Scotland’s most capped player Ross Ford has been left out of the Six Nations Championship training squad in favour of three players who have never experienced Test match rugby, but the Edinburgh hooker could start the tournament if clubmate Stuart McInally picks up an injury.

Seven uncapped players in total have been named in the 40-man squad which will gather at the Oriam facility for a three day camp next week which is not overly unusual in itself.

However, that three of them all play in the same highly specialist position reflects the scale of the challenge that was presented to head coach Gregor Townsend and his coaching team after Glasgow Warriors pair Fraser Brown and George Turner succumbed to injury within days of one another last month.

Ford’s non-selection is a result of having become a peripheral figure at the club following the emergence of former understudy McInally as the national team’s first choice No.2 in the past 18 months, the veteran having been selected for just one day match-day squad since the beginning of December, starting against the Southern Kings two weekends ago after Dave Cherry dropped out through illness on the day of the game.

McInally and Cherry, who has made just X starting appearances in the Pro14 but has made regular appearances off the bench, have consequently been included, along with Glasgow Warriors hooker Grant Stewart and Leicester Tigers’ Jake Kerr.

While McInally is certain to play, the situation that sees Brown and Turner, set to be out of action until after the first two weekends of the Championship, have consequently forced the management to come up with a different approach.

That effectively involves hoping that McInally comes through Edinburgh’s Champions Cup pool decider against Montpellier unscathed, while trusting in Ford’s deep-seated understanding of what is required at Test level should that not be the case.

“I’ve kept in communication with Ross,” said head coach Gregor Townsend. “Stuart is hopefully going to get through this weekend’s game and he brings a lot of experience, he captained the team in the summer and we feel that the balance with Stuart being in the squad and these three young hookers who are playing, obviously David’s not as young as the other two, but playing and playing well, that’s a better balance for us to see which one is going to get the opportunity alongside Stuart for those first two games.

“If something changes then we know Ross’s experience, his current physical condition, he would come back into the squad and do a job for us.”

Also in contention for debut caps are Gary Graham, the Newcastle Falcons flanker who was selected by England this time last year, Glasgow Warriors prop D’Arcy Rae, his Australian-born clubmate Sam Johnson who, after completing his three year residency requirement, would have played in the autumn international series had he not been injured immediately before it and his fellow centre Chris Dean, who has impressed during Edinburgh’s recent six-match winning streak.

Recalled to the national side for the first time since he was suspended then released by Edinburgh last season, is Graham’s Newcastle back-row colleague John Hardie, Townsend indicating that only injury had prevented him from being recalled to the national squad sooner.

While the coach also played down the size of the injury list, reckoning that the nature of the sport is now such that it is standard to have around 20 per cent of contenders sidelined in mid-season, he observed that “it should reduce and I’m crossing my fingers under the table.”

British & Irish Lions lock Richie Gray is among those he is hoping will be back in action soon, but he confirmed that John Barclay, who led the side into the Championship a year ago, has no realistic chance of playing.