Just as it looked if things were finally beginning to improve for the national team management on the personnel front ahead of a challenging series of autumn Tests so it emerged that another contender had been ruled out following John Hardie’s suspension by club and country.

The immediate issue is greater for Edinburgh since Magnus Bradbury, their captain, is also the subject of an on-going disciplinary inquiry, but Scotland coach Gregor Townsend is due, tomorrow, to name his squad for those matches amid what is becoming a pan-European, if not global clamour to address the scale of injuries being suffered by players. Between players who have missed much of the season so far through injury or are currently sidelined it would be possible to pick a full Scotland team and it got worse last week before it got better when an ankle fracture ruled Greig Laidlaw out of the autumn matches. While a tricky choice had been looming, given Ali Price’s emergence since replacing Laidlaw when he was injured during the Six Nations, it seemed that something of a leadership crisis might be looming with John Barclay, who had taken over the captaincy in Laidlaw’s absence struggling to recover from a head injury. Things began to improve when Barclay’s visit to a specialist last week revealed nothing untoward, which looked just as well as when another captaincy option, Glasgow Warrior Ryan Wilson, left the field after suffering a head knock during yesterday’s Heineken Cup defeat to Leinster.

The biggest boost is that Stuart Hogg, the most exciting Scottish back of his generation, came through that match unscathed, but the scale of what the sport is facing is still evident in that there are significant injury concerns in every department of the current squad, limiting the options available for the autumn Tests.

Back Three: Hogg’s return was vital, while Tommy Seymour and Tim Visser are both proven finishers, but Sean Maitland has not played since last month. Midfield: Long-term injury problems for Alex Dunbar, Mark Bennett and Matt Scott make it ever likelier that Huw Jones and Duncan Taylor will start together with Peter Horne, Nick Grigg and Phil Burleigh providing cover. Stand Off: Finn Russell’s selection is all the more secure with Dunc Weir currently sidelined due to abdominal problem, while Peter Horne and Ruaridh Jackson can also provide cover.

Prop: At tighthead Glasgow’s Zander Fagerson may have moved ahead of WP Nel as first choice, with Nel’s Edinburgh colleague Simon Berghan in support and at loosehead Edinbugh pair Ali Dickinson and Rory Sutherland are out long-term providing clubmate Allan Dell a chance to build on having become a British & Irish Lion in the summer presuming the groin problem that forced him to miss yesterday’s match in Russia proves as minor as was being claimed. Hooker: Even before Ross Ford picked up his calf problem Stuart McInally was looking to have edged ahead of Scotland’s most capped player in the Edinburgh pecking order under Richard Cockerill who knows a thing or two about hookers and the knee injury Fraser Brown suffered in Exeter further clears his path. Lock: Richie Gray has long been ruled out after under-going back surgery, but brother Jonny has performed well since his return following a lengthy lay-off due to a wrist problem while clubmate Tim Swinson looks his likely starting colleague, with Edinburgh’s Ben Toolis and Grant Gilchrist also in the mix. Back-row: Barclay will hopefully be back to captain the side from blindside flanker but Wilson’s injury and Hardie’s suspension are further blows, not least since Hardie’s fellow Edinburgh openside Hamish Watson has been out since last month, bringing Blair Cowan and Josh Strauss back into contention, while youngsters Adam Ashe and Jamie Ritchie may also get the call.