SALE SCRUM-HALF Gus Warr is among 10 uncapped players named in Gregor Townsend’s 37-man Scotland squad for the summer tour of the Americas.
Nathan McBeth, Patrick Harrison, Robbie Smith, Will Hurd, Max Williamson, Ewan Johnson, Gregor Brown, Arron Reed and Matt Currie are the others who could make their debuts in matches against Canada, USA, Chile and Uruguay next month.
Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Richie Gray, Finn Russell, Jack Dempsey and Darcy Graham are among the senior players who have been left out, along with France-based pair Ben White and Blair Kinghorn and the Japan-bound George Turner.
However, Duhan van der Merwe, Matt Fagerson, Huw Jones, Pierre Schoeman, Jamie Ritchie, Rory Darge, Kyle Steyn, Scott Cummings and Sione Tuipulotu have all been selected, ensuring an experienced core remains within a largely experimental group.
Despite the lack of experienced hookers available to Townsend at present, Glasgow front-rower Johnny Matthews – who made his debut at the World Cup – is a notable omission at the end of a season in which he finished top try-scorer in the regulation United Rugby Championship.
Edinburgh’s Paddy Harrison and Northampton’s Robbie Smith are the two main alternative options at hooker to the more senior Ewan Ashman.
Glasgow-bound stand-off Adam Hastings, who won his last cap in November 2022, is back in the mix and will compete for the number 10 jersey with Ben Healy and Ross Thompson in the absence of talisman Russell, who has been given the summer off.
During the last two weeks of the tour, three development players will join the squad “as a learning opportunity and to bolster training”.
Tighthead Fin Richardson, who has signed for Glasgow next season, will be joined by Warriors scrum-half Ben Afshar and Edinburgh lock Rob Carmichael.
Former France coach Philippe Saint-Andre is to take over as sporting director of Provence next year, the French second division side announced on Wednesday.
Saint-Andre, who won 69 caps mainly on the wing, coached the national team between 2011-2015.
At club level he coached Sale to the English Premiership title in 2006 and took Montpellier as director of rugby to the Top 14 title in 2022 and eased out the following year by the arrival of Bernard Laporte.
Saint-Andre also helped both those teams to win the Challenge Cup and will take over at Provence for the 2025/2026 campaign after taking a break from rugby for next season.
Provence, based in the southern city of Aix-en-Provence, are an ambitious club who have already signed ex-Wales international George North, Australia back-rower Ned Hanigan and former France fly-half Jules Plisson for next season.
They topped the ProD2 standings in the regular season but lost 23-22 to Grenoble in the semi-finals.
“I am highly motivated by the idea of contributing my energy, experience and vision to help the club continue to evolve,” said Saint-Andre.
