Six Nations 2016: Scotland's Alex Dunbar & Adam Ashe to miss start

Dunbar has scored four tries in 14 Tests, but has had an injury-disrupted season

Centre Alex Dunbar and back rower Adam Ashe will both miss Scotland's opening two games of the Six Nations.

Dunbar, 25, suffered a posterior thigh strain during Glasgow's European Champions Cup win over Racing 92 and will be out "for the coming weeks".

Ashe, 22, requires further treatment on a shoulder injury and will also miss Scotland's matches against England on 6 February and Wales a week later.

Dunbar, who has 14 caps, was a likely starter against England if fit.

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It is the latest setback to affect his Test career, after rupturing knee ligaments in training before last year's Calcutta Cup match and missing the World Cup last autumn as a result.

His Glasgow team-mate Mark Bennett is another injury concern, with Scotland coach Vern Cotter rating the outside centre's chances as no better than 50-50 as he recovers from a shoulder problem.

With Dunbar ruled out, Edinburgh's Matt Scott is likely to start at inside centre in the Calcutta Cup match a week on Saturday, with Saracens' Duncan Taylor in contention to join him in midfield.

Ashe was considered an outside contender for the match-day 23

Glasgow's Ashe, who has won six caps but missed the cut for the World Cup, can play at blind-side flanker or number eight and was one of seven back-rowers named in Scotland's Six Nations squad.

With Ryan Wilson omitted, Josh Strauss is the only other player in the squad with extensive experience of playing blind-side, although John Barclay has also operated there for Scarlets this season.

Head coach Vern Cotter may choose to start with two specialist open-sides against England, a tactic he employed against Australia in their World Cup quarter-final, when John Hardie and Blair Cowan both started.