Scotland includes tourists

Scotland coach Ian McGeechan has included all 26 players who toured South Africa this summer in his 50-strong preliminary squad for the World Cup in Australia this autumn.

Edinburgh centre Marcus di Rollo is included after completing his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained last September, while Scotland Under-21 backs Gareth Morton and Chris Cusiter are also named.

McGeechan will name his definitive 30-man squad for the tournament in early September.

On di Rollo’s inclusion, McGeechan said: “This is a positive for Marcus after his time out through injury. I want to involve him in the squad and will be monitoring his progress carefully.”

Di Rollo, 25, who won his only Scotland cap to date on the 2002 North American tour, told the SRU website: “It’s excellent to be involved again. I’ve completed some six months of pre-season work with Edinburgh and that was the first step.

“I always felt when I did the injury against Ulster that I would have an outside chance to be involved in the World Cup. Now I need to get games.”

Thirty-two of the preliminary squad are currently undergoing fitness training in Spala, Poland.

The players will then be organised into geographical training camps before the squad embark on three pre-World Cup Test matches – against Italy at Murrayfield on August 23; Wales in Cardiff on August 30 and Ireland at Murrayfield on September 6.