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Scotland have been dealt a huge double injury blow ahead of the Six Nations with captain Sione Tuipulotu and lock Scott Cummings both ruled out of the tournament.
Centre Tuipulotu led Gregor Townsend’s side with distinction during the autumn and been appointed to lead them into this campaign, but suffered a pectoral muscle injury in training with Glasgow Warriors last week.
And having missed Glasgow’s Champions Cup defeat at Harlequins, the 27-year-old will undergo surgery and miss the championship.
Second row Cummings was taken off with an arm injury at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday, with scans confirming a fracture. He is also likely to miss the entirety of the Six Nations.
Rory Darge and Finn Russell re-assume duties as co-captains in Tuipulotu’s absence having served in the role last year.
Injury to Tuipulotu is huge with the Australian-born back having established himself as one of the world’s best centres in the last 18 months.
He would have hoped to push his case for selection in Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions squad, for which he still looks a strong contender.
Cummings might also have emerged as an option for Farrell having formed an excellent partnership in the boiler room with Grant Gilchrist over the last few years. Townsend can, at least, call upon a returning Jonny Gray in this campaign, but will miss Cummings’s physicality.
No injury replacements have been called up to this stage with the Scotland head coach naming a 37-player squad last week.
Scotland open their tournament at home to Italy at Murrayfield on Saturday 1 February.
