Borderer Rory Sutherland named in Scotland’s match-day squad for their final fixture of 2023’s Six Nations

Rory Sutherland during a Scotland training session at the Oriam in Edinburgh last week (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group/SRU)

Hawick’s Rory Sutherland has been given a chance of making a first appearance in this year’s Six Nations in Scotland’s final match of the tournament, against Italy at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday.

Sutherland, 30, has been named among the replacements for that championship finale by head coach Gregor Townsend.

The Ulster loosehead prop, capped 22 times previously, is the only Borderer in the Scots’ match-day squad, though Cameron Redpath, son of Galashiels-born former Scotland skipper Bryan Redpath, will also be on the substitutes’ bench.

Fellow ex-Hawick player Stuart Hogg is ruled out by an ankle injury picked up during Sunday’s 22-7 defeat at home to table-toppers Ireland, forcing him off with just over a quarter of an hour of his 100th senior international appearance left to play, with Blair Kinghorn replacing him.

Cameron Redpath during a Scotland training session at the Oriam in Edinburgh on Tuesday (Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group/SRU)

Taking over the full-back role from Hogg, 30, this Saturday is Glasgow Warriors’ Ollie Smith.

Making up the rest of this weekend’s starting XV, captained by Jamie Ritchie, are Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Kinghorn, Ben White, Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Sam Skinner, Jonny Gray, Hamish Watson and Jack Dempsey.

Joining Sutherland, also previously at Gala and Biggar, and French-born Bath inside centre Redpath, 23, among the replacements are Ewan Ashman, Willem Nel, Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, Ali Price and Ben Healy.

The Italians have lost all four of their Six Nations matches so far but Gala’s Townsend is warning his players not to expect to get things all their own way.

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend at a training session at the Oriam in Edinburgh this week (Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group/SRU)

“They have taken on the same teams that we have played, and two of those teams are the best teams in the world right now,” said the 49-year-old.

“They’ve run them really close. The Ireland game was very close, I think it was 25-21, within four points, for a long period.

“Against France, they were seven points down with a 5m lineout in the 80th minute and had already won a penalty try off a driven maul.

“Those two games could have gone in their favour and nobody would have said they didn’t deserve it.

“They’ve beaten Australia in November, and they beat Wales away last year.

“They are growing and the way they play puts teams under pressure because they attack from everywhere.”

Scotland go into their last match of the championship, kicking off at 12.30pm and being screened live on BBC One, sitting third in the table, on ten points from four fixtures, five shy of second-placed France and nine shy of the Irish.