GLASGOW forwards Josh Strauss and Fraser Brown have both been recalled to Scotland’s starting line-up for tomorrow’s Six Nations Championship opener against Ireland, with the Warriors making up more than half of head coach Vern Cotter’s starting line-up.

No 8 Strauss and hooker Brown are two of the three changes from the national team’s last outing, the November win over Georgia at Rugby Park. They come in for Rob Harley and Ross Ford respectively, while the third change sees South-Africa-based Huw Jones return instead of Mark Bennett, who is one of four Glasgow players on the bench.

Cotter, who is about to go into his third and final Six Nations in charge of Scotland before returning to club coaching in France, said that Strauss had won back his place in the team thanks to improved performances for Glasgow over the past couple of months. “We didn’t think he was at the top of his game in November, but we feel he has made a real effort to improve,” he said.

“His carry is important. If they put two defenders on him that should free up space for the likes of Huw Jones and people with fast feet.”

Jones has not played since November, when he scored two tries on his home debut against Australia but then injured a foot a week later against Argentina. He completed his rehab some time ago and has since been doing pre-season training with the Stormers in Cape Town - their season in Super Rugby starts at the end of this month.

It is unusual for a player to go straight from a two-month lay-off into a big match like tomorrow’s, but Cotter is convinced that Jones has been with the squad long enough to become as fit as he needs to be. And he reckons that the fact Jones’s last games were with Scotland will make it easier for him to fit back into the national team’s system.

“That was the first thing we had to look at,” the coach said about the centre’s fitness. “He’s come through training sessions and ticked all the boxes. Although he hasn’t had the games, he still seemed to have the reflexes - we’ve had two weeks training with a bit of opposition, so we feel he’s comfortable there.

“The thing is, he hasn’t played or trained with another team, so the combinations are exactly the same. He went straight back in where he left off in the autumn.

“We thought he played well then, and he’s slotted straight back in with Alex Dunbar next to him. We felt that was the right mix. He’s an exciting player.

“Everyone knows Stuart and Tommy and Sean,” Cotter added, referring to his back three of Hogg, Seymour and Maitland. “If we have another player who can step and run and take the outside break, and have a good complement with Alex taking the shorter lines over the gain line, we think it’s a good mix.”

Brown has been pushing Ford hard for some time and gets in the team on form. “Fraser’s been playing particularly well,” Cotter added.

Scotland (v Ireland at Murrayfield tomorrow, 2.25pm): S Hogg (Glasgow); S Maitland (Saracens), H Jones (Stormers), A Dunbar, T Seymour; F Russell (all Glasgow), G Laidlaw ( Gloucester); A Dell (Edinburgh), F Brown, Z Fagerson (both Glasgow), R Gray (Toulouse), J Gray, R Wilson (both Glasgow), H Watson (Edinburgh), J Strauss (Glasgow). Substitutes: R Ford (Edinburgh), G Reid (Glasgow), S Berghan (Edinburgh), T Swinson (Glasgow), J Barclay (Scarlets), A Price (Glasgow), D Weir (Edinburgh), M Bennett (Glasgow).