Scotland boosted by trio’s return for Calcutta Cup showdown with England
Blair Kinghorn at Scotland training session.
Scotland have made three changes to their starting line-up that will face off against bitter Six Nations rivals England in the Calcutta Cup at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Kyle Steyn, Jamie Ritchie and Blair Kinghorn all come into Gregor Townsend’s XV, the latter making his first appearance of the championship after recovering from injury.
Dangerous wing Steyn was a late absentee against France last time out due to his wife going into labour, with Ritchie returning at blindside after missing out in Round Two.
Kinghorn at 15
Full-back Kinghorn and Steyn join wing Duhan van der Merwe in the back three for the Six Nations showdown, as Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones retain the centre positions.
Co-captain Finn Russell partners Ben White, who scored the opening try last time out, at half-back and the pair will be crucial to Scotland‘s hopes of victory in front of their fans.
Ritchie’s return complements a back-row also containing co-captain Rory Darge at openside flanker and number eight Jack Dempsey, who will be a notable carrier.
The front five is unchanged as Grant Gilchrist and Scott Cummings are the locks, behind a front-row trio of Pierre Schoeman, Zander Fagerson and George Turner.
The replacements remain the same for the second successive game, with scrum-half George Horne, fly-half Ben Healy and centre Cameron Redpath the backline options.
Ewan Ashman (hooker), Alec Hepburn (loosehead prop) and Elliot Millar-Mills (tighthead) are joined by Sam Skinner and Andy Christie as the forward substitutes.
Scotland will be looking to bounce back from that agonising loss to France while England are looking to make it three wins out of three this Six Nations campaign.
Scotland team to face England
Scotland: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell (cc), 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge (cc), 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Elliot Millar-Mills, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Andy Christie, 21 George Horne, 22 Ben Healy, 23 Cameron Redpath
Date: Saturday, February 24
Venue: Murrayfield
Kick-off: 16:45 GMT
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Chris Busby (Ireland), Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
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