England-based players freed by Premiership Rugby to join Scotland squad

Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw plays for Gloucester

England-based players will be allowed to join up with the Scotland squad for next month's Autumn internationals after an intervention by World Rugby.

English clubs had voted not to release Scots amid a dispute over what they claimed were unpaid medical bills.

But Premiership Rugby says that the sport's world governing body will now rule on the dispute next month.

Five English-based players had been chosen for the squad to face Australia, Argentina and Georgia in November.

"Premiership Rugby has today agreed to allow its players to join up with the Scotland squad ahead of the November Tests," said a Premiership Rugby spokesman.

"The dispute with the SRU over unpaid medical and salary bills caused when a Premiership Rugby player was injured on Test duty has not been settled.

"However, Premiership Rugby has been informed that World Rugby will convene a regulations committee panel in November to settle the case and, on that basis, we are prepared to show flexibility and allow for our players to join the Scotland squad.

"A similar dispute with the Italian, Samoan and Tongan unions was settled earlier in the week."

The claim for unpaid medical costs from all four countries was around £400,000, although it was not clear how much of that was being sought from Scottish Rugby.

Saracens duo Duncan Taylor and Sean Maitland, Harlequins' Tim Visser, Exeter's Moray Low and Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw, of Gloucester, were all selected for Vern Cotter's squad.