Barclay Earns Scotland Call-Up

Scarlets flanker John Barclay's hopes of ending his two-year Scotland exile have been given a major boost after he was named in Vern Cotter's 46-man World Cup training squad.

The 28-year-old has been overlooked for successive RBS 6 Nations tournaments despite his impressive form for his Welsh region.

Also called up is South African-born William Nel as well as uncapped forwards Allan Dell and Stuart McInally of Edinburgh, and Glasgow's Hugh Blake.

Wings Damien Hoyland and Rory Hughes, who are among those hoping to make their first international starts, are included too.

Josh Strauss - another South African - is included despite the fact he becomes eligible just four days before the Dark Blues' first match against Japan on September 23, while Mike Cusack is named after a two-year injury lay-off.

And Glasgow back-rower Ryan Wilson will hope to put his four-month suspension behind him following a court conviction for assault.

Noticeable absentees include former skipper Kelly Brown, number eight Johnnie Beattie and Dougie Fife, the scorer of the Scots' opening try in this year's RBS 6 Nations against France in Paris.

Cotter will gather his players together at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility on June 15 for a range of strength and conditioning tests before travelling to Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees for a short training camp at the end of the month.

He will then have to reduce his squad to just 31 ahead if the tournament in England. Players from Guinness Pro12 champions Glasgow Warriors make up almost half the squad with 22 representatives, while European Challenge Cup finalists Edinburgh Rugby providing 12.

Cotter, said: "The selection process was made easier by some good performances from a number of players, especially in the latter part of the season.

"Hopefully the confidence the players have gained from their successes will filter through into the rest of Scottish rugby. We'll need that for this campaign.

"Flexibility and being able to adapt are among our key themes as we move towards the final 31 and the Rugby World Cup. This is not a firmly-fixed squad, it's a living document. There are a number of players we've spoken to who will be working on things with their clubs and looking for form, and may well feature in our warm-up games as a chance to push for selection.

"We're working hard to be as cohesive as possible and push the limits of how far we can go."

Scotland will play four matches in the build up to the finals, with trips to France and Ireland scheduled from mid-August before home and away clashes with Italy.