AFTER missing the European Champions Cup final last weekend, Sean Maitland, the Scotland wing, has also pulled out of the national team's Southern Hemisphere tour while he recovers from the ankle injury he sustained in the final league game of the season.
It says something about his importance in the squad that Gregor Townsend, the head coach, thinks he needs two players to replace him – one to cover wing, Maitland's usual role; and one to cover full back, where he might have played in the absence of Stuart Hogg on the British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.
The injury probably also ends any hope Maitland, who toured with the Lions four years ago, had of winning a call-up place on that tour.
While Rory Hughes, the Glasgow Warriors wing, was arguably a bit unlucky to have missed out on selection for the original squad, and must have been hoping for a call-up once if became clear that Maitland was struggling, the full back replacement was more of a surprise.
Greig Tonks has been out of the international limelight since his last cap in the World Cup warm-up game in Turin, and dropped below the Scottish radar when he abruptly left Edinburgh in February last year to move to London Irish, where he was unable to prevent them being relegated.
They are, however, just one match away from being promoted back into the Premiership – they hold a 29-18 lead going into the home leg of the promotion play-off final – and Tonks has been featuring regularly, mainly at full back but occasionally at fly half.
"We’ve watched Greig [Tonks] closely this season," explained Townsend. "He’s done really well in a good London Irish side and played a lot of full-back but also covered at centre and stand-off.
“He’s a player that brings aggression and a really good kicking game but also has the ability to step up at first and second receiver. Primarily we’re looking at him as a 15 but it’s positive he can cover other positions as well."
Looking at the squad Townsend is taking to Singapore – where they play Italy – Australia and Fiji, 28-year-old Tonks must have every chance of adding to the six caps he won between the summer tour in 2013 and that game in Italy.
The only other player covering full back would seem to be Ruaridh Jackson, whose caps have mainly come at fly half. He too has been flying under the radar, starting only six games all season, none since February. The only other player with top-level experience at full back is Duncan Taylor, who is in the squad as a centre.
The problem for Townsend is that with Tommy Seymour and Stuart Hogg away with the Lions and Maitland injured, he has now lost every one of the attacking back three whose flair was such an important part of the Scotland effort at the start of the last Six Nations. Tim Visser, who replaced Maitland during the tournament, is still there but there is a huge drop in experience in that key unit.
Hughes also has some points to prove after a season that saw him force his way into the Scotland squad in the Autumn, but then get injured ahead of the Six Nations. He did make it back by the end of the season but ran out of time to make a real impact.
"He was on excellent form before the injury he suffered just before Christmas and got back to that form towards the end of the season," Townsend noted. “This is an opportunity for him to continue the good work he put in.”
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