Six Nations: Leslie ruled out for Scotland

Influential centre John Leslie has been ruled out of the Scotland side to face England at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Leslie sustained a calf injury on club duty for Northampton at the weekend and has not recovered sufficiently to be considered for the Calcutta Cup encounter.

The loss of the former Scotland captain is a major blow to hopes of a repeat of the triumph in Edinburgh two years ago which ended English hopes of a Grand Slam.

Leslie was a key figure in the Scots’ Five Nations title triumph in 1999 - and, although he has been blighted by injuries since then, the New Zealand-born player was showing signs of hitting top form at club level.

Glasgow winger Jon Steel has been drafted in to coach the 22-man squad, with coach Ian McGeechan set to name his starting line-up at a Burns’ Night dinner tomorrow.

McGeechan has a number of options available, including switching Gregor Townsend from his preferred fly-half role and introducing Duncan Hodge - the man whose try effectively ended English hopes on their last trip north of the border.

More likely is a decision to hand Glasgow youngster Andrew Henderson his first full start, or switch Brendan Laney from full-back where he made his controversial debut against New Zealand in November.