Scotland add four players to squad as three drop out

Scotland have called up four players to their squad this week as they prepare to take on Italy in Rome on Saturday in round four of the Guinness Six Nations.

Tighthead prop Javan Sebastian, loosehead Rory Sutherland, lock Marshall Sykes and scrum-half Jamie Dobie have all been drafted into Gregor Townsend’s squad, while the injured Sione Tuipulotu, prop WP Nel and lock Alex Craig have all dropped out.

The four new additions all played over the weekend, with Sebastian replacing Nel for Edinburgh in the second half of their United Rugby Championship win over the Ospreys. Sykes also came on from the bench in that match.

Simon Raiwalui on what his new role with World Rugby entails

Former Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui chats about his new role as High Performance Pathways and Player Development Manager at World Rugby.

Simon Raiwalui on what his new role with World Rugby entails

Former Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui chats about his new role as High Performance Pathways and Player Development Manager at World Rugby.

Dobie started in Glasgow Warriors’ win over Benetton, while Sutherland featured from the bench in Oyonnax’s loss to Montpellier in the Top 14.

Tuipulotu leaves a huge hole in Scotland’s midfield for the remaining two rounds of the Six Nations after sustaining a knee injury in the Calcutta Cup win over England. His Glasgow head coach Franco Smith recently revealed that the centre is set to be sidelined for over two months.

“He’s going to be out 10-12 weeks, maybe even quicker, but we are conservative with it,” Smith said. “No operation is needed, which is important.”