Scotland suffer double injury blow as Ritchie and Millar Mills are ruled out before All Blacks visit

A squad reshaped days before Murrayfield

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has been forced into a late reshuffle of his Nations Championship squad, with Jamie Ritchie and Elliot Millar Mills ruled out for the remainder of the competition. The double blow arrives just days before Scotland open their November home campaign against New Zealand at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Saturday 7 November, with kick-off at 2.10pm.

Townsend has called up three Edinburgh Rugby forwards as cover: uncapped tighthead Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, back-rower Freddy Douglas and experienced prop D'arcy Rae. All three have joined the national squad as preparations continue in Edinburgh, taking Edinburgh's representation in the group to eight.

The timing could hardly be worse. Scotland enter November second in the Northern Hemisphere standings, one point behind France, after winning two of their three summer fixtures. A home victory over New Zealand would strengthen that position considerably. Instead, Townsend must solve two forward problems at once, without the benefit of a settled week.

How the injuries happened

Ritchie, the Glasgow Warriors flanker and former Scotland captain, sustained a knee injury during club duty. He went off early in his second appearance for Glasgow, in the 29-20 United Rugby Championship win over the Lions. It continues a difficult year for Ritchie, who suffered a knee injury in Scotland's Calcutta Cup win over England in February that ruled him out of the rest of the Six Nations, and then missed the summer fixtures after an ankle injury in his final game for Perpignan in May.

Millar Mills, the Newcastle Red Bulls prop, suffered a leg injury in the early stages of his club match and lasted only a few minutes before leaving the field. Both players had been named in Townsend's original 37-man squad, so their withdrawals change a settled plan rather than merely trimming its edges. RugbyPass put their combined experience at 77 caps, a reminder of the Test know-how Scotland now lose.

Three Edinburgh forwards answer the call

Blyth-Lafferty is the headline name. The 20-year-old tighthead is uncapped at senior level, but he has started four of Edinburgh's five matches so far this season. His breakthrough 2025-26 campaign included 14 appearances and four Champions Cup starts, and he started all five games for Scotland Under-20 at the summer Junior World Championship, scoring three tries. Townsend had already signalled that Blyth-Lafferty was close to the senior group, and this injury crisis has accelerated his arrival.

Douglas returns after featuring for Scotland against Fiji at Murrayfield in the summer leg of the competition. The openside has started every game he has been available for this season, has scored two tries, against Ulster and Zebre, and leads the United Rugby Championship for turnovers after five rounds. His work at the breakdown is a clear strength, and it is easy to see why Townsend turned to him first when a back-row place opened.

Rae offers a different kind of cover. The experienced tighthead has just returned from a calf injury and has eight caps, from his debut against Ireland in February 2019 through to his last appearance against Fiji in round three of the Nations Championship. He also featured during the 2026 Six Nations, including a start in Scotland's 50-40 win over France at Murrayfield. If Townsend wants a steadier, more familiar option in the front row, Rae is the natural choice.

Sale Sharks scrum-half Gus Warr will also train with the squad this week, while Glasgow Warriors full-back Josh McKay joins the group as he continues rehabilitation from a hamstring injury.

Why the timing hurts Scotland

Scotland's summer form explains why this November block matters so much. Townsend's side began the Nations Championship with a 47-38 victory against Argentina, lost 42-28 to South Africa, and then recorded a 33-17 success against Fiji. Those results leave Scotland on 11 points, behind France on 12, with England and Ireland both on 10. There is almost no margin for error in the race for the Finals Weekend at Twickenham from 27 to 29 November, where the top-ranked Northern Hemisphere side meets the leading Southern Hemisphere nation.

New Zealand, meanwhile, sit second in the Southern Hemisphere standings on 15 points, behind South Africa only on points difference after three wins from three. The All Blacks fixture opens a three-match home campaign, with Australia visiting on Sunday 15 November and Japan following on Saturday 21 November, all at Murrayfield. A disrupted pack, therefore, is not a problem for one weekend only.

What Townsend must solve before Saturday

The immediate question is balance. Townsend must replace a flanker and a prop, protect his scrum against a powerful New Zealand pack, and keep enough breakdown threat to disrupt the All Blacks at the contact area. Blyth-Lafferty, Douglas and Rae offer different answers: youth and scrummaging promise, breakdown menace, and experience.

Leadership also matters. Captain Sione Tuipulotu, fly-half Finn Russell and the returning British and Irish Lions in the wider group give Scotland senior voices to steady a reshaped pack. That experience around the replacements may prove as important as the replacements themselves.

None of this makes Saturday's task simple. Scotland have lost two forwards they planned around, gained three Edinburgh players who must adapt quickly, and face opponents who arrive with a perfect record in this competition so far. But the championship position is still in Scotland's hands, the next three games are at home, and the squad still contains the core that won twice in the summer. The challenge now is to prove that depth, at Murrayfield, against New Zealand, with very little time to spare.