Gregor Townsend has brought back a number of old players to lead Scotland in the 2024 Autumn Nations series against Fiji, South Africa, Portugal, and Australia, with Sione Tuipulotu serving as captain.
D’Arcy Rae and Rory Hutchinson of the Northampton Saints are recalled, and Dylan Richardson, who made an impression in the summer, is back at hooker.
There will be no Gray brothers in sight, and Richie Gray, who is leaving to play in Japan at the end of November, will not have a grand send-off as Ewan Johnson, like Richardson, returns to the squad after making an impression on the summer tour. He joins Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings, Max Williamson, Alex Craig, and Alex Samuel as Scotland’s main second-row options. As always, Toony is brutally unsentimental.
All of the pack’s front-rowers have played before, although naturally they won’t have the extensive experience of the recently retired WP Nel. George Turner (Japan) and Fraser Brown (retired) have both left, and try-machine Johnny Matthews is once again left out.
Adam Hastings and Tom Jordan are also classified as playmakers, and Finn Russell, who was named vice-captain, is one of three standoffs on the team. Since he leads by example, thrives in a leadership role, and none of the back-rowers are guaranteed a hotly contested shirt in any given match-day lineup, Sione is likely the next name on the team sheet after Finn and Zander.
“[Sione] frequently establishes the team’s emotional tone and mentality, and he makes a substantial contribution to both our attack and defense. We tried to strengthen our leadership group last season, and we now have several individuals who are capable of taking over as captain. Sione understands that he will have leaders by his side to provide assistance and divide up the leadership duties required during the week and during the game.
