Blair Cowan Called Up To Scotland Squad
Scotland have brought London Irish flanker Blair Cowan into their World Cup squad as a replacement for lock Grant Gilchrist who has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.
Gilchrist lasted just 18 minutes of Sunday's 39-16 win over the United States at Elland Road before being forced off with a groin-related malady believed to be soft tissue damage.
Cowan, another member of Scotland’s foreign-born contingent having been born in New Zealand, was arguably the most noticeable omission from Vern Cotter's initial 31-man squad despite having starting all five of Scotland's fixtures during this year's RBS 6 Nations.
Cotter instead originally opted for John Hardie, a fellow Kiwi loose forward who had only first arrived in Scotland five weeks prior.
The 29 year-old Cowan has been the beneficiary of Gilchrist’s unfortunate injury and will hope to add to his 11 caps as Scotland, currently atop Pool B with two bonus-point victories, look to progress to the quarter-finals.
Next up for Scotland is a potential decider for who will top the pool with the Scots facing South Africa in Newcastle on Saturday.
