Stuart McInally to captain Scotland in World Cup

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has confirmed Edinburgh hooker Stuart McInally as the captain for the World Cup that kicks-off later this month in Japan.

McInally will be assisted by former captains Greig Laidlaw and John Barclay while Rory Hutchinson and Huw Jones miss out with Chris Harris and Duncan Taylor making the cut. Barclay will also be featuring in his third World Cup after being part of the 2007 and 2011 World Cup campaigns.

The squad contains 17 forwards and 14 backs with Glasgow Warriors having 12 players from the squad while 10 players are from Edinburgh. Adam Hastings has been chosen as a cover for playmaker Finn Russell while Peter Horne also can play at 10.

Josh Strauss, Matt Fagerson and Magnus Bradbury have been left out with Townsend preferring Scarlets' Blade Thomson.

“We’re delighted with the squad and believe we’ve picked a group capable of playing our best rugby and doing this consistently throughout the tournament,” said Townsend.

“The players have worked hard to be in the best physical shape of their careers and we know that when they play to their potential they are capable of beating any team in the world.

“There were a number of tough calls given the quality of our wider training squad, and on the close decisions we’ve looked to select players that have strong defensive attributes and are willing to out-work their opposite number.”

Scotland's Rugby World Cup squad:

Forwards: John Barclay, Simon Berghan, Fraser Brown, Scott Cummings, Allan Dell, Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Jonny Gray, Stuart McInally (captain), Willem Nel, Gordon Reid, Jamie Ritchie, Blade Thomson, Ben Toolis, George Turner, Hamish Watson, Ryan Wilson

Backs: Darcy Graham, Chris Harris, Adam Hastings, Stuart Hogg, George Horne, Pete Horne, Sam Johnson, Blair Kinghorn, Greig Laidlaw, Sean Maitland, Ali Price, Finn Russell, Tommy Seymour, Duncan Taylor