SCOTLAND Head Coach Vern Cotter has named his extended training squad to begin preparations for the Rugby World Cup 2015.

But there’s no place for two Borders giants of the game - former captain Kelly Brown from Melrose and Galashiels prop Geoff Cross.

The 46-man group, which will be reduced to 31 for the tournament in England this September, will convene in a fortnight for a range of strength and conditioning tests.

Amongst them is Jedburgh’s Greig laidlaw, who now plies his trade at Gloucester, Hawick’s Stuart Hogg, who’s fresh from Pro 12 success with Glasgow, and former Selkirk centre Alex Dunbar, despite being out of the game for much of the year with injury.

Kelso’s 85-times capped Ross Ford is also included, and could feature in this third World Cup.

Cotter said: “The selection process was made easier by some good performances from a number of players, especially in the latter part of the season.

“Hopefully the confidence the players have gained from their successes will filter through into the rest of Scottish rugby. We’ll need that for this campaign.” Despite naming a 46-man training group, Cotter was keen to stress that the squad was by no means a closed group.

“Flexibility and being able to adapt are among our key themes as we move towards the final 31 and the Rugby World Cup. This is not a firmly fixed squad, it’s a living document,” he added.

“There are a number of players we’ve spoken to who will be working on things with their clubs and looking for form, and may well feature in our warm-up games as a chance to push for selection.

“We’re working hard to be as cohesive as possible and push the limits of how far we can go.” Scotland will face France, Ireland and Italy as part of the national team’s build-up to the Rugby World Cup 2015.

The four-match schedule played on consecutive Saturdays from mid-August will begin when Cotter’s men travel to face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Back-to-back fixtures against Italy will follow in Turin and Edinburgh, before concluding preparations against France in Paris at the start of September.

The final squad will leave for Gloucester on Wednesday, September 16, ahead of their opening Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool match against Japan at Kingsholm Stadium on Wednesday, September 23.

The Scots will face USA at Elland Road in Leeds on Sunday, September 27 followed by South Africa and Samoa on consecutive Saturdays, October 3 and 10 at St James Park, Newcastle.

Mike Cusack (Glasgow Warriors) Allan Dell (Edinburgh Rugby) Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh Rugby) Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors) Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors) Jon Welsh (Newcastle Falcons) Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) Stuart McInally (Edinburgh Rugby) Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby) Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) Richie Gray (Castres) Jim Hamilton (Saracens) Robert Harley (Glasgow Warriors) Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors) John Barclay (Scarlets) Hugh Blake (Glasgow Warriors) Blair Cowan (London Irish) David Denton (Edinburgh Rugby) Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors) Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan) Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby) Chris Cusiter (Sale Sharks) Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh Rugby) Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester) Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) Ruaridh Jackson (Wasps) Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors) Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors) Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors) Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors) Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors) Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby) Duncan Taylor (Saracens) Richie Vernon (Glasgow Warriors) Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) Damien Hoyland (Edinburgh Rugby) Rory Hughes (Glasgow Warriors) Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors) Sean Maitland (London Irish) Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) Greig Tonks (Edinburgh Rugby) Tim Visser (Harlequins)