South Africa-born No. 8 Josh Strauss has been selected by Scotland for the Rugby World Cup, qualifying through residency rules that only kick in five days before his adopted country's first match of the tournament.
Scotland coach Vern Cotton also picked John Hardie, a New Zealand-born flanker who only arrived in Scotland five weeks ago and has played just 57 minutes of international rugby after making his debut against Italy on Saturday.
Back-row forwards Blair Cowan and John Barclay missed out on selection in the 31-man squad. Recovering from a knee ligament injury, centre Alex Dunbar wasn't called up but is on the list of potential replacements if there is a late injury.
The Scots take on Japan in their opening pool game on Sept. 23, and also play the United States, South Africa and Samoa.
___
Squad:
Forwards (17): Alasdair Dickinson, Ryan Grant, Gordon Reid, Willem Nel, Jon Welsh, Fraser Brown, Ross Ford, Stuart McInally, Grant Gilchrist, Jonny Gray, Richie Gray, Tim Swinson, David Denton, John Hardie, Josh Strauss, Alasdair Strokosch, Ryan Wilson.
Backs (14): Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Greig Laidlaw (captain), Henry Pyrgos, Finn Russell, Duncan Weir, Mark Bennett, Peter Horne, Matt Scott, Richie Vernon, Sean Lamont, Sean Maitland, Tommy Seymour, Tim Visser, Stuart Hogg.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.