Scotland invite Taylor to training

Scotland coach Matt Williams has invited 46 players to take part in a two-day national training squad camp at Murrayfield.

Injured Edinburgh No.8 Simon Taylor has received the call, and is among nine players listed as unavailable through injury who will attend the camp.

The squad to train on Monday and Tuesday will be trimmed for a training camp the following week and it is that second squad from which Scotland will select for the RBS Six Nations Championship.

Included in the squad for the next couple of days are the Lamont brothers, Sean and Rory; their Glasgow Rugby team-mates Calvin Howarth and Andrew Wilson; Edinburgh Rugby trio David Callam, Rory Lawson and Ben MacDougall and 30-year-old Worcester prop Steve Sparks, whose Scottish sporting pedigree runs deep.

His great-grandfather, Percy Dawson, was a centre forward for Hearts. He was sold to Blackburn Rovers in 1914 for a then world record transfer fee of £2,500.

Sparks, who has also played for Saracens, West Hartlepool, La Rochelle and Castres, qualifies for Scotland through a paternal grandmother born in Edinburgh.

Scotland training squad:

Backs: Mike Blair (Edinburgh Rugby), Andy Craig (Glasgow Rugby), Chris Cusiter (The Borders), Simon Danielli (The Borders), Marcus Di Rollo (Edinburgh Rugby), Andrew Henderson (Glasgow Rugby), Ben Hinshelwood (Worcester Warriors), Calvin Howarth (Glasgow Rugby), Robbie Kydd (Saracens), Rory Lamont (Glasgow Rugby), Sean Lamont (Glasgow Rugby), Rory Lawson (Edinburgh Rugby), Ben MacDougall (Edinburgh Rugby), Stuart Moffat (The Borders), Graeme Morrison (Glasgow Rugby), Gareth Morton (The Borders), Dan Parks (Glasgow Rugby), Chris Paterson (Edinburgh Rugby), Gordon Ross (Leeds Tykes), Hugo Southwell (Edinburgh Rugby), Nikki Walker (The Borders), Simon Webster (Edinburgh Rugby)

Forwards: Ross Beattie (Northampton Saints), Gordon Bulloch (Glasgow Rugby), David Callam (Edinburgh Rugby), Bruce Douglas (The Borders), Ross Ford (The Borders), Iain Fullarton (Saracens), Scott Gray (The Borders), Stuart Grimes (Newcastle Falcons), Craig Hamilton (Newcastle Falcons), Nathan Hines (Edinburgh Rugby), Allister Hogg (Edinburgh Rugby), Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh Rugby), Gavin Kerr (Leeds Tykes), Nick Lloyd (Saracens), Cameron Mather (Glasgow Rugby), Scott MacLeod (The Borders), Scott Murray (Edinburgh Rugby), Jon Petrie (Glasgow Rugby), Robbie Russell (London Irish), Craig Smith (Edinburgh Rugby), Tom Smith (Northampton Saints), Stephen Sparks (Worcester Warriors), Jason White (Sale Sharks), Andrew Wilson (Glasgow Rugby)

Unavailable due to injury: Kelly Brown (The Borders), Simon Cross (Edinburgh Rugby), Matt Dey (Edinburgh Rugby), Duncan Hodge (Leeds Tykes), Alan MacDonald (Edinburgh Rugby and Heriot's), Donnie Macfadyen (Glasgow Rugby), Tom Philip (Edinburgh Rugby), Sam Pinder (Glasgow Rugby), Simon Taylor (Edinburgh Rugby)