Five players called up ahead of Six Nations opener

27 Jan 2025

Gregor Townsend has called up five players ahead of the opening weekend of the Guinness Six Nations when Scotland take on Italy at Scottish Gas Murrayfield.

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 14: Scotland's Ollie Smith in action during a friendly match between Emerging Scotland and Italy U-23's at the Hive Stadium, on December 14, 2024, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ewan Bootman / SNS Group)

Euan Ferrie, Cameron Henderson, Ewan Johnson, Alexander Masibaka and Ollie Smith have all joined up with the squad.

Masibaka will replace Josh Bayliss in the squad, who sustained a groin injury playing for Bath in their victory over Sale Sharks. He will remain with Bath for further assessment to determine exact timescales.

Alexander Masibaka has impressed this season in Pro D2 with French side Soyaux-Angoulême. The 23-year-old is currently on loan from Montpellier having previously played for the Western Force. He plays across the back-row and qualifies for Scotland through his Paisley born mother.

Uncapped Euan Ferrie was a member of the URC winning Glasgow Warriors squad last season and has previously trained with the national team. Since returning from injury Ferrie has played the last three games for Warriors, appearing in both the second and back row.

Cameron Henderson made his debut for Scotland in 2023 against Italy before sustaining a knee injury at the end of the year. He has since bounced back, playing in Leicester Tigers last seven matches.

Ewan Johnson made his debut on Scotland’s summer tour last year, in a 73-12 victory over Canada. The Oyonnax second-row also made his first appearance at Scottish Gas Murrayfield against Portugal in 2024 and played in the Scotland A victory over Chile at the end of the year.

Ollie Smith made his long-awaited comeback in a Glasgow Warriors jersey at the weekend in their win over Connacht and caps off his return from injury with a call-up to the Scotland squad after playing for Emerging Scotland at the tail end of last year.

Scotland squad for the 2025 Guinness Six Nations (caps in brackets):

Forwards (23)

Ewan Ashman – Edinburgh Rugby (22)
Jamie Bhatti – Glasgow Warriors (35)
Gregor Brown – Glasgow Warriors (4)
Dave Cherry – Edinburgh Rugby (11)
Luke Crosbie – Edinburgh Rugby (12)
Rory Darge – Co-Captain – Glasgow Warriors (25)
Jack Dempsey – Glasgow Warriors (22)
Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (50)
Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (70)
Euan Ferrie – Glasgow Warriors (uncapped)
Grant Gilchrist – Edinburgh Rugby (75)
Jonny Gray – Bordeaux Bègles (77)
Cameron Henderson – Leicester Tigers (1)
Patrick Harrison – Edinburgh Rugby (3)
Will Hurd – Leicester Tigers (4)
Ewan Johnson – Oyonnax (4)
Jack Mann – Glasgow Warriors (uncapped)
Alexander Masibaka – Soyaux-Angoulême (uncapped)
D’Arcy Rae – Edinburgh Rugby (2)
Jamie Ritchie – Edinburgh Rugby (54)
Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh Rugby (37)
Rory Sutherland – Glasgow Warriors (37)
Marshall Sykes – Edinburgh Rugby (1)

Backs (16)

Fergus Burke – Saracens (uncapped)
Matt Currie – Edinburgh Rugby (4)
Jamie Dobie – Glasgow Warriors (9)
Darcy Graham – Edinburgh Rugby (42)
George Horne – Glasgow Warriors (34)
Rory Hutchinson – Northampton Saints (8)
Huw Jones – Glasgow Warriors (53)
Tom Jordan – Glasgow Warriors (3)
Blair Kinghorn – Toulouse (55)
Stafford McDowall – Glasgow Warriors (8)
Finn Russell – Co-Captain – Bath Rugby (82)
Arron Reed – Sale Sharks (3)
Kyle Rowe – Glasgow Warriors (9)
Duhan van der Merwe – Edinburgh Rugby (44)
Ollie Smith – Glasgow Warriors (9)
Ben White – Toulon (24)

 

RELATED

By the Numbers: Scotland’s Nations Championship Southern Series Scotland Men By the Numbers: Scotland’s Nations Championship Southern Series Tue 28 Jul 2026 How the 2026/27 away kit was built on stone and ice Scotland Men How the 2026/27 away kit was built on stone and ice Wed 22 Jul 2026 Scottish Rugby and Macron launch Away Kit Scotland Women Scottish Rugby and Macron launch Away Kit Wed 22 Jul 2026 Roundup: The Nations Championship Southern Series Scotland Men Roundup: The Nations Championship Southern Series Tue 21 Jul 2026 Match Report: Fiji 17-33 Scotland Scotland Men Match Report: Fiji 17-33 Scotland Sat 18 Jul 2026 Scotland team pay tribute to Scott Hastings Scotland Men Scotland team pay tribute to Scott Hastings Fri 17 Jul 2026 Fiji and Scotland to celebrate record-breaking matchday Scotland Men Fiji and Scotland to celebrate record-breaking matchday Fri 17 Jul 2026 McDowall to lead Scotland against Fiji Scotland Men McDowall to lead Scotland against Fiji Thu 16 Jul 2026 Fiji vs Scotland: Food and Drink Guide Scotland Men Fiji vs Scotland: Food and Drink Guide Wed 15 Jul 2026 Scouting the Flying Fijians: Senirusi Seruvakula’s Fiji Squad Scotland Men Scouting the Flying Fijians: Senirusi Seruvakula’s Fiji Squad Wed 15 Jul 2026 Match Preview: Fiji v Scotland Scotland Men Match Preview: Fiji v Scotland Wed 15 Jul 2026 Fiji vs Scotland Matchday Guide: Kick-off Time, Venue & Info Scotland Men Fiji vs Scotland Matchday Guide: Kick-off Time, Venue & Info Tue 14 Jul 2026 Match Report: South Africa 42 -28 Scotland Scotland Men Match Report: South Africa 42 -28 Scotland Sat 11 Jul 2026 Matthew Fick making impact for Scotland U20s Scotland Men Matthew Fick making impact for Scotland U20s Thu 9 Jul 2026 Match Preview: South Africa v Scotland Scotland Men Match Preview: South Africa v Scotland Thu 9 Jul 2026 Three changes to starting line-up for South Africa test Scotland Men Three changes to starting line-up for South Africa test Thu 9 Jul 2026 How Scotland’s Landscape Inspired the 2026/27 Home Kit Scotland Men How Scotland’s Landscape Inspired the 2026/27 Home Kit Wed 8 Jul 2026 Behind the Curtain: Launching the 2026/27 Kit Scotland Men Behind the Curtain: Launching the 2026/27 Kit Wed 8 Jul 2026 Scottish Rugby and Macron launch new 2026/27 international kits Scotland Women Scottish Rugby and Macron launch new 2026/27 international kits Wed 8 Jul 2026 Scouting South Africa: Rassie Erasmus’ South Africa Squad Scotland Men Scouting South Africa: Rassie Erasmus’ South Africa Squad Tue 7 Jul 2026