Darcy Graham one of three Borderers in Scottish national rugby team’s autumn test squad

They’re the only Borderers in head coach Gregor Townsend’s test series squad, though former Southern Knights openside flanker Rory Darge and ex-Melrose loosehead prop Jamie Bhatti are included.

Edinburgh right-winger Graham, 27, is currently on 39 caps; Glasgow Warriors loosehead prop Rory Sutherland, 32, is on 32; and Graham’s Edinburgh team-mate Harrison, 22, is on two.

Sutherland’s Warriors team-mates Darge, 24, and Bhatti, 31, are on 22 and 34 respectively.

Graham has been out of international action due to various injuries since last autumn’s Rugby World Cup in France, with summer’s tour of the Americas coming too soon for him, but he’s been back on duty with Edinburgh since the start of the current United Rugby Championship season.

Townsend’s latest squad is the second on the bounce to feature three fellow Borderers as he took Harrison, Sutherland and Jedburgh’s Glen Young with him on tour in the summer, though Edinburgh lock Young, 29, had to drop out injured halfway through.

Graham and Young were named in this year’s initial Six Nations squad in January, along with Darge and Bhatti, but Graham ended up being ruled out by injury and Young was released ahead of the tournament ending, leaving Sutherland, given a late call-up three games in, as the Borders’ last man standing in the squad.

He was also the only one to set foot on a pitch, being brought on as a 48th-minute replacement for Pierre Schoeman during the Scots’ concluding 17-13 loss away to Ireland in Dublin in mid-March, that half-hour appearance preventing this year’s championship from being the first since 1921 not to feature any representatives of the region.

Scotland’s preceding 31-29 loss to Italy in Rome earlier in March was the fourth on the trot to be contested by a match-day squad devoid of Borderers, the first time that had happened for 103 years.

That tournament’s opened 27-26 victory away to Wales in February was the first time for over six years that the national team had fielded a match-day squad without any Borderers in and the first time since 1925 that none had been selected to play, the distinction being that though Hawick’s Stuart Hogg was picked to start against Australia in November 2017 at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium, the future skipper injured his hip in the pre-match warm-up, forcing Townsend to draft in Sean Maitland to replace him at full-back for the ensuing 53-24 autumn test victory.

Warriors centre Sione Tuipulotu has been named as captain for this November’s tests, with former co-skippers Darge and Finn Russell as his vice-captains.

Tickets have now sold out for Scotland’s matches against Fiji on Saturday, November 2; South Africa on Sunday, November 10; and Australia on Sunday, November 24, but they’re still available for their game against Portugal on Saturday, November 16.

Ex-Gala and Border Reivers player Townsend, 51, said: “We’ve been encouraged by the early-season performances of our players and are looking forward to working with them once again.

“We had some standout performers on our summer tour who have earned their selections for the autumn test campaign.

“Patrick Harrison is a perfect example of that. He had played well for Edinburgh A and showed that with belief, intent and effort, you can bring out your strengths at test level.”

Explaining his change of skipper, he added: “Sione has been one of our key leaders over the last couple of years and thrives in that leadership role.

“We’ve seen that in his outings as Glasgow captain and when he had the opportunity to lead the team against Chile a few months ago.

“He often sets the emotional tone and mindset required for the team and he also contributes significantly to both our attack and defence.

“Last season we looked to deepen our leadership group and we now have a number of people who could step up as captain.

“Sione is aware that he will have leaders around him to offer support and share the leadership responsibilities needed throughout the week and during the game.”

Making up the rest of the Scots’ 26 forwards are Ewan Ashman, Josh Bayliss, Gregor Brown, Scott Cummings, Luke Crosbie, Alex Craig, Jack Dempsey, Freddy Douglas, Matt and Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Will Hurd, Ewan Johnson, Nathan McBeth, Elliot Millar Mills, Ben Muncaster, D’Arcy Rae, Dylan Richardson, Jamie Ritchie, Alex Samuel, Schoeman and Max Williamson.

Townsend’s 18 other backs are Matt Currie, Jamie Dobie, Adam Hastings, George Horne, Rory Hutchinson, Huw Jones, Tom Jordan, Blair Kinghorn, Stafford McDowall, Harry Paterson, Ali Price, Arron Reed, Kyle Rowe, Mosese Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe and Ben White.