Edinburgh Rugby trio called into Scotland squad - and Josh McKay also joins

Elliot Millar Mills and Jamie Ritchie have both been ruled out after sustaining injuries with their clubs at the weekend.

Scotland coach Townsend has turned to Edinburgh for their replacements, bringing in props Ollie Blyth-Lafferty and D’arcy Rae and back-row forward Freddy Douglas.

Blyth-Lafferty, 20, is uncapped but has started the season well, helping Edinburgh win their first four out of five games in the United Rugby Championship. The tighthead captained Scotland Under-20s at the World Junior Championships in Georgia in the summer.

Rae, 31, has not played since the opening game of the season against Ulster in Belfast but is on the mend from a back issue and the eight-times capped tighthead takes his place in the squad.

Natural openside replaces Jamie Ritchie

Douglas, 21, a natural openside flanker, replaces Ritchie. He has been capped three times previously.

The trio’s inclusion increases the Edinburgh contingent in the squad to eight players. There was surprise when only five Edinburgh players were named in Townsend’s initial squad given the good start to the season the club had made.

Scotland resume their Nations Championship campaign this Saturday against New Zealand at Murrayfield, then face further home games against Australia and Japan before playing in Finals Weekend at Twickenham.

Ritchie, who just recently returned to rugby after a long lay-off, injured his knee in Glasgow Warriors’ win over the Lions on Friday night.

Millar Mills, meanwhile, picked up a leg injury in the early stages of Newcastle Red Bulls’ away loss to Saracens on Saturday.

Scotland have also announced that the Sale Sharks scrum-half Gus Warr will be training with the national squad this week and that Glasgow Warriors full-back Josh McKay will also join the group, continuing his rehab from a hamstring injury.

McKay will qualify for Scotland later this month on residency grounds having moving here five years ago. The first game he would be eligible for would be the match against Japan at Murrayfield on November 21.