Vern Cotter names five England-based players in Scotland squad for Autumn tests
Scotland head coach Vern Cotter hopes to have his England-based players available for his side's three autumn Tests.
Scotland head coach Vern Cotter hopes to have his England-based players available for his side's three autumn Tests.
Cotter has named five players based south of the border - captain Greig Laidlaw, Moray Low, Duncan Taylor, Sean Maitland and Tim Visser - in his 31-man squad for next month's clashes with Australia, Argentina and Georgia.
But a row with Premiership Rugby Ltd (PRL) - the body which represents English club sides - over an outstanding ÂŁ400,000 injury compensation bill has threatened their participation.
The English clubs have voted to withhold their Scotland internationals - along with players representing Italy, Samoa and Tonga over a similar dispute - until the money is paid up.
Cotter though is confident he will be able to count on the services of skipper Laidlaw, who plays for Gloucester, as well as Exeter prop Low, the Saracens pair of Taylor and Maitland and Harlequins wing Visser.
Speaking in Edinburgh as he announced his selection for the November Tests, the New Zealander said: "That is an executive issue and (Scottish Rugby Union chief executive) Mark Dodson is dealing with that at the minute, so I'm not sure where it's going to get to.
"But we are anticipating having the players available to us, so I will let the whole thing unfold over the next couple of days, then we will know a bit more."
One player who will definitely not be taking part is Edinburgh's WP Nel after he picked up a neck injury.
The South Africa-born prop has been a cornerstone of the Dark Blues' line-up since making his debut ahead of last year's World Cup but will not be risked ahead of the RBS 6 Nations.
Low and Zander Fagerson of Glasgow will cover the tighthead slot over the next four weeks while Nel's uncapped Edinburgh team-mate Allan Dell - a former South Africa Under-20 international - will try to make his name with the Scots after being called in to offer cover at loosehead.
The only other noticeable absentee is Gloucester centre Matt Scott, although he has been told he can force his way back in if he can tighten up his defensive capabilities.
Otherwise Cotter has gone with a fairly familiar-looking squad as he looks to protects Scotland's slot in the world rankings. They currently sit eighth but risk dropping into the group of third seeds for the 2019 World Cup in Japan if they fall any further.