Hamish Watson released from Scotland squad back to URC

Hamish Watson has been released from the Scotland squad to play for Edinburgh against Scarlets on Saturday.

The flanker and hooker Dave Cherry have both been allowed to start in the BKT United Rugby Championship encounter in Llanelli.

Damien Hoyland returns from injury to start on the wing while scrum-half Charlie Shiel and lock Jamie Hodgson have also been recalled. Chris Dean has been named on the bench after recovering from concussion.

Head coach Mike Blair said: “We’ve had a really focused week of training and the guys are excited to return to league action.

“That short break during the Six Nations window has given us the opportunity to take stock and reflect on what we’re doing well and what we can do better as a team.

“The internationals have come back into training this week and brought a brilliant buzz. We’ve got a great dynamic across the squad and we feel energised as a group heading into Saturday night’s match at Parc y Scarlets.

“Scarlets have been going really well of late and are always strong at home. However, we’ve had some terrific results on the road so far this season – with URC wins at Cardiff and Zebre – which gives us some confidence heading into a fixture which is hugely important for us as a club.”

Scarlets: Johnny McNicholl, Steff Evans, Joe Roberts, Ioan Nicholas, Ryan Conbeer, Sam Costelow, Gareth Davies, Kemsley Mathias, Shaun Evans, Sam Wainwright, Morgan Jones, Sam Lousi, Vaea Fifita, Dan Davis, Sione Kalamafoni (CAPT)

Replacements: Taylor Davies, Steff Thomas, Javan Sebastian, Ben Williams, Carwyn Tuipulotu, Dane Blacker, Dan Jones, Eddie James

Edinburgh Rugby: Wes Goosen, Damien Hoyland, Mark Bennett, James Lang, Jack Blain, Charlie Savala, Charlie Shiel, Boan Venter, Dave Cherry (CAPT), Murray McCallum, Glen Young, Jamie Hodgson, Nick Haining, Hamish Watson, Viliame Mata

Replacements: Adam McBurney, Jamie Jack, Lee-Roy Atalifo, Marshall Sykes, Connor Boyle, Ben Vellacott, Jaco van der Walt, Chris Dean