Scotland rugby stars paid to skip Portugal Test

Gregor Townsend agrees to rest players for summer tour

A deal has been struck that will see Scotland’s top rugby stars miss this summer’s Test match in Portugal.

The squad for the three-match tour was due to be announced on Tuesday, but The Rugby Paper understands the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) have agreed to rest players for the trip to Lisbon on 24 June.

It is understood the SRU have secured financial compensation from their Portuguese counterparts to pull the plug on the fixture.

Townsend had been expected to take a mix of frontline stars and fringe players to Portugal for the match, but the SRU performed a U-turn after pressure from clubs.

The issue of player welfare has come to the fore in recent months, amid a busy schedule and concerns about the number of injuries.

The SRU are keen to avoid a repeat of the situation in 2017, when a number of players were injured on the summer tour to the Americas.

Townsend is expected to announce a squad of around 35 players for the tour, which also includes matches against Romania and Georgia.

However, it is understood that a number of frontline players, including Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell and Jonny Gray, will be rested for the trip to Portugal.

The SRU have not yet confirmed the financial details of the deal with Portugal, but it is believed to be in the region of £200,000.

The decision to rest players for the Portugal Test is a significant one, and it will be interesting to see how it affects the team’s performance on the tour.