unlucky not to make the Six Nations cut such as Cam Redpath, Andy Onyeama-Christie and Cam Henderson. Also included in the A squad are the uncapped Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, Ben Afshar, Dan Lancaster, James Whitcombe and Alex Masibaka.

Scotland squad for 2026 Guinness Six Nations (clubs & caps in brackets):

Forwards: Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh 32), Josh Bayliss (Bath 14), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh 21), Gregor Brown (Glasgow 12), Dave Cherry (Vannes 16), Scott Cummings (Glasgow 45), Alex Craig (Glasgow 6), Rory Darge (Glasgow 34), Jack Dempsey (Glasgow 29), Freddy Douglas (Edinburgh 1), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow 59), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow 76), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh 84), Jonny Gray (Bordeaux 81), Nathan McBeth (Glasgow 5), Liam McConnell (Edinburgh 1), Elliot Millar Mills (Northampton 11), D'arcy Rae (Edinburgh 5), Jamie Ritchie (Perpignan 61), Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh 44), Rory Sutherland (Glasgow 46), George Turner (Harlequins 50), Max Williamson (Glasgow 9).

Backs: Fergus Burke (Saracens 3), Jamie Dobie (Glasgow 17), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh 50), Adam Hastings (Glasgow 35), George Horne (Glasgow 40), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton 11), Huw Jones (Glasgow 58), Tom Jordan (Bristol 12), Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse 63), Stafford McDowall (Glasgow 16), Finn Russell (Bath 89), Kyle Rowe (Glasgow 16), Ollie Smith (Glasgow 12), Kyle Steyn (Glasgow 28), Sione Tuipulotu (captain, Glasgow 33), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh 52), Ben White (Toulon 31).