| Beattie will travel as a precaution to provide cover in the back-row, after the injury that forced Allister Hogg’s departure from Scotland’s midweek 66-19 victory over the Barbarians. Hogg suffered hamstring pain in the second half but, happily, a scan revealed no tear. He is now on a programme of active rehabilitation.
Scotland coach Frank Hadden said today: “Ali ran this morning and is making progress. We feel however that it makes sense to take some cover with us.
“It’s a very tough decision with regards to the Scotland under-21 team who are leaving today for their world championship in France but we hope events mean that John will still be able to play some part in that tournament. In any event John’s involvement on the South African tour is a fantastic development opportunity for him.”
Beattie said: “It’s a win/win situation for me. Being called up as cover for South Africa is going to be an awesome experience and all being well with injuries it’ll be fantastic if I can finish off with the under-21s given that I’ve been playing with many of the guys in the squad since I was 17.”
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