Problems at hooker as Townsend to name squad

Gregor Townsend is due to name his Six Nations squad on Wednesday and the Scotland coach is facing a potential problem at hooker, writes Graham Bean.

Fraser Brown, the vicecaptain, is expected to miss the entire championship as he recovers from a neck injury sustained while playing against Ireland in Scotland’s final Autumn Nations Cup match.

Concern is now also growing over Stuart Mcinally, Scotland’s other frontline hooker.

The Edinburgh man missed Saturday’s derby match against Glasgow Warriors after straining his neck in the gym and his club are now seeking a more detailed diagnosis.

“We’re waiting for him to see a specialist to see what exactly the issue is,” said Richard Cockerill, the Edinburgh coach.

“We’re hoping it’s not a long term injury but we’ll have to see.

”If Mcinally’s injury is sufficiently serious to rule him out of Scotland’s Six Nations opener against England, it will likely see Glasgow’s George Turner selected for Twickenham on February 6.

Turner impressed for

trying to keep the boys in terms of their thinking and the preparation.

"After a fantastic win, no-one gets too high and if we have a bump or don’t get the result we want, it’s important to stay calm.

"We haven’t managed to stretch our lead at the top but at the same time we haven’t lost anything either.

"You’ve seen two sides of us against Motherwell, a first half showing that wasn’t us and wasn’t good enough but the second half was an awful lot better.”