Scotland’s rugby squad possesses a “healthy amount of depth” according to recent assessments, despite ongoing challenges in securing consistent victories, according to BBC Scotland chief sports writer Tom English.
English’s analysis, published on February 19, 2026, highlighted the potential of players like Gregor Brown, who is poised to compete for a starting position at number six, potentially opening a path for Max Williamson in the second row. The depth of the squad is evidenced, English noted, by a list of notable players currently outside the 23-man selection, including Jamie Dobie, Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith, Stafford McDowall, Rory Hutchinson, Cam Redpath, Arron Reed, Adam Hastings, Fergus Burke, Rory Sutherland, Ewan Ashman, Gregor Hiddleston, D’Arcy Rae, Alex Samuel, Alex Craig, Jonny Gray, Cam Henderson, Andy Onyeama-Christie, Freddy Douglas, Jamie Ritchie, Liam McConnell, Jack Dempsey, and Magnus Bradbury.
The assessment comes after a period of mixed results for Scotland. In November 2025, second row Grant Gilchrist expressed dissatisfaction with “plucky defeats,” following a narrow loss to Latest Zealand where Scotland battled back from a 17-0 deficit before ultimately falling short. Gilchrist emphasized the demand to capitalize on key moments, citing missed opportunities and defensive lapses as critical factors in the defeat. “They grabbed it and we didn’t have the answers to it and that’s disappointing,” Gilchrist said at the time.
Gilchrist’s comments followed a bruising Six Nations campaign in 2025, where Scotland’s title hopes were dashed by a one-point defeat to England. He acknowledged the frustration of being out of contention, stating, “It hurts to be saying that. I want to be standing here going: ‘We have two games and we’ve got a chance to win the Championship.'”
Grant Gilchrist, a lock for both Edinburgh Rugby and the Scotland national team since 2013, has been a consistent voice within the squad. He represented Scotland at various youth levels, including under-18, under-19, and under-20, and captained the national team for the first time in 2014 against Argentina.
Despite the depth identified by English, Scotland continues to seek improvement in crucial areas. Gilchrist has repeatedly stressed the importance of performance consistency, noting that success in the Six Nations requires being “at your very best” in every match. He anticipates a strong challenge from Wales in their upcoming fixture at Murrayfield, regardless of Wales’ recent struggles, stating, “Wales will be taking a lot of positives from their game and they’ll be coming up to Murrayfield to win.”
