Mike Blair defends John Hardie recall

Scotland assistant coach Mike Blair believes it was a straightforward decision to bring John Hardie back into the squad, despite serving a ban for alleged cocaine use.

The Edinburgh flanker was one of 10 players added to Gregor Townsend’s squad for the Six Nations.

The 29-year-old was forced out of the start of the tournament when he was suspended for three months in November by Edinburgh and Scotland, following an investigation into “gross misconduct”, amid allegations of cocaine use.