Scotland team news: hooker ruled out of Calcutta Cup

Ewan Ashman, who had a torrid time in the defeat by Italy in Rome last weekend, has been ruled out with a neck injury.

Scottish Rugby said it was not too serious but that he wouldn’t be available for the Calcutta Cup clash in Edinburgh.

Gregor Townsend had been considering a change at hooker in any case after Scotland’s lineout malfunctioned badly in the 18-15 loss to Italy in round one.

The other hookers in Scotland’s Six Nations squad are Dave Cherry, George Turner and Gregor Hiddleston. Turner was on the bench in Rome and replaced Ashman in the second half but was yellow-carded shortly after coming on, meaning Ashman had to return to the fray.

Ashman, who struggled with his throwing all afternoon at the Stadio Olimpico, injured his neck in Edinburgh’s defeat by Bath in the Champions Cup on January 16. The Italy match was his first game back.

England have also made a change at hooker for the Calcutta Cup, bringing in Luke Cowan-Dickie as their starter, with Jamie George dropping to the bench in a reversal of the roles the players had in England’s opening win over Wales.

Townsend, the Scotland head coach, will name his side this afternoon as the home side look to reclaim the Calcutta Cup and reboot their Six Nations campaign which got off to a dismal start in Rome.

England beat Scotland 16-15 at Twickenham last year to win the Calcutta Cup for the first time in five years. They have not won at Murrayfield since 2020.

Get 50% off an annual subscription to The Scotsman and a chance to win a Scotland rugby shirt as part of our Six Nations deal. Subscribe to unlock full access to our website today.