Rating every Scotland player from the 2026 Six Nations: Plenty of positives as Finn Russell, Kyle Steyn and ‘much improved’ forwards shine
Scotland stars Finn Russell, Kyle Steyn and Rory Darge (inset).
Following the conclusion of the 2026 Six Nations, we rate every player’s performance from across the Championship. Next up, it’s Gregor Townsend’s Scotland.
Outside backs
Blair Kinghorn: The Toulouse stalwart was surprisingly omitted from Scotland‘s matchday squads for their first two matches against Italy and England before making his first appearance of the Six Nations in the round three victory over Wales in Cardiff. Kinghorn was his usual steady self at the back and did what was expected of him on attack and defence. 7
Kyle Steyn: One of Scotland’s undoubted stars of the championship, Steyn caught the eye with several top-class all-round performances, with his efforts in the victories over England, Scotland and France particularly impressive. His efforts were rewarded with three tries in his five appearances, while he finished sixth highest for metres gained (316) and beat the most defenders (26) in the tournament. His excellent aerial skills were another one of his strengths. 9
Darcy Graham: Scotland’s record try-scorer was a second-half replacement in their opening clashes against Italy and England before being left out of Townsend’s matchday squad against Wales. He was then included in the run-on side for the last two encounters against France and Ireland and crossed for tries in each of those clashes. His highlight was his performance against Les Bleus, where he scored a brace of tries. 7
Duhan van der Merwe: Like Kinghorn, the experienced speedster was not involved during Scotland’s first two matches of the Championship before starting against Wales. Van der Merwe delivered a solid all-round performance in that encounter, but his services were not required during the rest of the tournament. 6
Jamie Dobie: The young Glasgow Warriors flyer was in the starting line-up for the first two matches and delivered contrasting performances. In the tournament opener against Italy, he struggled under the high ball and battled on defence, but was much better against England as he impressed on attack. Did play again after that. 5
Tom Jordan: The Bristol Bears star was Scotland’s starting full-back in their first two fixtures against Italy and England, where he came to the fore with two solid displays. Despite being relegated to the bench for the rest of the Six Nations, Jordan saw game-time against Wales, France and Ireland and was rewarded with a well-taken try against Les Bleus. 7
Kyle Rowe: Made one brief appearance off the bench in round five. Not rated.
Centres
Huw Jones: The Toulon-bound midfielder was in Scotland’s run-on side for all five Tests as he continued his Huwipulotu combination with Sione Tuipulotu and, if truth be told, Jones delivered a mixed bag of performances. He was not at his best in the tournament opener against Italy and the last clash with Ireland, but was solid against Wales and France and outstanding in the Calcutta Cup win at Murrayfield, where he was rewarded with a brace of tries. 6
Sione Tuipulotu: Scotland’s skipper continued where he left off in the Autumn Nations Series as he continued to lead by example throughout the Championship. Tuipulotu’s powerful ball-carrying is his major strength, and he eventually made 61 carries, placing him eighth in that category in the championship. He also impressed as a playmaker while his midfield partnership with Jones was a constant threat on attack. 8
Half-backs
Finn Russell: The only Scottish player to play every minute of every game during the Championship, and the experienced playmaker showed again how important he is to the cause with several superb individual showings. Russell‘s excellent skill-set kept his country in the hunt for honours until the final round, and although they fell short again, his attacking brilliance gave Scotland good momentum throughout. 9
Ben White: The Toulon scrum-half started in all five of Scotland’s encounters, and after an underwhelming start in the defeat to Italy in Rome, his performances improved as the tournament progressed. Provided a crisp service to his outside backs while his decision-making and box-kicking were solid throughout. 7
George Horne: Despite coming off the bench as White’s replacement in every clash, the Glasgow Warriors stalwart can be happy with his efforts as he continued with the good work whenever he took to the field. Horne brought plenty of energy to the cause, especially during the latter stages of matches, and was rewarded with a try against Italy, although the Scots lost that match. 6
Adam Hastings: Made one brief appearance off the bench in round two. Not rated.
