Rating every player from Scotland’s mixed Six Nations campaign: Top try-scorer and a promising star
Split with Scotland co-captains Finn Russell and Rory Darge as well as Gregor Townsend.
Following the conclusion of the 2024 Six Nations, we rated all the players who featured in the Championship. Next up, Scotland.
It was a mixed campaign for the Scots, who had the highs of the Calcutta Cup win and the lows of losing to Italy and Ireland to finish the tournament off. We run through their side, giving ratings out of 10.
Outside backs
Duhan van der Merwe: It seems only right to start with Scotland’s superstar wing who tore England apart (again) this year with a stunning hat-trick. He finished as the equal top try-scorer with five and has been nominated as player of the tournament. 8
Kyle Steyn: Remains a very classy wing and one that is so comfortable on the Test scene right now. His combination in the back three with Van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn is delightful. Would have liked to have scored more tries but a decent campaign. 6
Kyle Rowe: Started the first two Six Nations games and showed some promise before being relegated to the bench. Still, he looks like a great player and his versatility across the backline is very useful. 6
Harry Paterson: Quite similar to Rowe in the sense that he showed some strong promise in his start against France and adds solid depth to the back three reserves of Scotland. One to keep an eye on. 6
Blair Kinghorn: The move to Toulouse has him oozing confidence and he has become far more commanding as a result. He is multi-talented and extremely important to this Scotland side. 7
Our Six Nations player rating key.
Centres
Huw Jones: Just a really good Test player and it showed again. His defence is sound but it is his ability to bust through defensive lines that earns his money. A joy to watch and another key Scotsman who finished tied at the top of the tournament for try assists with three. 8
Stafford McDowall: Slotted in very nicely against Ireland which was certainly aided by the Glasgow Warriors connection in the centres. He proved to be effective when used. 6
Sione Tuipulotu: The centre was magnificent as always before he got injured in Round Three against England. It was unfortunate as his connection with Jones in their fan favourite ‘Huwipulotu’ pairing has been a crucial part of Scotland’s attacking output. 6
Cameron Redpath: Sadly his playing time or lack thereof is a victim of the depth in the Scotland squad. He showed some lovely touches in his cameo against England and then started against Italy but was dropped to the bench a week later. 6
Fly-halves
Finn Russell: Second most points, leading try assister and a great tournament from the tee sums up all the great parts of his campaign but the fly-half does come with errors at times – a consequence of his audacious outlook. Scotland were great when he had time and space but suffered when he did not. 7
Scotland’s Finn Russell passes the ball in a Six Nations clash against France.
Ben Healy: A rock solid back up playmaker with little to do in this year’s Championship. 5
Scrum-halves
Ben White: Functions very well with Russell and is arguably the most complete scrum-half in the squad. His game will continue to grow even more at Toulon. 7
George Horne: Always adds pace and energy to Scotland’s attack in particular and is a great option off the bench. 6
Ali Price: Had a very limited tournament without any major contributions. 5
Back-row
Andy Christie: Started the last two games and impressed massively against Ireland making 27 tackles. Adds a bit of steel to the back-row and may have won over Townsend with that final-round performance. 7
Jamie Ritchie: Dropped down the pecking order from last year’s captain to an option in the back-row. Had solid moments during the championship but certainly didn’t set the world alight. 5
Jack Dempsey: Always strong and commanding with ball in hand. The look of Scotland’s back-row is always more imposing with him in it. 6
Rory Darge: Looks to be relishing the leadership role thrust on him and played accordingly. The flank is an absolute workhorse and leads by example as he showed in the 2024 edition. 6
Matt Fagerson: Another solid back-row in the squad, it is certain he will offer work rate and quality on both sides of the ball. Did not feature heavily in the tournament but did solidly when he was on the park. 5
Luke Crosbie: Injured in the clash with Wales in Cardiff in Round One. N/A
Second-row
Sam Skinner: Filled in quite nicely off the bench throughout and is a reliable second-row. 5
Scott Cummings: Started every game of the championship and worked hard throughout. It was pretty much a head-down campaign with no specific highlights for the second-row. 6
Grant Gilchrist: Rock solid as always, did not do much on top of that but his lineout work was accomplished and his defence as sound as always. 6
Richie Gray: Injured in the clash with Wales in Cardiff in Round One. N/A
Props
Zander Fagerson: Started all five games and is clearly the best tighthead. Solid scrummager and mobile enough in open play. 6
Pierre Schoeman: Mixed-bag of a tournament with some really nice performances that included two tries but in the same breath his discipline was exposed, especially against Italy. 6
Pierre Schoeman on the charge for Scotland against Wales in the Six Nations.
Elliot Millar-Mills: Proved a good replacement and one who took his chances where possible. 6
Rory Sutherland: Featured once off the bench in what was a quiet campaign for him. 5
Alec Hepburn: The former England international was a regular feature on the bench for Scotland but did not do much outside of his fundamentals. 5
Hooker
George Turner: Clear as day the best hooker in the squad. Typically a good lineout thrower but will rue the overthrow against Ireland that resulted in a try. Otherwise usually industrious and impactful. 6
Ewan Ashman: A great back-up and one who featured on the bench throughout. Ticked boxes for the most part. 5
READ MORE: Six Nations Team of the Tournament: Ireland and Italy lead the way as one country misses out