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Rugby Union

Murray dropped, White captain

08/01/2008

Scotland have announced their 35-man training squad for the 2008 Six Nations campaign, naming Jason White as captain.

Head coach Frank Hadden, who was recently given an extended rolling contract to continue in charge of the team, has also dropped record cap-holder Scott Murray.

Second-row forward Murray, who won a record-breaking 87th international cap at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, is left out despite a solid tournament in France in order to blood some new players.

Six uncapped players have been included - Edinburgh backs Ben Cairns, Nick de Luca and Calum MacRae; Glasgow winger Thom Evans and prop Moray Low; and Edinburgh back-row forward Ross Rennie.

Prop Craig Smith and hooker Scott Lawson are two other players from the 30-man World Cup squad missing from the lineup.

But Hadden insists all the excluded players, and even those fringe players named in the 35, can still win a place in the starting XV during the tournament.

"I continue to be impressed with the competition for places in the squad," he said.

"A number of players have maintained their good form from the World Cup but they are going to be pushed extremely hard by some of our young, up-and-coming talent in the next few weeks."

On his choice for captain, Hadden said: "Jason is a key figure for us.

"He sets the tone as a leader both on and off the field and I look forward to working with him again during this season's championship."

The squad will convene next Monday for training, ahead of the first game against World Cup semi-finalists France at Murrayfield on February 3rd.

Three players - Glasgow's Andrew Henderson (knee); Stade Francais' Simon Taylor (thumb); and Rob Dewey of Ulster (knee) - will also be present but will not take part due to injury.

Full 35-man Scotland training squad:

Backs
Mike Blair (Edinburgh), Ben Cairns (Edinburgh), Chris Cusiter (Perpignan), Simon Danielli (Ulster), Nick de Luca (Edinburgh), Thom Evans (Glasgow Warriors), Phil Godman (Edinburgh), Rory Lamont (Sale Sharks), Rory Lawson (Gloucester), Calum MacRae (Edinburgh), Graeme Morrison (Glasgow Warriors), Dan Parks (Glasgow Warriors), Chris Paterson (Gloucester), Hugo Southwell (Edinburgh), Nikki Walker (Ospreys), Simon Webster (Edinburgh).

Forwards
John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors), Johnnie Beattie (Glasgow Warriors), Kelly Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Dave Callam (Edinburgh), Alasdair Dickinson (Gloucester), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Jim Hamilton (Leicester Tigers), Nathan Hines (Perpignan), Allister Hogg (Edinburgh), Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh), Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), Gavin Kerr (Edinburgh), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Scott MacLeod (Llanelli Scarlets), Euan Murray (Northampton Saints), Ross Rennie (Edinburgh), Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester), Fergus Thomson (Glasgow Warriors), Jason White (Sale Sharks, captain).