Graham forced to sit out at Paris
Newcastle prop George Graham has been forced to withdraw from the Scotland squad for Sunday's Six Nations opener.
Graham has a hamstring problem and will miss the match with France at the Stade de France in Paris. Glasgow Caledonians' Gordon McIlwham will take Graham's place.
Scotland A coach G r a ham Hogg has gambled on the fitness of McIlwham's team-mate Glenn Metcalfe by naming him in the side to face France A in Blois on Saturday.
Metcalfe has been selected at full back despite playing only one competitive club match since returning from three months out with a fractured knee - and he has admitted that his problems may not yet be over.
'The next couple of days will probably be telling,' he said. 'There's a small section of cartilage that has come apart from the kneecap and has not quite knitted properly.'
Hogg has also brought back veteran forwards Doddie Weir, Stuart Reid and Paul Johnstone, plus fit-again Robert Russell, to add fire to the pack in what is expected to be a highly physical encounter.
Hogg said: 'Stuart and Doddie give us that bit of experience and hardness. We need to be able to live with the French for the first 30 minutes in particular to have a chance of winning.'
