Scotland team: Finn Russell among SEVEN returning British and Irish Lions as Gregor Townsend makes major Duhan van der Merwe call
Scotland are boosted by the return of some British and Irish Lions, but there's no room for Duhan van der Merwe
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has made sweeping changes to his 23-man squad to take on the All Blacks this weekend, with seven British and Irish Lions tourists returning to the side.
Captain Sione Tuipulotu, who acted as a waterboy in his side’s 85-0 win over the USA last weekend, joins fellow summer tourists Blair Kinghorn, Finn Russell, Ben White, Gregor Brown, Ewan Ashman and Pierre Schoeman in the starting XV this weekend.
They are not the only changes to the side, with Kyle Steyn, Rory Hutchinson, Matt Fagerson and Grant Gilchrist also coming into the run-on group.
Scotland make mass changes as British and Irish Lions big-guns return
The returning Kinghorn and Steyn join up with last weekend’s hat-trick hero Darcy Graham in an exciting back-three, with no room for 50-capper Duhan van der Merwe in the 23 this weekend. Hutchinson and Scotland skipper Tuipulotu take over for Ollie Smith and Stafford McDowall in midfield, wearing 13 and 12 respectively, while Russell and White reunite in the halves.
Jack Dempsey is the only survivor from last weekend’s starting back-row, with Fagerson and Brown coming in on the openside and blindside, respectively. Gilchrist joins Scott Cummings in the second-row, who also retains his spot in the side from that win over the USA, while D’Arcy Rae keeps his spot at tighthead. Ashman and Schoeman complete the front-row.
George Turner, Rory Sutherland, Elliot Millar Mills, Marshall Sykes, Rory Darge and Josh Bayliss are the forward options on the bench, as Townsend opts for a 6/2 split, while versatile backs Jamie Dobie and Tom Jordan both get the nod as replacements.
Team to face the All Blacks in full
Scotland: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Rory Hutchinson, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Kyle Steyn, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Matt Fagerson, 6 Gregor Brown, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 D’Arcy Rae, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 George Turner, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Marshall Sykes, 20 Rory Darge, 21 Josh Bayliss, 22 Jamie Dobie, 23 Tom Jordan
Date: Saturday, November 8
Venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 15:10 local (04:10 NZT)
Referee: Nic Berry (RA)
Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset (FFR) and Morné Ferreira (SARU)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
FRPO: Marius Jonker (SARU)
