Townsend hit by snub as duo opt for England
GREGOR Townsend’s preparations for the Six Nations have been dealt a blow after two former Scotland Under-20 players he planned to name in his squad snubbed his advances in favour of England.
Gloucester scrum-half Ben Vellacott and Stirling-born Gary Graham rejected the chance offered to pull on the Dark Blue jersey and now Townsend expects both to be included by his England counterpart Eddie Jones when he names his squad for the Championship tomorrow.
However, the Scotland head coach insisted he did not believe the RFU were indulging in any tit-for-tat tactics in the wake of their angry response in October to the number of English-born players coming through their system constantly being included in Scotland squads.
Back then, chief Steve Brown had even gone so far as to call for stricter rules to prevent such occurrences happening.
The latest to make the switch north were Newcastle Falcons centre Chris Harris, who won his first cap against Samoa in November, and the uncapped Edinburgh scrum-half Nathan Fowles, a former England Under-20 player.
‘I wouldn’t think it is that,’ insisted Townsend in response to any accusations of RFU retaliation. ‘It is more that this is just the new reality. There is competition for players with country against country.
‘It is unusual, though, that a country like England, with all its resources and players, have Scotland age-group players going into the English squad. In some way, it can be seen as a positive that our players are attracting interest outside of Scotland.’
Townsend had been in contact with both Vellacott, who qualifies for Scotland through his mother, and Graham over the last few weeks but failed to convince either of them to change their minds.
Neither player will be lost to Scotland permanently until they are actually capped by England but 22-year-old Vellacott could be in the running for a first cap sooner rather than later.
‘We have had conversations with Ben about how he was in the mix for Scotland but there were other scrum-halves around as well, like Scott Steele and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne,’ said Townsend.
‘Ben is someone we have talked to a lot over the last couple of seasons and I almost signed him at Glasgow Warriors. He came up for a couple of days but decided to stay at Gloucester.
‘We have been in regular communication. We will wait and see what squad England pick in the next couple of days but it looks likely he will be involved with them in the Six Nations.
‘If England play him in the Six Nations, that would be him committed to England. It seems they are very keen on him. ‘We have continued those conversations with Ben but all the indications are that he will be included in the England squad so, a bit like Gary Graham, he is somebody we won’t consider.’
In the case of 25-year-old flanker Graham, whose father George played prop for Scotland, Townsend admitted it was a case of England getting in first.
‘It’s unfortunate for us that England had a squad in the first week of January and chose Gary,’ he said. ‘Gary was a Scotland Under-20 player and he has impressed us since getting into the Newcastle team.
‘He has been picked in the England squad and I can understand that he wants to see where that leads.
‘He’s available for England on residency and I believe it is a great opportunity for him.
‘I watched three of his games before the summer tour (with Jersey) and he played pretty well. I chatted to his dad and said we were looking forward to seeing him at Newcastle.
‘He had traits that could allow him to play at a
high level, which includes a good work-rate and he is also a very good tackler. It has been a nice surprise to see how well he has taken to pro rugby. ‘He only got a first start with Newcastle in November. I remember watching him then and thought he was doing well. With each game, he has got better. ‘It’s a credit to him. It shows that players coming through the Scottish system are doing well. ‘In the case of both, you can understand that if they are playing in England, they are in their system. Then they are maybe going to be watched more by the England coaches. ‘It is, ultimately, a choice the players have to make if they get both those options. They have to commit to one of them.’ Out of the 40 players he was able to select for the Six Nations, there was a welcome return for scrum-half Greig Laidlaw, who has not played for three months after breaking his leg. He will put pressure on Ali Price for the scrum-half jersey. John Barclay retains the captain’s role he took on when Laidlaw was injured during last season’s Six Nations.
There are four uncapped players in the squad — props Murray McCallum and D’Arcy Rae plus scrum-half Fowles and full-back Blair Kinghorn.
And there are recalls for back-row forward Dave Denton, props Gordon Reid, Jon Welsh and 36-year-old hooker Scott Lawson, who is enjoying an Indian summer at Newcastle Falcons.
Centre Matt Scott, scrum-half Hidalgo-Clyne and winger Tim Visser have not been selected, while Josh Strauss misses out through injury.
Edinburgh flanker John Hardie is overlooked as he nears the end of a three-month ban.
Full-back Stuart Hogg has not played since sustaining a hip injury during the warm-up for Scotland’s 53-24 win over Australia on November 25 but is also included.
Lock Richie Gray has played twice for Toulouse after recovering from a back problem, while Edinburgh centre Mark Bennett returns after last playing for Scotland in the Six Nations loss to England last year.