Scotland suffer another blow before June tour with Gray withdrawal

Richie Gray has been ruled out of Scotland’s tour of Canada, the United States and Argentina with a hip problem.

The 28-year-old Toulouse lock will undergo rehabilitation at his club after pulling out of Gregor Townsend’s youthful squad.

He becomes the second Scotland player to withdraw through injury in the space of a week after Alex Dunbar was forced out by a hamstring issue.

Gray will not be replaced for the June trio of fixtures.

A number of senior players were rested by Townsend for the tour, including captain John Barclay.

But since that decision, Barclay suffered a complete rupture of his Achilles tendon, which will rule him out for six to nine months.

It means the flanker could be out until February. Barclay will miss the November internationals and there’s a chance he’ll be unavailable Scotland’s opening three Six Nations matches, against Italy and Ireland at home, followed by France in Paris. Should it take until the end of February to recover, he’s unlikely to be rushed back, with Scotland concluding their campaign with fixtures against Wales on March 9th and England on March 16th.

Barclay will be desperate to prove his form and fitness for the World Cup in Japan, having missed out on selection for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The 31-year-old picked up the injury early in the Scarlets 28-13 PRO14 semi-final win against his former club Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun on May 18th.

Initially Barclay was ruled out of the PRO14 final, but he’s now set for a lengthy period on the sidelines.

The match against Glasgow proved to be Barclay’s last game for the Scarlets as he ends a five-year stint with the Welsh club. He is returning to Scotland to play for Edinburgh, where he has signed a two-year deal with Richard Cockerill’s side.