On the eve of the Six Nations, Scotland has been dealt a serious blow as captain Sione Tuipulotu is unable to play in the Championship due to injury.
The Glasgow Warriors centre will now have surgery after suffering a pec injury during practice, it was reported today.
According to a release from Scottish Rugby, “Sione Tuipulotu will miss the tournament after sustaining a pectoral muscle injury during a training session with Glasgow Warriors last week.”
“Sione is anticipated to return to action before the season ends after undergoing surgery this week.”
In addition to costing Scotland their Six Nations captain, his absence creates a huge void in their middle, since Tuipulotu is their bolted-on starter at 12.
Gregor Townsend now faces a huge selection call as to who will plug the gap, but who will he pick? These are the leading candidates to succeed Tuipulotu at the Six Nations.
Rory Hutchinson
The most likely option to replace Tuipulotu in Scotland’s midfield, based on form, is Northampton ace Rory Hutchinson. The playmaker has been in superb touch for the Saints in recent weeks, which has coincided with their dramatic upturn in form too, and would add a nice dynamic to the Scotland backline if called in.
Whilst he isn’t a direct replacement, with them playing virtually opposite styles, Hutchinson is a really classy player when on song and would take some of the load off Finn Russell too, which is when you usually get the best out of the fly-half.
Stafford McDowall
Tuipulotu’s clubmate Stafford McDowall could also be a fine replacement in midfield, and that club link with Huw Jones might give him an edge. Again, he is slightly different to Tuipulotu, but still likes to carry through traffic when called upon. Again, this would keep some continuity in midfield, which has been the key to unlocking their backline in the past year.
Matt Currie
This is a big chance for 23-year-old Matt Currie to stake a claim for the future. The versatile Edinburgh back, who can play both centre positions and wing, is looking like a really promising talent for Scotland moving forward, with some solid showings in his four Test outings, and could put himself more into Townsend’s thoughts with a strong Six Nations.
One thing that does go against him is Test match experience, but there’s only one way to gain that.
Could Tom Jordan start at number twelve in this Six Nations? He could likely play in the front row and still be a great player for Scotland. Although the fiery Glasgow player is more likely to play full-back or fly-half, he has positioned himself in midfield for his club this season and might do well there if called upon for the Six Nations.
In addition to maintaining the Glasgow connection with Jones, deploying him at 12 would, crucially, put a ball player close to Russell, who would then unleash their onslaught. It might be a wise choice.
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