Back-row
Jack Dempsey: The former Wallabies representative did what he does best, taking the fight to his opponents as a ball carrier, and gave his side good momentum with his powerful carries. Delivered his best performance against France at Murrayfield, and apart from his attacking efforts, the experienced number eight also did well on defence. 8
Matt Fagerson: The 27-year-old was a regular in the matchday squad, making four starts and one appearance off the replacements bench against England. Fagerson was solid on both sides of the ball and gave his best performance against France in round four, getting his side over the gain line while also impressing with the quality of ball he provided to his half-backs. 7
Rory Darge: Scotland’s pack delivered a much-improved overall performance, and Darge was arguably their best forward in this year’s Six Nations. As expected, he led the charge at the breakdowns as he won eight turnovers and made six jackals, which were the joint-highest and joint-second highest in those respective categories in the tournament. Darge also shone as a defender with his 74 tackles in the latter department, the fourth highest in the competition. 8
Jamie Ritchie: After missing Scotland’s opener with Italy, he hit the ground running with a superb all-round performance in their next match against England. Ritchie shone on attack, scoring a well-taken try as the Scots took the match to the Auld Enemy, also impressing in defence. Forced off the field at half-time in that game with a knee injury, which ruled him out of the rest of the tournament, but will be happy with his efforts. 7
Josh Bayliss: The Bath loose forward came off the replacements bench in the triumphs over Wales and France and made telling contributions in both fixtures. Bayliss was a willing ball carrier, did his bit at the breakdowns and put his body on the line on defence. 6
Freddy Douglas: Made one brief appearance off the bench in round four. Not rated.
Locks
Scott Cummings: After struggling to make an impact in Scotland’s opener against the Azzurri, the 2025 British & Irish Lion bounced back with much better efforts in the other matches. Cummings was superb in executing his core duties, delivering memorable showings in the wins over England and France, and he also impressing against Wales before missing the Ireland encounter with a groin injury. 7
Gregor Brown: The young Glasgow Warriors star was one of Scotland’s up-and-coming players, making his mark with impressive performances in the lineout and in defence. Brown was involved in four matches and shone at lock and on the blindside flank before a calf injury ruled him out of the Ireland Test. 7
Grant Gilchrist: Scotland’s most capped second-row battled in the opening defeat against Italy and was dropped out of the matchday squad before returning via the replacements bench in the win over Wales. After another stint off the bench against France, he was in the starting XV against Ireland, showing that he was still good enough to compete at Test level, with his lineout work and defence still of a high standard. 6
Max Williamson: The 23-year-old Glasgow Warriors second-row delivered steady performances off the bench against Italy and England before being promoted to the starting line-up against Wales. Things went pear-shaped, however, as he made several handling errors and missed tackles, resulting in his replacement in the latter stages of the first half. He returned in the last encounter against Ireland and put in a solid defensive shift. 5
Alex Craig: Made one brief appearance off the bench in round five. Not rated.
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Front-row
Pierre Schoeman: The burly Edinburgh loosehead prop made a poor start to the competition as he battled in the scrums against Italy, which resulted in him being dropped for the England clash. However, he impressed in the set piece and on attack when coming off the bench against the Red Rose, and it was a similar story against Wales. That resulted in him starting against France, where he was superb, and he also did well against Ireland. 7
Zander Fagerson: The experienced tighthead prop was involved in all of Scotland’s matches, with all but the clash against France seeing him lining up in the starting XV. Despite some scrum issues against Italy and England early on, Fagerson improved in that area for the rest of the tournament, while his play in the loose and on defence was consistently impressive. 8
Nathan McBeth: The 27-year-old only made his Test debut in 2024, and his inexperience showed when he replaced Schoeman in the run-on side against England and Wales. Endured a torrid time in the scrums in both those games and was yanked off before half-time in the latter encounter. Did not see game-time again after that. 4
Elliot Millar-Mills: The Northampton Saint made three appearances off the bench against Italy, England and Wales and did not let his side down when called upon. The tighthead prop stabilised the scrum against the Red Rose and missed the later stages of the Six Nations due to a groin injury. 6
Rory Sutherland: Although he only played off the replacements bench in the last two encounters against France and Ireland, the experienced tighthead prop gave a good account of himself on both occasions. Was solid at scrum-time and also put in some big hits on defence. 6
D’arcy Rae: He was a surprise inclusion in Scotland’s memorable home victory over eventual champions France and emptied the tank during an impressive 40-minute shift. Stood up well in the scrums and did a similar job off the replacements bench in the last clash against Ireland. 7
George Turner: The Newcastle Red Bulls-bound hooker started Scotland’s opener with Italy on the replacements bench, and by the time the competition finished, he was his country’s first choice number two. One of Turner’s main strengths is his accurate lineout throw-ins, and he finished at the top of the Six Nations charts in that category with a perfect 100% record. He also shone in the loose. 7
Ewan Ashman: His championship got off to a horrendous start when he delivered a below-standard performance against Italy, failing to deliver the fundamentals required of a hooker. That resulted in him being dropped from the matchday squad for the England and Wales matches, but he returned via the bench against France and impressed as a ball carrier. 5
Dave Cherry: The veteran hooker came off the bench against England and helped to stabilise a back-pedalling scrum before being elevated to the run-on side the following week against Wales. However, things went pear-shaped in that fixture as he failed to execute the fundamentals, and it was no surprise when he was yanked off in the second half. Not used again. 4
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