Gloucester centre Matt Scott has earned a recall to Scotland's squad for the Six Nations.
Scott was omitted from Scotland’s November Test plans but has worked his way back into Vern Cotter’s pool after scoring 12 tries in 18 games this season.
Uncapped Edinburgh forwards Cornell du Preez and Simon Berghan are also included in the 37-man squad.
South African-born du Preez was involved in the autumn while Berghan is included amid doubts over the fitness of his fellow Edinburgh prop WP Nel, who aggravated a neck injury during his side’s European Challenge Cup victory over Harlequins at the weekend.
Head coach Cotter said: “WP Nel will be going for a scan later on tonight (Wednesday) so we’ll get an idea of whether he will be available or not for the competition. There is a doubt over his availability following the injury he had this weekend.”
Cotter praised Scott for responding to his omission in the perfect manner.
He said: “It’s not what you say, it’s what you do isn’t it? And he has been working on things, mostly some of the defensive work he has had to do, staying in systems and make better decisions.
“He has taken that on board and it shows the quality of the man that he is able to accept there are things he is able to work on and he has got better at it. I wouldn’t say it’s fully done and we are not going to tell a player that, we will tell him to keep working. But there have been improvements and he’s doing a god job.
“You can be strong and humble at the same time and he is humble, hard-working and his mental strength his showing. He wants to be here and he has shown his desire: he wants to be here. He has got some great qualities and as we know in this game it comes down to a couple of errors that change results.
“If there is anything we have learnt in our time together it’s the fact that errors are the biggest contributors in wins and losses. If we can minimise them then we give ourselves a better chances.”
Du Preez was preferred ahead of 21-year-old Magnus Bradbury, who made his debut against Argentina in November.
Cotter said: “Cornell is probably a more seasoned campaigner and a little bit more physical in the contact. We like what he does, things stop around him or they go forward very quickly around him, and we like that.
“Magnus has got a great talent, we just feel he hasn’t started games particularly well. He has finished them a lot better and he needs to bring the intensity at the start of games. He is still a talent.”
The likes of Duncan Taylor, John Hardie and Huw Jones have been included despite a shortage of game time in recent months while Edinburgh stand-off Duncan Weir has been named after a broken jaw contributed to his absence in November.
In-form Glasgow scrum-half Ali price is included while his Warriors team-mate, Peter Horne, is among those unavailable because of injury.
Scotland Six Nations squad:
Forwards: Allan (Glasgow), Barclay (Scarlets), Berghan (Edinburgh), Brown (Glasgow), Dell (Edinburgh), Du Preez (Edinburgh), Fagerson (Glasgow), Ford (Edinburgh), Gilchrist (Edinburgh), J Gray (Glasgow), R Gray (Toulouse), Hardie (Edinburgh), Harley (Glasgow), McInally (Edinburgh), Nel (Edinburgh), Reid (Glasgow), Strauss (Glasgow), Swinson (Glasgow), Toolis (Edinburgh), Watson (Edinburgh), Welsh (Newcastle), Wilson (Glasgow).
Backs: Bennett (Glasgow), Dunbar (Glasgow), Hogg (Glasgow), Hoyland (Edinburgh), Jones (Stormers), Laidlaw (Gloucester), Maitland (Saracens), Price (Glasgow), Pyrgos (Glasgow), Russell (Glasgow), Scott (Gloucester), Seymour (Glasgow), Taylor (Saracens), Visser (Harlequins), Weir (Edinburgh).
