Why five players are leaving Scotland’s tour of the Americas as another three join up
Five players have left the Scotland tour party ahead of the final two matches in South America.
It was always head coach Gregor Townsend’s intention to trim his squad after the North American leg and it has been announced that Robbie Smith, Elliot Millar Mills, Ross Thompson and Ross McCann have all headed home, along with the unlucky Glen Young who picked up a pectoral injury in the gym.
Smith, the Northampton Saints hooker, made his Scotland debut as a replacement in the tour opener against Canada and also came off the bench in the win over the USA on Friday evening. Millar Mills, a team-mate of Smith’s, and Thompson, who will play for Edinburgh next season, both started in the 73-12 win over Canada then appeared as replacements against the States. McCann, the sevens specialist who has signed for Edinburgh, also made his Scotland XVs debut off the bench against Canada, a game in which Young started.
Scotland, who beat the US 42-7 in Washington DC, play Chile this Saturday in Santiago before completing the tour against Uruguay in Montevideo on July 27. Townsend will select only Scottish-based players for the Uruguay game because the match falls outside the recognised Test window and the coach is expected to further trim his squad ahead of the match, with the English and French-based players set to return home.
As revealed when the squad was announced last month, three development players are joining the group “as a learning opportunity” for the South American leg of the tour. Tighthead prop Fin Richardson, who has signed for Glasgow Warriors for next season from Exeter Chiefs, Glasgow scrum-half Ben Afshar and Edinburgh lock Rob Carmichael will take part in full training with the squad.
Richardson, 25, was dual registered with Exeter and Cornish Pirates for the 2023-24 season, playing for the latter in the Championship. He’s a former Scotland U20 internationalist who played previously for Currie and Edinburgh Academical before heading south to study law at the University of Exeter.
Afshar, 21, co-captained Scotland U20 at the 2023 World Rugby U20 Trophy in Kenya. He made his Glasgow debut against Ulster in November, coming off the bench in the 33-20 home win. His first start was in the win over Dragons at Scotstoun in February, a match in which he scored his first try. He played eight times in total for the Warriors during the season, with six appearances coming in their triumphant URC campaign and two in the Champions Cup.
Carmichael, 21, who is 6ft 11in, joined Edinburgh from Leicester Tigers on an initial loan in February 2024, ahead of penning a three-year deal with the capital club. He was born and raised in Hong Kong after his Scottish father, and English/Welsh mother, emigrated in the 1990s. He has played for Edinburgh A.
