SCOTLAND internationalist Andy Nicol last night feared that his Scotland tour jinx had struck again.
He looks certain to miss the trip to Fiji and Australia after tearing a hamstring just seconds from the end of Bath's 20-15 defeat by Newcastle Falcons at Gateshead.
The West Country club's scrum-half captain admitted: ''I could tell straight away that the hamstring was torn because I have done the same thing before. The last time it happened I was out for six weeks.''
Nicol's tale of woe started six years ago when he led the Scots to the South Seas - only to injure his knee when an air stewardess's trolley crashed into it. Since then he has missed out on a string of tours, including the 1995 World Cup in South Africa and the trip to New Zealand two years ago.
Nicol was one of three scrum-halves named in Jim Telfer's squad, along with Melrose's Bryan Redpath and Graeme Burns of Watsonians.
Should he be officially ruled out, there are several candidates to take his place, including Fraser Stott, Derrick Patterson, and Ian Fairley.
The Scotland squad has already been depleted after all but one of Newcastle's tartan contingent opted out - including the captain during the Five Nations, Gary Armstrong.
qWILL Greenwood was given the go-ahead to join England's summer tour after a RFU disciplinary panel last night decided to take no further action following his red card at Newcastle last week.
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