The Scottish Rugby Union confirmed six players have been disciplined for a breach of team protocols following the win over Italy last Saturday; The group reportedly left the team hotel in Edinburgh to go to a bar after the squad returned from Rome
Friday 18 March 2022 16:50, UK
Captain Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell are among six Scotland players reported to have been disciplined for a breach of team protocols in the wake of the win over Italy.
The group are understood to have left the team hotel and visited a bar in Edinburgh after returning from Rome, where Scotland triumphed 33-22 last Saturday.
Hogg and Russell were reportedly disciplined for the breach along with Ali Price, Darcy Graham, Sam Johnson and Sione Tuipulotu, with the news being confirmed by the Scottish Rugby Union the day before they round off their Six Nations campaign against Ireland in Dublin.
"The Scotland management team have this week dealt with a post-match matter involving six players following the game against Italy last weekend," an SRU statement read.
"The players involved have been spoken to individually and those conversations and outcomes will remain private.
"Preparations for the match against Ireland this week have been good and the whole squad is fully focused on achieving a positive result on Saturday."
This is not the first time Russell has been disciplined for breaches of team protocol, being dropped on the eve of their Six Nations opener against Ireland two years ago.
The 29-year-old was also dropped to the bench for Saturday's showdown against the title-chasing Irish, with Blair Kinghorn chosen to start at fly-half instead.
"The selection is an opportunity for those who are given that honour and privilege," Townsend said earlier this week on his decision to pick Kinghorn ahead of Russell at No. 10.
"Like any game, you put a lot of though into it, you put the out the best team we believe has a chance of winning - there's no more than that.
"I prefer to focus more on what Blair has done, and how well he has played and how he has deserved this opportunity, which he certainly with his performances throughout the season."
Hogg, Graham, Johnson and Price were, however, named in Townsend's starting XV for the game at the Aviva Stadium, while Tuipulotu was released from the squad.
