FREE THE SCOTLAND SIX
Toony tells his band of cap rookies to play their way to the World Cup
GREGOR TOWNSEND has challenged his Scotland rookies to prove they are World Cup stars in the making.
The national boss is set to hand six youngsters their big-stage debuts on the tour to Canada, USA and Argentina next month.
They include Adam Hastings – son of legend Gavin – and mystery man James Lang.
And coach Toony has told them it is a golden chance to earn a ticket to next year’s World Cup in Japan.
To make way for the new blood, Townsend has given frontliners John Barclay, Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw, Jonny Gray, Ryan Wilson, Sean Maitland and Tommy Seymour the summer off.
Edinburgh hooker Stuart McInally will skipper the Scots in the absence of Barclay.
Townsend said: “There are a few goals for this tour. The first is to build on the work we’ve done this season.
“We also have the World Cup in our thoughts as this will be our last trip before the tournament and we have to learn to play better as a team away from home.
“For the World Cup we’re going to be together for six or seven weeks.
“So the experience of being together for four weeks on tour will be really beneficial.
“We want to see how players get on with each other, see who are the players working hardest on their game, who are the players providing the energy off the field.”
Apart from Harlequins utility back Lang and Hastings, the other uncapped men are Glasgow pair George Horne, Matt Fagerson and Edinburgh’s Jamie Ritchie and Lewis Carmichael.
Townsend said: “All these guys have been in form – some have been for a long time.
“George came through for the Warriors just before Christmas and he was outstanding for them throughout the Six Nations period.
“We brought him into the Scotland set-up for the last two weeks of that campaign to train alongside us.
“He’s starting for Glasgow, which is a huge achievement to get ahead of international regulars in Ali Price and Henry Pyrgos.
“Jamie’s run into form was timed very well. He’s been very consistent for Edinburgh over the last few seasons but the way he played against Glasgow was superb.”
Townsend also revealed he’s been tracking Harlequins playmaker Lang for more than a year.
He said: “We’ve known for a while he’s Scottish qualified. I first looked at him before last year’s tour and we have been tracking him a lot closer for the last two months.
“I spoke to him during the Six Nations to say we were watching him and that if he kept up his form he could be in the mix for summer.”
On the elevation to the captaincy of McInally, the boss added: “Stuart had made huge strides in the past 12 months.
“The coaching staff at Edinburgh have been a massive help but a lot is down Stuart. He’s a determined, intelligent man and player who knows what he has to do.”
Ruled out through injury are Luke Crosbie (knee), John Hardie (back), Huw Jones (wrist), Willem Nel (knee) and Hamish Watson (shoulder).
Townsend’s troops square up to Canada in Edmonton on June 9 before taking on the USA in Houston a week later. The venue for the tussle with Argentina the following weekend is still to be decided.