Edinburgh lock Marshall Sykes has been recalled by Scotland for the first time in two years as the squad prepares for Saturday’s Six Nations game in Italy.
Gregor Townsend has called up 24-year-old Sykes for the first time since the 2022 Six Nations in place of Scarlets second row Alex Craig.
Oyonnax’s Rory Sutherland and Javan Sebastian of Edinburgh are recalled as Edinburgh prop WP Nel, 37, drops out.
Glasgow Warriors scrum-half Jamie Dobie is also called back in to the squad.
Veteran forward Nel, who played for Edinburgh against Ospreys on Friday, has not featured in this season’s championship and Scotland are threadbare in the prop department.
Sebastian has been in and out of the squad as he searches for full fitness while Sutherland – a British and Irish Lion in 2021 – was a surprise absentee from the initial squad.
He admitted his disappointment at missing out on the initial pool to Le French Rugby Podcast but is now recalled despite rarely featuring for the French Top 14 side since the World Cup.
Scotland are already without locks Richie and Jonny Gray as well as Cameron Henderson.
Glasgow Warriors centre Sione Tuipulotu has been ruled out of Saturday’s game in Italy because of the injury he picked up in the Calcutta Cup win over England that is expected to rule him out for at least eight weeks.
Darcy Graham is also ruled out and will play no part in the championship for the second year in succession.
Dobie has already trained with the squad in the opening rounds and joins Ben White, Ali Price and George Horne as the scrum-halves in the squad.
