Scotland to call on McConnachie after Brough withdraws

Scotland coach Steve McCormack has confirmed that captain Danny Brough has been forced to withdraw from the team’s final European Championship game against France.

Brough has sustained a hand injury, but McCormack has praised the Huddersfield player’s commitment to the Scottish cause.

“Danny won’t come to France,” confirmed Scotland head coach Steve McCormack. “He has damaged his hand so won’t be fit but he wouldn’t play anyway now that we can’t win it. Danny needs a rest – he’s played every game for us in the last three campaigns now and needs a break before pre-season starts with his club.

“He could easily have pulled out of the whole tournament to give himself a break ahead of the Four Nations next year and the 2017 World Cup.

“His wife, Jenna, has been away climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for the Steve Prescott Foundation so Danny has been dropping his kids off at school every morning, driving a couple of hours to training, going back to pick the kids up from school, then driving back to the team hotel.

“He did that three days on the trot. That tells you everything about him and his commitment to Scotland. His Mum brought the boys to Gala for the Ireland game as their mum was away and Danny was in camp.

“He has been absolutely outstanding.”

Ben Hellewell and Adam Walker will also not travel to Avignon to face France, but McCormack is in talks to fly prop Billy McConnachie over from Australia, after the front rower was suspened for the first two games of the European Championship.