9 Scotland A players ruled out but game versus England A is still going ahead

Scotland have confirmed that an A team player has tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of this Sunday's game versus England A in Leicester, a development that had resulted in eight further players being ruled out of selection due to contract tracing protocols.   

The SRU have not named the nine players affected but they have called the following five players into camp to ensure the match will go ahead as scheduled: George Taylor (Edinburgh), Stafford McDowall (Glasgow), D’Arcy Rae (Glasgow), Ben Vellacott (Wasps) and Callum Hunter-Hill (Saracens).

An SRU statement read: "A Scotland player has tested positive for Covid-19 while preparing to face England A this weekend. The player started self-isolation as per Scottish Government guidelines. 

"Subsequent internal contact tracing identified a group of eight potential contacts who are also isolating and as such nine players have been ruled out of Sunday’s A international fixture against England A at Mattioli Woods Welford Road. 

"To respect medical confidentiality, Scottish Rugby will not name the individuals affected. Yesterday’s [Thursday] travel to Leicester was postponed as a precaution and the entire squad and management team were PCR tested early on Thursday morning. No further positive results were returned from the playing group.

"Consequently, this week’s team announcement has been rescheduled for 10.30am on Saturday to allow time for travel. Scottish Rugby continues to operate an extensive health and safety coronavirus mitigation plan and follow all respective health guidance aligned through Scottish Rugby's threat management group.

"This Sunday’s A International fixture against England A at Mattioli Woods Welford Road is still scheduled to go ahead as planned."