Two-time Player of the Championship Stuart Hogg will captain Scotland for the 2020 Guinness Six Nations as Gregor Townsend named a 38-strong squad also including six uncapped players.
Hogg – with 72 international caps – is the most experienced man in the Scotland squad and takes over the captaincy from Stuart McInally, who led the side in the recent World Cup.
The 27-year-old full-back won the Guinness Six Nations Player of the Championship award in both 2016 and 2017 and will now try to lead his side to an improvement on last year’s fifth-place finish.
Head coach Townsend said: “Stuart is very passionate about playing for Scotland and he’s determined to do all he can to improve Scotland.
“He really cares about playing for his country, what the jersey represents and also getting the best out of his teammates.
“He’s a really intelligent rugby player who’s is learning and improving with every season. He’s very good at bringing others into the game and building relationships with those around him.
“He’s very well respected by our coaching and playing group but that isn’t based on the accolades he’s earned. It’s more about what he does every day at training.
“He brings energy, is very accurate, he stays out to longer to work on his game and, more often than not, he’s the loudest player on the field, guiding or congratulating his teammates.
“He really wanted to take on the honour and responsibility of being captain, which was a huge positive and – having heard his plans for how he would work as a captain and work to bring the best out of others, while being able to focus on his own game – meant it became a relatively straightforward decision.”
Hogg is joined in the back-three by the likes of Darcy Graham, Blair Kinghorn, Sean Maitland, Byron McGuigan, Kyle Steyn and Ratu Tagive – the latter two Glasgow Warriors both being included for the first time.
In the centres, Rory Hutchinson and Huw Jones are recalled after missing out on World Cup selection, while Matt Scott will be looking to make his first Scotland appearance since June 2017.
Gloucester lock Alex Craig, Edinburgh back-rowers Luke Crosbie and Nick Haining and Glasgow Warriors flanker Tom Gordon are the four uncapped players in the pack, while prop Rory Sutherland earns a recall having last played for Scotland in 2016.
Scotland squad for 2020 Guinness Six Nations:
FORWARDS: Simon Berghan (Edinburgh), Jamie Bhatti (Edinburgh), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Alex Craig (Gloucester), Luke Crosbie (Edinburgh), Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), Allan Dell (London Irish), Cornell du Preez (Worcester Warriors), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Tom Gordon (Glasgow Warriors), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Nick Haining (Edinburgh), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Willem Nel (Edinburgh), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh), Ben Toolis (Edinburgh), George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh)
BACKS: Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Chris Harris (Gloucester), Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints), Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Sean Maitland (Saracens), Byron McGuigan (Sale Sharks), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors), Henry Pyrgos (Edinburgh), Finn Russell (Racing 92), Matt Scott (Edinburgh), Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors), Ratu Tagive (Glasgow Warriors)
