Head Coach Fergus Pringle has announced his initial Scotland Men U20 squad for the 2026 U20 Six Nations.
The 31-player squad will be captained by Edinburgh pro-academy back Ross Wolfenden, with Glasgow Warriors hooker Joe Roberts named as vice-captain.
In the forwards, props Jamie Stewart, Oliver McKenna and Will Pearce, hookers Roberts and Jack Utterson and back row Oliver Finlayson-Russell all return from the squad that competed in the 2025 World Rugby U20 Championship.
Second row Christian Lindsay also returns, having featured in the 2025 U20 Six Nations at just 17 years old before captaining Scotland U18 in the 2025 U18 Six Nations Festival.
Hooker Jamie McAughtrie and props Ollie Anderson and Jackson Rennie complete the front row selections, while Lindsay is joined in the second row by Aidan Orr, Fin Ronnie and Alfie Blackett.
Sam Byrd, Harvey Preston, Jack Marshall and Rory Purvis round off the selections in the pack.
In the backs, Wolfenden, scrum-half Hamish MacArthur, centre Campbell Waugh and winger Nairn Moncrieff are the players to return after featuring in 2025.
Jake Dalziel, son of Scotland Men Forwards Coach John, is the youngest player in the squad at 17.
MacArthur is joined by fellow scrum-halves Adam McKenzie and Gregor Johnston, while Dalziel and Felix Champain are the stand-offs in the squad.
Harry Clark and Henry Kesteron join Wolfenden and Waugh in the centres, and the back three sees Moncrieff joined by Rory McHaffie, Mitchell Newell, Henry Widdowson and Calum Jessop.
Scotland U20’s fixtures mirror that of the Men’s Six Nations, with the campaign beginning away to Italy on Friday 6 February in Treviso.
A home fixture against England at Hive Stadium follows on Friday 13 February, before a trip to Cardiff Arms Park on Friday 20 February to face Wales.
The second and final home fixture sees Scotland return to Hive Stadium to take on France on Friday 6 March, before the campaign finishes in Cork on Sunday 15 March against Ireland.
Pringle said: “This is an exciting group that have had some time together in training camps over a number of weeks now, and we’re looking forward to this Championship.
“It’s really important for our best young players to be playing in meaningful games at a high level where they will be really challenged, and they will all experience that across the five fixtures.
“The coaches are hoping to see the sort of performances we know these players are capable of, and hopefully we will continue to see improvement from the group individually and collectively throughout the tournament.”
Scotland Men U20 squad for the 2026 U20 Six Nations
Forwards
Ollie Anderson (Melrose RFC)
Alfie Blackett (Cardiff Metropolitan University)
Sam Byrd* (Edinburgh Rugby)
Oliver Finlayson-Russell (University of St Andrews)
Christian Lindsay* (Edinburgh Rugby)
Jack Marshall (Saracens/Loughborough University)
Jamie McAughtrie (Ayr RFC)
Oliver McKenna* (Glasgow Warriors)
Aidan Orr (Glasgow Hawks)
Will Pearce (Cardiff Metropolitan University/Bristol Bears)
Harvey Preston (Glasgow Hawks)
Rory Purvis* (Glasgow Warriors)
Jackson Rennie* (Glasgow Warriors)
Joe Roberts* – Vice-Captain – (Glasgow Warriors)
Fin Ronnie (Watsonians RFC)
Jamie Stewart* (Edinburgh Rugby)
Jack Utterson* (Edinburgh Rugby)
Backs
Felix Champain (Harlequins)
Harry Clark (Watsonians RFC)
Jake Dalziel (Merchiston Castle School/Melrose RFC)
Calum Jessop (Heriots Rugby)
Gregor Johnston (Hartpury University)
Henry Kesterton* (Edinburgh Rugby)
Hamish MacArthur* (Edinburgh Rugby)
Rory McHaffie* (Edinburgh Rugby)
Adam McKenzie (Watsonians RFC)
Nairn Moncrieff* (Edinburgh Rugby)
Mitchell Newell (University of Strathclyde)
Campbell Waugh (Glasgow Hawks)
Ross Wolfenden* – Captain – (Edinburgh Rugby)
Henry Widdowson* (Edinburgh Rugby)
* Denotes Scottish Rugby academy player
Natural Gold
Japan was the first Asian nation to reach the knockout stages of the Rugby World Cup – In 2019, Japan hosted the Rugby World Cup. Not only were they the first Asian nation to host they Rugby World Cup, they also shocked the world by beating Scotland to reach the knockout stages for the first time in history. Though they were eventually stopped by South Africa in the quarter-finals, they stole our hearts with the way they played. They also showed that taking rugby to new nations is the way forward to grow the game’s popularity.
Virgo Moon
England’s national rugby team, renowned for their skill and determination, has achieved significant success on the world stage. They won the Rugby World Cup in 2003, a crowning achievement that remains a source of national pride.