Watson and Nel added to Six Nations squad

• 4 Mar 2019

Experienced forward pairing WP Nel and Hamish Watson have been called in to the Scotland squad ahead of this Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations Test against Wales at BT Murrayfield (9 March, kick-off 2.15pm) - live on BBC.

The duo returned from injury in Saturday’s Guinness PRO14 encounter against Benetton, with Nel playing 40 minutes and Watson playing 60 minutes in the away defeat.

Watson – who recovers from a hand injury suffered in January’s Heineken Champions Cup victory over Montpellier – is named in the Scotland for the first time this Guinness Six Nations campaign.

Nel – who featured in the opening Guinness Six Nations fixture against Italy – returns to the fold after suffering a calf injury in last month’s victory over the Azzurri.

The pair are joined by Sam Skinner (Exeter Chiefs) and Glasgow Warriors’ Stafford McDowall (centre) and Grant Stewart (hooker) in returning to the squad.

They are accompanied by incoming trio Matt Fagerson and Byron McGuigan – who missed out on initial selection through injury – and London Irish prop Gordon Reid.

As a consequence of their inclusion the following eight players, split evenly between injury and those released back to their clubs, are no longer part of the current Scotland squad.

They are injured quartet scrum-half George Horne (shoulder), prop D’arcy Rae (ankle), hooker George Turner (graduated return to play protocol for concussion) and centre Chris Dean (back), plus prop Alex Allan, back-row Rob Harley (both Glasgow Warriors), back-row John Hardie (Newcastle Falcons) and stand-off Duncan Weir (Worcester Warriors).