Hidalgo-Clyne gets Scotland call-up

By Mark Stevens
5/11/20

Exeter Chiefs scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne has today been called into the Scotland squad for the forthcoming Autumn Nations Cup.

The 27-year-old will join club-mates Sam Skinner, Jonny Gray and Stuart Hogg in Gregor Townsend’s 35-man squad for the tournament, which gets underway for the Scots next week against Italy.

Hidalgo-Clyne’s call-up is just reward for an impressive opening stint to life at Sandy Park, where he has helped the Chiefs to lift the Gallagher Premiership title, as well as the Heineken Champions Cup in recent weeks.

He has been added to the Scotland squad alongside Sean Maitland of Saracens, but head coach Townsend will be without injured stars Finn Russell and Adam Hastings, both of whom were injured in last weekend’s Six Nations victory away to Wales.

The duo will miss the rest of the 2020 Autumn programme on account of groin and shoulder injuries respectively. Hastings will require surgery and could be out for up to four months, while Russell’s groin injury can be managed through rest and rehab.

Townsend said: “It’s obviously disappointing to lose two quality players like Finn and Adam, who had both been playing well. However, this provides an opportunity to other players come into the team and lead our attack. The squad adapted well at the weekend to the enforced changes and we have belief in those in our squad that can step up to play at stand-off.

“We welcome Sam Hidalgo-Clyne into camp after a successful time with Exeter Chiefs and he will add further competition at scrum-half.”

The Autumn Nations Cup begins in Pool B, featuring games against Italy (14 November in Rome) before hosting France (22 November) and Fiji (28 November) at BT Murrayfield.

SCOTLAND SQUAD FOR THE AUTUMN NATIONS CUP

Forwards

Simon Berghan (Edinburgh) – 27 caps
Jamie Bhatti (Edinburgh) – 15 caps
Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 52 caps
Blair Cowan (London Irish) – 17 caps
Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) – 14 caps
Cornell du Preez (Worcester Warriors) – 9 caps
Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 7 caps
Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 31 caps
Jonny Gray (Exeter Chiefs) – 58 caps
Nick Haining (Edinburgh) – 4 caps
Oli Kebble (Glasgow Warriors) – 2 caps
Stuart McInally (Edinburgh) – 39 caps
Willem Nel (Edinburgh) – 38 caps
Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh) – 20 caps
Sam Skinner (Exeter Chiefs) – 7 caps
Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh) – 9 caps
Blade Thomson (Scarlets) – 6 caps
Ben Toolis (Edinburgh) – 26 caps
George Turner (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps
Hamish Watson (Edinburgh) – 34 caps

Backs

Darcy Graham (Edinburgh) – 13 caps
Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps
Chris Harris (Gloucester) – 20 caps
Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Exeter Chiefs) – 12 caps
Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs, capt)  – 77 caps
George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 14 caps
Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps
Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 25 caps
Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh) – 23 caps
James Lang (Harlequins) – 4 caps
Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 48 caps
Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 34 caps
Scott Steele (London Irish) – 1 cap
Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh) – 2 caps
Duncan Weir (Worcester Warriors) – 28 caps