Six Scotland stars with a point to prove to Gregor Townsend when new rugby season starts

While a number of players put their hands up for future selections and impressed with the chance they were given, many more were likely left frustrated from being out of the international fold. A combination of injuries, form and stiff competition for places in certain positions meant that plenty of capped players were left following the results from home.

With the 2026/27 rugby season starting next month, and international Test matches rolling around in November, The Scotsman takes a look a six Scotland players who weren’t included in the summer squad and now have a point to prove to the national team head coach.,.

1. Ali Price - scrum-half - Montpellier (68 caps)

Ben White, George Horne and Jamie Dobie were the three nines named in the most recent squad. Townsend said at the time: “The three nines in our squad all played at a high level throughout the Six Nations and you’ve also got guys like Ali Price who have played really well this year, who just missed out in selection.”

White has been one of Scotland’s most consistent performers for a number of campaigns now, Horne was Glasgow Warriors’ Player of the Season and Dobie was also excellent for his club and can cover both scrum-half and wing. All that is to say that it wasn’t necessarily a surprise that Price was omitted but he was certainly someone who could feel incredibly unlucky to miss out.

Montpellier were runners-up in the Top 14 league table and were beaten by Toulouse in the final having also won the EPCR Challenge Cup with victory over Ulster in Bilbao. Price was a regular for the French side, playing 27 out of 36 matches in all competitions and starting 22 of those.

If he continues to be at the heart of a team that performs well in one of world rugby’s toughest leagues as well as the Champions Cup then a return to the Scotland squad looks undeniable. In terms of who drops out to make space for the 2021 British & Irish Lion, it seems likely that if the three nines chosen ahead of him remain fit that Dobie would be included as a winger at the expense of someone like Duhan van der Merwe who is in danger of falling out of favour in the national team.

2. Jamie Ritchie - back-row - Glasgow Warriors (63 caps)

The former Scotland captain is expected to return to the squad in the Autumn if he is fit and performs well with Glasgow Warriors having joined Franco Smith’s side following a season in France with USA Perpignan. The big question is if he can force himself into the starting XV or indeed the match day 23 with the level of competition in the back-row.

The Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey combination at six to eight is pretty much locked and if Dempsey’s move to Japan doesn’t impact his place in the national team squad then it’s hard to see where Ritchie fits in. If the former Wallabies number 8 isn’t available then it could be that Fagerson moves to his position and Ritchie slots in at six - that’s expected to be Glasgow’s back-row combination for the season and continuity between club and country is always beneficial.

However, a certain Josh Bayliss may have something to say about that as he continues to play and perform regularly at Bath while also looking sharp when given a chance at Test level. Edinburgh skipper Magnus Bradbury is another won’t be giving up his place in the squad so easily having worked so hard with Edinburgh to get it back after a lengthy spell in the international wilderness.

While there will surely be a place in the 36-man squad for Ritchie, getting back to playing regularly is not a given. Of course, supporters are well aware of his quality and the impact he can have on matches, so you wouldn’t bet against him doing it.

3. Adam Hastings - fly-half - Montpellier (35 caps)

Hastings is one of those players that has been around for so long that you mistakenly think he’s coming towards the end of his career, but he’s still only 29-years-old. In fly-half terms, he’s entering the prime of his career.

He’s had to play second fiddle to Finn Russell since his first cap back in 2018 and now Tom Jordan and Fergus Burke have displaced him in that role as those two compete to see who will be the long term replacement when the Bath man hangs up his boots. Hastings often wasn’t even the first choice ten at Glasgow last season with Dan Lancaster, who is of course Scottish qualified himself, often chosen ahead of him.

However, the former Gloucester man has more international caps than Jordan and Burke combined and a decent enough track record in dark blue. We’ve also already spoken about the benefit of club and country continuity and the fact he’s going to Montpellier where he will form a half-back partnership with the aforementioned Ali Price should strengthen the international call-up hopes for both.

Burke and Jordan both did well with their international minutes this summer so Hastings is going to have to work extra hard if he hopes to force his way back into the Scotland set-up. Just like Price, if he is playing regularly and Montpellier continue to rack up the wins then leaving him out is a hard decision to justify.

4. Huw Jones - centre - Toulon (63 caps)

The 2025 British & Irish Lion wasn’t included in the summer squad due to injury and you might initially think he’s another whose place in the full squad isn’t really in question if he’s fit and available come November. However, competition at centre is the fiercest it has been in a very long time and Jones’ spot is far from guaranteed especially after Rory Hutchinson’s excellent performances against Argentina and Japan.

The Northampton Saints man also showed the benefit of a second playmaker in the back-line and supporters are rightly excited to see him and Russell playing together some more. After the summer, Hutchinson looks set to continue as Scotland’s starting 13 to partner skipper Sione Tuipulotu in the midfield.

Jones also wasn’t always able to retain his place in the Glasgow starting XV last season as Stafford McDowall proved to be one of Franco Smith’s most consistent performers and also seldom lets his country down when called upon. A return to the squad likely comes at the expense of utility back Ollie Smith but you also have Blair Kinghorn to consider when filling the limited number of spots available with the Toulouse man another who was not in the most recent group due to being rested.

Let’s not forget though that in Jones we’re talking about one of Scotland’s biggest try-scoring threats who is capable of cutting defences open in the blink of an eye. He’ll be playing in an elite back line for Toulon next season but he will need to hit the ground running at his new club just to avoid any questions over his international future.

5. Grant Gilchrist - lock - Edinburgh (88 caps)

The experienced lock missed the Summer Test matches through injury but questions over his place in the Scotland starting XV have been whispered by sections of the support prior to this. If he’s fit then he’ll be in the squad as Scotland aren’t blessed with enormous strength in depth when it comes to second rows the way they are in other positions.

That being said, there are options beyond the Edinburgh man and Scott Cummings has one of the two starting lock jerseys nailed down. The Glasgow man is an experienced international campaigner in his own right now, not to mention a British & Irish Lion, so he’s more than capable of filling the leadership role required from any pairing.

Gregor Brown looks likely to be positioned as Cummings’ long term partner and you won’t hear many complaints about that as the Aberdonian continues to develop and make a name for himself as a Test match player. So where does that leave Gilchrist?

He’s probably still ahead of the other options at Scotland’s disposal and he deserves to be, not just for his experience but the consistency he has shown for the national team over a 13 year period since his first cap. He probably holds on to hope of even becoming a Scotland centurion which is still possible but he’d have to play in most if not all of their matches between now and next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.

By the time that tournament rolls around will be 37-years-old so don’t expect to see much of the big man after that. It all begins with a strong star to the 2026/27 season with Edinburgh next month.

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