Scotland call up former England prop – who earned six caps under Eddie Jones – to their Six Nations squad as Gregor Townsend selects four uncapped players for the tournament
- The player earned all of his caps in 2018, five of which came in that year’s Six Nations
- He has spent most of his career at Exeter Chiefs, signing from London Welsh
- Coach Gregor Townsend has named four uncapped players in his 39-man squad
A former England prop has been named in the England squad for the upcoming Six Nations.
Head coach Gregor Townsend named his squad for the competition on Tuesday, which included four uncapped players among the 39-man squad, including the ex-England side.
Scotland, who finished third in the 2023 edition of the competition with three wins and two defeats to their name, will start their campaign with a trip to Cardiff to take on Wales on February 3.
And they will have a former England man in their team, who qualifies for selection through his father despite earning six caps for his former team.
The player in question is Alec Hepburn, who will join his new squad, having not played for England since 2018 and also taking part in the Six Nations.
Gregor Townsend has named a former England prop in his squad for the upcoming Six Nations
Scotland, who finished third in the competition last year, will kick off their campaign against Wales on February 3
Alec Hepburn, who has not played for England since 2018, has received his first Scotland call-up for the tournament
Born in Perth, Australia, Hepburn has spent most of his club career playing for Exeter Chiefs after joining from London Welsh in 2014.
After playing for England Under-20s and England Saxons, Hepburn made his debut for the England senior team in the 2018 Six Nations in a 46-15 win over Italy in Rome.
He played all of England’s Six Nations matches that year as Eddie Jones’ side finished second to France.
The now 30-year-old played one more game for England, a 37-18 win over Australia at Twickenham in November that year, but has not featured since.
Hepburn played all of England’s Six Nations matches as they finished runners-up under Eddie Jones in the 2018 edition
Arron Reed, who played for England at youth level, is another uncapped player included in the Scotland squad
Now he is set to make his debut for Scotland in this year’s competition, alongside Will Hurd, Harry Paterson and Arron Reed. Reed is also a former England youth international.
“Alec has always been an excellent player,” Townsend said after the news. “He scrums well and we are happy that he was available for us to select.
‘It’s really been in the last few months at Leicester that Will has developed the type of player he is: a strong scrummager who hits hard in defense and works really hard.’