Six Nations 2019: Hamish Watson out of Scotland opener as Gregor Townsend calls in reinforcements
Jonny Gray and Ryan Wilson will be monitored after picking up shoulder knocks with Sam Johnson suffering a concussion but all three should be fit to face Italy in two weeks’ time
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has drafted in a number of reinforcements to his Six Nations squad after the final round of European group fixtures took its toll on his squad, with first-choice openside flanker Hamish Watson the biggest concern.
Watson proved key to Scotland’s performances last year but the Edinburgh back-row has withdrawn from the squad after suffering a suspected broken hand during Friday’s Heineken Champions Cup victory over Montpellier.
The 27-year-old was forced off during the impressive victory and head coach Richard Cockerill admitted it looked like a fractured hand, with a specialist scan on Monday set to determine the extent of the damage.
Townsend does not yet know if Watson will be back in contention for any of the championship, which begins on Friday 1 February, but he looks certain to miss the opening clash with Italy as well as the visit of defending champions Ireland to Murrayfield the following week at the very least and he is also likely to miss the trip to Paris on 23 February to face France.
Glasgow pair Jonny Gray and Ryan Wilson are also concerns after both suffered shoulder injuries in the defeat by Saracens on Saturday, while centre Sam Johnson suffered a concussion in the same match, leading to uncapped back-rows Luke Crosbie (Edinburgh) and Matt Smith (Glasgow) being added to the squad along with forward Rob Harley and centre Alex Dunbar (both Glasgow).
However, assistant coach Mike Blair insisted that both Gray and Wilson will be in contention for the opening weekend, and added that Gray had been able to train in a non-contact session to ease fears over the 47-cap lock.
"Definitely," Blair said. "They've got bumps and bruises and we will obviously wait to see how they clear up but at the moment it's not something that we would be hugely concerned with."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments