VERN COTTER, the Scotland coach, has admitted to being concerned about the health of David Denton.
Although the Edinburgh forward was yesterday named in the extended squad of 46 for the Rugby World Cup and is at present in good health, he has had two concussions in the past year and will therefore need careful monitoring, according to Cotter.
"I'm worried for him," the coach said yesterday after announcing his squad. "He's cleared to start training with us and so he'll be followed throughout the preparation and pre-season.
"I'd hate to see it. If he's had these knocks in the head and medically he has to stop playing rugby, that could be an option. It's something that's spoken about with every head injury now.
"We're talking academically here. David will return to training and if he gets another knock on his head and requires the same length to recover there will obviously be some pretty mature decisions made on what happens next. At the moment, he's fully fit and he's joining the squad.
"We want to be as careful as we can. He starts and he wants to be playing with us. He's back on track: he's done everything and he's ready to go.
"We know the potential he has. He's a very good rugby player and we want to put him through the preparation. I think it's fair to him and fair to the team, because he offers a lot."
The 25-year-old Denton is one of a dozen Edinburgh players in the squad. Twenty-two are from Glasgow, while a dozen - including Sean Maitland, who has just left the Warriors for London Irish - are with clubs outside Scotland.
There are eight uncapped players in the squad, prominent among them being Glasgow forwards Josh Strauss and Mike Cusack, and Edinburgh pack member WP Nel. All three qualify to play for Scotland on residence.
Among the significant omissions are former national captain Kelly Brown and three players who took part in this year's Six Nations Championship - Johnnie Beattie, Dougie Fife and Geoff Cross. John Barclay, omitted from Cotter's squads during that unsuccessful campaign, returns for the first time since 2013.
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