Scotland’s injured duo David Denton and Sean Maitland to miss start of Six Nations

Both players have returned to the care of their clubs’ medical teams

Scotland have confirmed David Denton and Sean Maitland will miss the start of the RBS Six Nations through injury.

Glasgow wing Maitland sustained a shoulder injury during his club side's European Champions Cup clash with Bath on Sunday, while Edinburgh number eight Denton damaged a calf playing for the Gunners against Bordeaux in the European Challenge Cup.

Both players have now been ruled out of contention for the start of the international campaign — including the opening clash with France in Paris on February 7th.

Denton left Scotland’s training camp at Ravenscraig on Monday for a scan at Spire Murrayfield Hospital in Edinburgh, which confirmed he had sustained a tear to his calf in Edinburgh’s 38-20 win on Friday night.

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Warriors back Maitland also had a specialist scan on Monday at the BMI Ross Hall Hospital in Glasgow which showed damage to his shoulder sustained in the 20-15 defeat at the Rec.

Both players have returned to the care of their clubs' medical teams but Dark Blues head coach Vern Cotter hopes they will be fit enough to take part later in the championship.

Denton was the only specialist number eight in Cotter's original 32-man squad but the Kiwi has since called up Castres' Johnnie Beattie.