Massive blow for Scotland: Townsend provides painful Russell and Hastings injury update

Gregor Townsend has confirmed that Scotland out-halves Finn Russell and Adam Hastings have both been ruled out of the Autumn Nations Cup with injury following last weekend's Six Nations win away at Wales. In a further setback, Glasgow Warriors playmaker Hastings is unlikely to feature at all during next year’s Guinness Six Nations campaign.

Racing 92 player Russell - back in favour following his top-of-the-year falling out with Townsend - suffered a groin injury when he made his first start for his country in over a year in Saturday’s victory over the Welsh in Llanelli.

The 28-year-old was replaced by Hastings but he did not finish the 14-10 triumph either, the 24-year-old suffering a dislocated shoulder in the final game of this year’s delayed Six Nations.

“Finn we hope will be back in time for the Six Nations, but it’s unlikely Adam will be back before the end of that tournament,” head coach Townsend told BBC Scotland. "At the very best he’ll come back at the end, but that will depend on how things go.”

The Scots, who open their Six Nations campaign away to England on February 6, begin their Autumn Nations Cup campaign this month away to Italy a week on Saturday before also taking on France and Fiji in the one-off eight-team tournament that will have a fourth and final round of matches in early December.

Skipper Stuart Hogg ended last weekend’s championship victory - the Scots’ first success away to Wales since 2002 - in the No10 slot but the double-winning Exeter full-back has already admitted he would prefer to stay in the back three. 

That means Worcester’s Duncan Weir could be handed a recall after his last start came against Ireland in March 2016. His appearance off the bench in the March win over France was his first cap since March 2017.