Glasgow Warriors lock, Tom Ryder, has been added to the Scotland squad for the opening two games of the Six Nations Championship.
The call up comes after Sale Sharks lock Fraser McKezie injured his arm on Thursday evening against Brive. The 26 year old moved to Glasgow from Sarecens in October 2010 after an initial two month loan period and has since made 35 appearances and played for the Scotland A team. He is a former England U18's captain and was once labelled as the 'heir to Martin Johnson' when a young Leicester Tiger, he qualifies for Scotland through his father, Paul, who is from Glasgow. Speaking on the Glasgow website, he said: "I'm delighted and proud to have recieved the call-up to the squad. My focus is on helping Glasgow Warriors win tomorrow's massive Heineken Cup match in Bath, but I'm really looking forward to joining up with the rest of the Scotland squad, putting a lot of hard work and challenging for a place." He will have to compete with his clubmates Alistair Kellock and Richie Gray for a place in the second row, as well as Jim Hamilton of Gloucester. Head coach Andy Robinson said: " It's a blow for Fraser, but I've always stressed the importance of performing on Scotland A duty and consistently for your club. Tom has done this and deserves this chance." Ryder will be hoping to cement a place in the squad and to capitalise on the retirement on Nathan Hines from the Scottish second row.
